Location

The Clelland lab is located in the Weill Institute for Neurosciences building on the UCSF Mission Bay campus. We are located in close proximity to our collaborators at UCSF, the Gladstone Institutes and the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley. 

Our Research

The Clelland lab is devoted to developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. We are currently creating CRISPR gene editing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. We are focusing first on frontotemporal dementia (FTD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) caused by single gene mutations, since this class of monogenic neurodegenerative disease is likely to be cured by gene correction.

Current Open Questions in the Lab

Can we reverse disease phenotypes or only halt progression with CRISPR gene editing?

iPSC modeling: How can we better model human disease using cell types (such as neurons and microglia) derived from human patients?

How can we deliver CRISPR to the brain and spinal cord?

What is the best approach to editing C9orf72, MAPT, GRN, PSEN and other genes of interest?

Can we build a better human cellular model of Alzheimer's disease and use it to find novel therapeutic pathways?

Can we do discovery research on humans to accelerate fundamental findings that better translate to humans?

How do we promote rigor in basic and translational science to increase the chances of successful clinical trials while simultaneously supporting the career advancement of our trainees? Is novelty the paramount goal and if not, how do we reward reproducibility, sustainability and rigor?

Lab Openings

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Postdoctoral fellow: Please send your CV and cover letter to Claire at email

We are recruiting a chemist/biochemist to help us build our transformational delivery particle platform. This person may have a PhD or industry experience. Experience synthesizing lipids and/or peptides. Those interested in entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply. Please see UCSF job board for the Clelland lab specialist position or email Claire at email.

We hire specialists and/or research associates with a bachelor's degree and lab experience in the spring. See the UCSF job board for details. Interviews often occur in January so we encourage applicants to reach out in Decemeber or early January. We recommend early applications as the open positions fill fast.