Members Lewis L. Lanier, PhD University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA Dr. Lewis L. Lanier is the chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the leader of the Cancer, Immunity, and Microenvironment Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Lanier is an expert on natural killer (NK) cells, and is renowned for his contributions to the characterization of how NK cells recognize and deal with virus-infected tissues. He’s identified many of the receptors that activate and inhibit NK cells, and has shown how they can be activated against cancer cells. For his contributions, he received the 2002 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology, and earned membership in the National Academy of Sciences. He continues to explore the mechanisms that enable NK cells to distinguish between healthy cells and infected or cancerous cells. In addition to being a member of CRI’s Scientific Advisory Council, Dr. Lanier serves on the Postdoctoral Fellowship Review Committee.
