Michael McGuire, Ph.D.’s research interests include isolating cell-specific binding reagents and using them in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. At SRI, he is helping move peptide ligands into clinical applications for laboratory diagnosis, in vivo imaging and therapy.

McGuire spent 30 years at UT Southwestern Medical Center before moving to SRI. McGuire pursued his interest in proteolytic enzymes under postdoctoral studies with George DeMartino. His work yielded the first purification of the human proteosome (macropain) and characterization of the role of the proteosome in ATP-regulated protein breakdown. After completion of his postdoctoral work, he studied dipeptidyl peptidase I (cathepsin C) and established the role of dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI) in processing and activating many of the serine proteases (cathepsin G, elastase, granzymes) present in the granules of white blood cells.

McGuire departed from his protease studies when he joined the Center for Biomedical Invention at UT Southwestern. There, he was responsible for generation of random genomic libraries from various pathogens as part of a strategy to identify new vaccine candidates using expression library immunization. He also ran the center’s DNA sequencing core for center members. During this time, he sequenced the genome of the parapox virus and, using expression-based screening methods, identified two adjuvants from the virus.

McGuire later joined Kathlynn Brown’s group at UT Southwestern. There, he used phage display biopanning to isolate novel peptide ligands that bind specific cell types and are internalized by those cells. As a member of Brown’s group at UT Southwestern and at SRI, he has helped isolate and characterize peptide ligands for a variety of cell types, including B cell lymphomas, myocardiocytes, dendritic cells and non-small cell lung cancers.

McGuire’s Ph.D. in basic medical sciences is from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. His dissertation work focused on the purification and characterization of proteolytic enzymes in the laboratory of Roger Lane.

He has co-authored 40 research articles and one book chapter, and has obtained four patents. View selected publications on Google Scholar.