Ben began his research career as an undergraduate biology major at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo after taking classes in virology and immunology. He was immediately intrigued by the complex & subtle ways in which the body maintains immunity. To this end he pursued research projects to study HIV virion assembly and post-transcriptional regulation in macrophages during an immunogenic event (the results of which were presented at the national Experimental Biology conference in 2015).

 

After graduating with honors with a BS in Molecular & Cellular Biology, Ben pursued research in parasitology at the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Seattle. There, he made progress in characterizing and isolating a novel essential kinase in Trypanosoma brucei in an effort to develop improved treatments for trypanosomiasis. In the course of this research he renewed his fascination with the body's ability to rejuvenate and regenerate in the face of immune insult, if given the proper instructions. Following this work, he returned to Cal Poly to pursue his MS in Regenerative Medicine in 2018.

 

His passion for regenerative and rejuvenative medicine led him to Rubedo, where he believes very strongly that by furthering the field's understanding of the drivers of aging & age-related diseases, we can start to view the aging process itself not as a linear pathway, but in a more holistic, complete, and potentially reversible way. He also remains intrigued by the increased susceptibility of an aging body to cancer, and sees a profound utility in defining the complex relationship between senescence, cancer, and immune modulation in order to drive the discovery of powerful new therapies.