Balyn Zaro, PhD, associate professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, has been named a 2026 Bowes Biomedical Investigator, a highly competitive award that supports scientists pursuing bold, high-impact approaches to biomedical research.  

Zaro was recognized for her innovative work in immunology, cancer biology, and chemical biology — research that is revealing how immune cells are reprogrammed by tumors, pointing toward new strategies for targeted cancer therapies.

The Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program, supported by the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation, provides $1.25 million over five years to investigators whose work has the potential to transform human health. Zaro’s appointment continues a strong tradition of Bowes recognition within the UCSF School of Pharmacy.  

Most recently, Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, was named a Bowes Biomedical Investigator in 2024 for his pioneering work on G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) — a major class of drug targets implicated in processes ranging from neurotransmission to metabolism — and his efforts to push this research into new territory, including neuropsychiatric disease.  

In 2019, James Fraser, PhD, professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic sciences, was named a Bowes Biomedical Investigator for his pioneering research on the shapes and movements of macromolecules — such as proteins and carbohydrates — and for developing new tools to map these structures, a critical first step in drug discovery.  

Together, these appointments underscore the School of Pharmacy’s leadership in advancing fundamental science with direct implications for therapeutic innovation, from understanding immune dysfunction in cancer to enabling the structure-based design of next-generation medicines.

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