Andrew C. Chan Senior Vice President: Immunology Profile | Education/Background | Top Scientific Papers | Awards & Honors

"I joined Genentech in 2001 as senior director of immunology and antibody engineering, was named vice president and senior vice president of Research- Immunology in 2003 and 2007, respectively. In 2010, I was appointed senior vice president- Research Biology and oversee our major focus areas of oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and infectious disease, as well as investigation into new scientific opportunities.

I decided to join Genentech because it permitted me to combine my interests in basic discovery research with my translational interests in understanding the underlying pathogenesis of human autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. I was drawn to Genentech because of its grassroots scientist-driven environment where scientific rigor, innovation and collaboration intertwine basic research and translational medicine and challenge the intellect to discover impactful innovative therapies for significant medical problems.

Technological advances have greatly advanced our abilities to probe human diseases and to dissect and characterize their heterogeneous phenotypes. Development of impactful therapies requires the redefinition of heterogeneous clinical syndromes/diseases into distinct patient subsets whose underlying disease is driven by a dominant molecular pathogenic pathway. These transformational redefinitions of clinical syndromes enable us to develop and match the appropriate therapies for a given patient so that they derive greatest clinical benefit for their disease."

Current Projects "Our success requires rigorous scientific investigation into human biology and disease balanced with innovative basic discovery to reveal novel biologies. Hence, much of my current focus is to ensure that we are at the forefront in discovering new biologies, dissecting the heterogeneous causes of human disease, and thinking about new scientific venues by which these dominant pathways of disease can be attacked."

Collaborations "Our active collaborations with our colleagues in Development Science and Clinical Sciences at Genentech provide us with significant insights into human biologies on a daily basis and invigorate our research efforts. Our extensive collaborations with academic and industry colleagues around the world enable us to accelerate both basic and translational research to better science and medicine."

Inspiration/Vision "Innovation requires an open-mind and continued challenging of current paradigms. Discovery requires action based on innovation."