Beyond Cancer Spotlight: Francesco Marangoni Home Beyond Cancer Spotlight Series: Francesco Marangoni, PhD Francesco Marangoni, PhD, (He/Him) is an Assistant Professor of Physiology & Biophysics in the School of Medicine. Read on to learn about his story! 1. What are your career/research interests? I study how the immune system works. Immunity is the sixth sense that makes us see and protects us from viruses, bacteria, and parasites that can quickly establish infections. Immunity protects us from getting cancer too, and the correct stimulation of an immune response can get rid of tumors. Turning the immune system against cancer is my current research focus. 2. How did your early life experiences shape your education and career choices? In my youth, I did a ton of volunteering with adolescents and sick people. Academically, I always had a good mind for analyzing complex systems. When it was time to choose my major, I was confused about how to reconcile these aspects. I still remember a casual chat with my mom while she was ironing, where she suggested that I consider medical research. I was quickly convinced it was the way to help people using my analytical mindset! 3. What brought you to UCI? The right opportunity, I guess. When I was looking for a job as an independent scientist, UCI opened the search for an investigator in cancer immunology. I felt very lucky to have the opportunity to apply because I use a lot of imaging to study immunity, and UCI is the place where intravital imaging of the immune system started with Prof. Cahalan! I was so blessed that Prof. Cahalan chose me to join his department. And here I am, with no regrets! 4. How did you connect with others to build your own sense of community and belonging at work? The Dept of Physiology and Biophysics (and the associated Institute for Immunology) are exceedingly welcoming places where all colleagues actively operate to make everyone feel at home. Through the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, I also had the opportunity to reach out to the general public to explain the beauty and challenges of scientific research in oncology. 5. What motivates you to serve your community and contribute to the CFCCC mission? I grew up with a strong desire to use my talents to help other people. This core value has been the most potent motivator during my scientific career. 6. What challenges have you experienced in your professional journey? Frequent failure. One under-considered aspect of scientific research is that it fails most of the time. It can also be hard not to feel like a failure after repeated attempts do not work. Once I learned how to deal with the lack of success, I felt much better… and had lots of success! Another challenge I repeatedly found during my professional journey was to cross paths with people who were not nice to me. I quickly learned how to defend myself, but that is not the point. My point is that science is already a challenging job, and scientists need to avoid toxic environments to perform at their best. For this reason, I became an advocate for a workplace characterized by solid personal connections and constant collaboration between coworkers. 7. What personal or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? During my graduate studies, I generated a wealth of in vivo data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of gene therapy for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a lethal primary immunodeficiency. Such data was instrumental in the approval of a clinical trial that so far has cured 16 children. I am also very proud of my “exploratory” attitude, which allows me to test unusual pathways (such as functional intravital microscopy, dirty mice, mathematical modeling) to study immunology, and my vision of making the workplace a fair place. But most of all, I am proud of my gorgeous family! 8. What are your interests/hobbies outside of work? I spend all my free time with my wife and three beautiful kids. I get them to dance, basketball, bike rides, participate actively at school, follow them for homework, play with them at home… I have time for myself relatively infrequently, but on these occasions, I love to see friends, play chess, and watch my team’s soccer game on TV. 9. What is a fun or random fact about you? I won money at the “Who wants to be a millionaire” show! Have someone in mind for a spotlight? Nominate them today!