Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone is an internationally renowned immunologist whose pioneering work has transformed the understanding of T cell activation and immune tolerance mechanisms. He currently serves as the A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Metabolism and Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell therapies. After earning his undergraduate and master's degrees in microbiology from Rutgers University and his doctoral degree in immunology from Cornell Graduate School of Medical Science, he established a distinguished academic career that included serving as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UCSF from 2010 to 2016, where he guided the university's research and academic enterprise as Chief Academic Officer. His leadership extended to founding and directing the UCSF Diabetes Center and the Immune Tolerance Network, a consortium of more than 1,000 leading researchers from nearly 50 institutions worldwide.
Dr. Bluestone's research over the past four decades has fundamentally advanced the field of immunotherapy, particularly in understanding how the immune system can be modulated to prevent and treat disease. His work has directly led to the development of multiple immunotherapies, including the first medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay or prevent autoimmune Type 1 diabetes and the first FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and other cancers. By elucidating the basic processes controlling T cell activation and immune tolerance in autoimmunity, organ transplantation, and cancer, his research has provided the scientific foundation for numerous therapeutic approaches that have improved patient outcomes globally. His scholarly impact is reflected in over 500 peer-reviewed publications that have shaped the trajectory of modern immunology and translational medicine.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Bluestone has been instrumental in building collaborative scientific networks that accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into clinical applications. As the founding director of the Immune Tolerance Network, the largest NIH-funded multicenter clinical immunology research program, he established a framework for testing novel immunotherapies across multiple disease areas. His co-founding of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in 2016 and subsequent leadership as Sonoma Biotherapeutics CEO demonstrates his continued commitment to advancing immunotherapy solutions for serious diseases. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Bluestone's legacy continues to influence the next generation of immunologists through his mentorship and his ongoing work to develop engineered regulatory T cell therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
