Dr. Michael McManus stands as a preeminent figure in the field of RNA biology, renowned for his transformative contributions to our understanding of noncoding RNAs and gene regulation. He currently holds the prestigious Vincent and Stella Coates Endowed Chair and serves as a Full Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he simultaneously directs the Keck Center for Noncoding RNAs and the UCSF ViraCore facility. McManus earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2000, where his doctoral research focused on mitochondrial RNA editing mechanisms in Trypanosoma brucei. His formative postdoctoral training took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, during which he made seminal contributions to establishing RNA interference as a powerful tool for mammalian gene silencing.
Dr. McManus's laboratory has pioneered numerous technological innovations that have fundamentally reshaped functional genomics research, most notably his groundbreaking development of short hairpin RNA techniques which enabled efficient gene silencing in mammalian cells. His landmark 2002 publication provided the first evidence of small interfering RNA mediated gene silencing in primary cells, establishing foundational methodologies that became instrumental for RNA interference therapeutics and revolutionized experimental approaches across biomedical science. The sophisticated high-throughput screening platforms and in vivo genetic perturbation systems developed by his research group have been widely adopted by investigators worldwide to dissect complex gene regulatory networks in cancer and immunological contexts. His integrative approach combining synthetic and systems biology has provided unprecedented insights into the mechanisms through which noncoding RNAs govern gene expression in both health and disease states.
As an active Investigator at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and with cross-appointments at multiple leading research centers including the Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Eli Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine, Dr. McManus has cemented his position as a cornerstone of the UCSF research community. His scientific leadership extends beyond his laboratory through mentoring numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to establish successful independent careers across academia and industry. Recognized with prestigious awards including the WM Keck Award and the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Award, his innovative contributions to technology development continue to influence the field. Currently, his laboratory is advancing the frontiers of quantitative genomics by integrating cutting-edge single-cell technologies with sophisticated computational modeling to unravel the complex regulatory networks underlying cancer progression and immune cell interactions.
