Lawrence Steinman
Stanford University
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Primary Section: 43, Immunology and Inflammation Secondary Section: 24, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Membership Type:
Member
(elected 2015)
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Biosketch
Lawrence Steinman is a neurologist and immunologist noted for his work on autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis. Steinman’s research on the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, culminated in a potent therapeutic for multiple sclerosis, Natalizumab. Steinman was born in Los Angeles in 1947 and was raised in Culver City, California. He graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. degree in physics in 1968, and then attended Harvard Medical School, receiving an MD in 1973. He completed neurology residency at Stanford, along with a post-doctoral fellowship in chemical immunology at the Weizmann Institute. He joined the faculty at Stanford in 1980, where he has served as attending neurologist, as well as directing the Laboratory of Neuro-immunology. He also was Chairman of the Interdepartmental Immunology Program at Stanford from 2002-2011. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
Research Interests
Steinman is interested in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and related neuroinflammatory diseases. A major translational focus is the development of antigen specific tolerance therapy for autoimmune diseases where the autoantigen is clearly defined, particularly type 1 diabetes and neuromyelitis optica. His laboratory is also interested in the pathogenesis and therapy of those diseases where amyloid structures are at the center of attention in pathogenesis, including Huntington’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. Research on the unique anti-inflammatory properties of basic amyloid forming nanostructures has emanated from this interest.
