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Annelise E. Barron
Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Member, Bio-X
Member, SPARK at Stanford
Member, Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance
Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Postdoc, UCSF/Chiron Corporation, Biomimetic & Bioorganic Chemistry (1997)
Postdoc, Soane BioSciences/ACLARA Biosciences Inc., Molecular Biotechnology (1996)
Ph.D., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Chemical Engineering (1995)
B.S., Univ. of Washington, Seattle, Chemical Engineering (1990)
Affiliation:
Committee:
Annelise E. Barron is the W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University.
The broad theme of the Barron lab is the study and biomimicry of natural host defense peptides (antimicrobial peptides). We study the molecular biophysics and mechanisms of LL-37—a centrally important human host defense peptide—and its involvement in Alzheimer's & Parkinson's diseases (via LL-37 degradation and immune system dysregulation by pathogen virulence factors). Alzheimer's dementia can be caused by (or at least, accompanied by) polymicrobial neurological and cerebral infections, a phenomenon receiving keen attention now, given recent discoveries. We are also working to develop biostable peptoid mimics of LL-37 as therapeutics that can combat antibiotic-resistant infections, especially neurological infections, ear infections, and sinus / lung infections. Finally, we work to mimic lung surfactant proteins to facilitate delivery of therapeutics to the lungs, treat bacterial and viral pneumonia, or prevent or prevent ventilator-associated lung injury.
We are currently putting efforts into better understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of Covid-19, as relates to dysregulation of innate immunity; understanding why certain minority populations seem to be more strongly affected by Covid-19 infections; and developing safe therapeutic and prophylactic approaches to preventing and treating viral and we hope in the future, complex bacterial / fungal / viral co-infections, which are a likely cause of many idiopathic 'autoimmune' diseases, including cognitive impairment and loss, often in the context of poor metabolic health and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Dr. Barron is a chemical and biological engineer with a keen interest in systems-level analyses of the mechanisms of complex human diseases. She was trained in chemical engineering at the University of Washington (B.S., 1990) and U.C. Berkeley (Ph.D., 1995, mentored by Prof. Harvey W. Blanch), and was a Pharmaceutical Chemistry postdoc with Prof. Ken A. Dill (UCSF) and Dr. Ronald N. Zuckermann (Chiron Corp.). She has served on the faculty at Stanford since 2007, and prior to that, worked on the Chemical & Biological Engineering faculty of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL for 10 years (1997-2007). Dr. Barron has been awarded the NIH Pioneer Award via the NIH National Institute on Aging (2020), the Oskar Fischer Award (2022), the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers (PECASE) through NIH / NHGRI (1999), the Beckman Young Investigator Award (1999), and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1998), among other awards. Dr. Barron was the youngest scientist ever to serve on the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Director of the NIH, under Dr. Elias Zerhouni. She has more than 177 publications and a current H-index of 57 (Web of Science, All Databases), and is a co-founder and serves on the advisory boards of 5 different biotechnology companies. She is proud to be 1/4 Quechua (the Native American people of Bolivia), 1/4 Spanish, 1/4 Swedish, 1/4 English, and 100% American.
The broad theme of the Barron lab is the study and biomimicry of natural host defense peptides (antimicrobial peptides). We study the molecular biophysics and mechanisms of LL-37—a centrally important human host defense peptide—and its involvement in Alzheimer's & Parkinson's diseases (via LL-37 degradation and immune system dysregulation by pathogen virulence factors). Alzheimer's dementia can be caused by (or at least, accompanied by) polymicrobial neurological and cerebral infections, a phenomenon receiving keen attention now, given recent discoveries. We are also working to develop biostable peptoid mimics of LL-37 as therapeutics that can combat antibiotic-resistant infections, especially neurological infections, ear infections, and sinus / lung infections. Finally, we work to mimic lung surfactant proteins to facilitate delivery of therapeutics to the lungs, treat bacterial and viral pneumonia, or prevent or prevent ventilator-associated lung injury.
We are currently putting efforts into better understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of Covid-19, as relates to dysregulation of innate immunity; understanding why certain minority populations seem to be more strongly affected by Covid-19 infections; and developing safe therapeutic and prophylactic approaches to preventing and treating viral and we hope in the future, complex bacterial / fungal / viral co-infections, which are a likely cause of many idiopathic 'autoimmune' diseases, including cognitive impairment and loss, often in the context of poor metabolic health and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Dr. Barron is a chemical and biological engineer with a keen interest in systems-level analyses of the mechanisms of complex human diseases. She was trained in chemical engineering at the University of Washington (B.S., 1990) and U.C. Berkeley (Ph.D., 1995, mentored by Prof. Harvey W. Blanch), and was a Pharmaceutical Chemistry postdoc with Prof. Ken A. Dill (UCSF) and Dr. Ronald N. Zuckermann (Chiron Corp.). She has served on the faculty at Stanford since 2007, and prior to that, worked on the Chemical & Biological Engineering faculty of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL for 10 years (1997-2007). Dr. Barron has been awarded the NIH Pioneer Award via the NIH National Institute on Aging (2020), the Oskar Fischer Award (2022), the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers (PECASE) through NIH / NHGRI (1999), the Beckman Young Investigator Award (1999), and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1998), among other awards. Dr. Barron was the youngest scientist ever to serve on the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Director of the NIH, under Dr. Elias Zerhouni. She has more than 177 publications and a current H-index of 57 (Web of Science, All Databases), and is a co-founder and serves on the advisory boards of 5 different biotechnology companies. She is proud to be 1/4 Quechua (the Native American people of Bolivia), 1/4 Spanish, 1/4 Swedish, 1/4 English, and 100% American.