Prof. John Rossi, PhD

Professor John J. Rossi is currently the Dean of the City of Hope Graduate School of Biological Sciences and the Associate Director for Laboratory Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Rossi initially joined City of Hope (COH) in 1980 as an assistant research scientist in the Department of Molecular Genetics. He was promoted to Chairman of the Division of Biology in 1992. In 1993, COH bestowed its highest honor upon him by naming him to its Gallery of Medical and Scientific Achievement for his pioneering work at the molecular level in the battle against AIDS and other major diseases. In 1998 Dr. Rossi was appointed as the Dean of the City of Hope Graduate School of Biological Sciences.
Dr. Rossi is a world-renowned expert in ribozymes, biomolecules based on nucleic acids that have earned the nickname "molecular scissors". Dr. Rossi's major contributions to science have been in the understanding of the processing and metabolism of RNA inside the cell. Ribozymes, also known as catalytic RNA, are molecules that can break down nucleic acid inside a cell, thus they can be used to cut out "bad" genetic information and also to splice in "good" material. One of his most notable projects is in the area of ribozyme research in AIDS. He led the research team that first suggested applying ribozymes to treat HIV infection. His research in molecular genetics and microbiology has earned eight patents and has served as the basis for more than 120 scientific papers. Dr. Rossi currently serves on the scientific advisory boards (SAB) of several companies, and is Chairman of the SAB of Benitec.
Dr. Rossi received his bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire and earned his doctorate at the University of Connecticut. He completed four years of post PhD training at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island before joining City Of Hope.