Paula Cannon, PhD

Cannon Lab Website: http://uscmmi.com/paulacannonlab

Paula Cannon, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, with a joint appointment in the Viterbi School of Engineering. She obtained her PhD from the University of Liverpool in the UK and did postdoctoral work on HIV and gene therapy at Harvard and Oxford Universities. Dr. Cannon uses gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 to engineer immune cells, with the goal of developing treatments for HIV, cancer and other chronic diseases. Most recently, her lab has focused on engineering B cells to express custom therapeutic molecules, including antibodies that are not easily generated naturally by vaccination, but could suppress chronic infections such as HIV.

Dr. Cannon is the current president (2025) of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.

• Combining Personalized Humoral and Cellular Immunity for HIV-1 Control
  NIH · R01AI203540 · Aug 15, 2026 – Aug 31, 2031 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• In vivo cell engineering for HIV cure.
  NIH · P01HL183483 · Sep 5, 2025 – Jun 30, 2030 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Nuclear receptor regulation of epigenetic mechanisms regulating HIV CNS latency
  NIH · R01MH134316 · Aug 1, 2023 – May 31, 2028 · Role: Co-Investigator
• Gene edited B cells to co-express CNS-targeted antibodies
  NIH · R21MH130178 · Apr 1, 2022 – Mar 31, 2024 · Role: Principal Investigator
• In vivo engineering of B cells for the secretion of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies
  NIH · R01AI167003 · Dec 3, 2021 – Nov 30, 2026 · Role: Co-Investigator
• Reversing Immune Dysfunction for HIV-1 Eradication
  NIH · UM1AI164561 · Aug 16, 2021 – Jun 30, 2028 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Novel hematopoietic stem cell engineering and transplantation approaches for HIV cure
  NIH · U19HL156247 · May 15, 2020 – Apr 30, 2025 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Targeted inactivation of HIV in CNS reservoirs
  NIH · R01MH113457 · Apr 20, 2017 – Jan 31, 2022 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Next Generation HSC Gene Therapy for HIV Control and Eradication
  NIH · U19HL129902 · Apr 1, 2015 – Mar 31, 2021 · Role: Principal Investigator
• HIV-specific nucleases to reservoir cells
  NIH · R33AI110149 · Nov 21, 2013 – Feb 29, 2020 · Role: Principal Investigator
• HIV-specific nucleases to reservoir cells
  NIH · R21AI110149 · Nov 21, 2013 – Feb 29, 2016 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Understanding how HIV-1 Vpu and HIV-2 Env stimulate virus release
  NIH · R01AI068546 · Apr 1, 2006 – Mar 31, 2012 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Retroviral Vectors for Safe and Efficacious Gene Therapy
  NIH · R42RR019834 · Jun 1, 2004 – Dec 30, 2009 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Retroviral Vectors for Safe and Efficacious Gene Therapy
  NIH · R41RR019834 · Jun 1, 2004 – Nov 30, 2005 · Role: Principal Investigator
• ENTRY PATHWAY OF NEW WORLD CLADE B ARENAVIRUSES
  NIH · R21AI055720 · Sep 1, 2003 – Aug 31, 2006 · Role: Principal Investigator

• Lieber, Michael
• Wang, Pin
• Klausner, Jeffrey
• Lieberman, Jay
• Lenz, Heinz-Josef
• Ou, Jing-Hsiung