Michael Abrams, Ph.D.

Michael received his Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2020, where he studied mechanisms by which interferon-mediated regulation of cholesterol protects against bacterial and viral pathogens. His postdoctoral work focused on mechanisms of neurodegeneration, including tau aggregation. Michael received a B.S. in Molecular Biology from San Jose State University, during which he conducted research in the field of metagenomics, with a particular focus on antibiotic resistance and methods to culture uncultivable bacteria.

Michael has worked with CRISPR-based gene editing systems for over 12 years, and has expertise in molecular biology, cell biology, and mouse models. At Colossal, Michael develops and leads strategies to enable efficient editing in elephant cells and animal models, while working further to develop an understanding of genotype to phenotype relationships.