Sarkis Mazmanian is an American medical microbiologist who has served as a professor at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

since 2006. He is currently the Luis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, and a board member of

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

. Prior to this, Mazmanian was affiliated with

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. In 2012, Mazmanian was awarded a

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...

for his pioneering work on the human microbiome.

Work

Mazmanian's research investigates the symbiotic relationship between beneficial bacteria and their hosts. In seminal work, Mazmanian discovered the first microbial molecule that has direct beneficial effects on mammals. Working in Dennis Kasper's lab, he showed in 2005 that a particular bacterial species, ''

Bacteroides fragilis ''Bacteroides fragilis'' is an anaerobic, Gram-negative, pleomorphic to rod-shaped bacterium. It is part of the normal microbiota of the human colon and is generally commensal, but can cause infection if displaced into the bloodstream or surrou ...

'', from the human microbiome augments immune function and balances a dysregulated immune system. Mazmanian has described and defined a novel paradigm in science whereby the gut microbiome intricately controls the development and function of the mammalian

immune system The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splint ...

. These discoveries include the demonstration that ''B. fragilis'' can treat experimental inflammatory bowel disease by inducing the activity of protective, regulatory immune cells. Further, his laboratory revealed that the gut microbiome impacts autoimmune diseases such as experimental multiple sclerosis. Mazamanian has also been involved in several ventures, having founded Axial Biotherapeutics and Symbiotix Biotherapies. Axial aimed to 'microbiota analysis to better understand the relationship between microbes and the central nervous system', and raised $102m with early investors including Longwood Fund.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

noted Symbiotix as 'developing a complex sugar called PSA, which is associated with Bacteroides fragilis, into treatments for intestinal disease and multiple sclerosis'. He also serves on the scientific advisory board of over a dozen companies, academic centers and not-for-profit foundations.

Personal life

Mazamanian was born in Lebanon to two Armenian refugees, moving to the US in 1973 whilst a toddler. He enrolled at UCLA in 1990, planning to major in English, before focusing on microbiology. He graduated in 1995 having majored in microbiology, before enrolling on a PHD which he concluded in 2002. He was awarded a Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, before moving to Caltech in 2006, where he established the microbiome department. Mazmanian's research has won him several awards including a

Searle Scholar The Searle Scholars Program is a career development award made annually to the 15 young US professionals in biomedical research and chemistry considered most promising. The award was established in 1980 by a donation from the Searle family, and is ...

, Young Investigator of the Year at Harvard Medical School, Damon Runyon Innovation Award, the MacArthur Foundation Award, and

Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It has been owned by Kalmbach Publishing since 2010. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' m ...

named him as one of the "Best Brains in Science under 40".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazmanian, Sarkis MacArthur Fellows Living people American people of Armenian descent Lebanese people of Armenian descent 1972 births