E. John Wherry, Ph.D.The UAB Department of Microbiology will welcome E. John Wherry, Ph.D., as its keynote speaker for the 38th Bertram M. Marx Endowed Lecture on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 3 p.m. in ALGEN 102. He will present: "Molecular Mechanisms of CD8 T-Cell Exhaustion."
Wherry is an internationally recognized immunologist and a leader in the study of T cell biology and immune regulation in chronic infection and cancer. He serves as the Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is also Director of the Penn Institute for Immunology and Immune Health. Wherry received his Ph.D. in immunology from Thomas Jefferson University and completed postdoctoral training at Emory University before joining the faculty at the Wistar Institute and later the University of Pennsylvania.
Wherry’s research has been foundational in defining the concept of T cell exhaustion, elucidating the molecular, epigenetic, and developmental mechanisms that limit immune responses during chronic viral infections and cancer. His work helped establish the biological basis for immune checkpoint pathways, including PD 1, and has directly influenced the development of transformative immunotherapies now used in clinical practice. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Wherry has authored more than 190 peer reviewed publications and continues to shape the field through systems immunology approaches that bridge basic discovery with translational and clinical impact.
“Dr. E. John Wherry has helped define the field’s mechanistic understanding of T cell exhaustion, uncovering the molecular and epigenetic circuitry that shapes T cell fate and function during chronic infection and cancer," said J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, professor and chair in the Department of Microbiology. "His work clarifying the biology of checkpoint pathways such as PD-1 has been central to how we think about restoring immunity therapeutically, and his continued leadership in systems immunology exemplifies the level of scholarship the Bertram M. Marx Endowed Lecture brings to UAB. We are grateful to the Marx family for this extraordinary tradition enabling a lectureship whose legacy includes Nobel Laureates and National Academy members.”
The Bertram M. Marx Lectureship was established in 1985 by Edgar and Margot Marx in memory of Edgar’s father, Bertram M. Marx, in an effort to support cancer research at UAB. Prior to their establishment of the Marx Lectureship, Edgar and Margot began an endowment to support the Bertram M. Marx Graduate Student Research Grants Program, which has been active since 1982. Thanks to the program, two students interested in cancer research are selected each year by the O’Neal Cancer Center at UAB to receive these awards.
The Bertram M. Marx Lectureship has brought an impressive roster of scientists to speak at UAB, including Nobel Laureates J. Michael Bishop, M.D. (1985), Max Ferdinand Perutz, Ph.D. (1990), Susumu Tonegawa, Ph.D. (1991), Tasuku Honjo, Ph.D. (1993), Peter Doherty, Ph.D., (2003), Max Cooper, M.D. (2024) as well as several members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.