Member Highlight Interview with Alexander M. S. Barron, Ph.D. , Principal Scientist at Pfizer, Inc.

Please tell us your name, degree, where you currently work, position
Alexander M. S. Barron, Ph.D. Principal Scientist at Pfizer, Inc.

Where did you do your training?
B.A. in Biology from Reed College (2005) and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Boston University School of Medicine (2020).

Briefly, what is your research about?
I use lessons from human diseases to make drugs that manipulate the immune system for the benefit of patients. My work starts the drug development process: I come up with ideas for new immunotherapies and the initial experimental strategy to determine whether Pfizer should develop drugs based on my ideas. I also lead teams to execute the experimental strategy and collaborate with colleagues from across Pfizer to develop biomarker, commercial, regulatory and safety strategies. And, when I’m lucky, I get to publish and present our science at Cytokines!

Tell us your thoughts about ICIS: how has being involved in the Cytokine Society help your career?
I first heard about ICIS in early 2023 when my boss, Trey Gieseck, hosted Chris Hunter for a seminar at Pfizer. During that visit I told Chris a story we’d submitted to Science Immunology on type 3 cytokines driving the differentiation of pro-fibrotic scar-associated macrophages. Chris suggested I submit an abstract to present at Cytokines 2023 and I was lucky enough to win a lightning talk (my first oral presentation at a conference!). Not only did I give my first talk at Cytokines 2023, but I also chaired my first session and handed out awards for the first time thanks to Pfizer’s sponsorship. Even though I’ve only known about ICIS for a short time, the Society has already helped me achieve three memorable career milestones. I’m looking forward to continued participation in the Society for many years to come, and to reciprocating the gifts ICIS has already given me.

Are there any particular friendships or collaborations that came specifically out of Cytokines meetings?
An offhand comment by current ICIS President Sarah Gaffen at Cytokines 2023 led to an ongoing discussion with her and Jay Kolls about whether macrophages sense and respond to IL-17A. I’m still working on securing funding for us to investigate this together. Ana Gamero and I also had several wonderful talks that felt like picking up with an old friend even though we just met for the first time at the meeting.

What Cytokines meeting(s) have been your favorites? Tell us about any special memories or anecdotes.
Cytokines 2023 for so many reasons it would be impossible to list all of them. Aside from the career firsts I mentioned above, the quirky and warm camaraderie of the ICIS community was more welcoming than any other professional society in which I participate. Three non-science memories stand out. First, sharing a table and a few glasses of wine with Joan, Stefanie and Karen on the balcony of the Acropolis Museum. Second, a couple of heartfelt talks with Ana about mentoring young scientists and balancing work and everything else in life. Third, a completely spontaneous conversation with Maleika and Gemma about rock climbing. Maybe we should start an ICIS climbing club?

What do you like to do when not in the lab?
Bouldering (the ridiculous sport of climbing short rocks), hiking, playing games with too many rules and eating.

What is the best life/career advice you’ve ever received?
That’s a hard one because I’ve had a lot of great mentors and wonderful advice. Probably the most impactful advice was from my parents and can be summed up as, “You’ll spend a lot of time at work so be patient and critically introspective about what you find fulfilling and pick a career accordingly.”