Marla is human B cell immunology scientist with experience in high-dimensional single cell profiling and primary immune cell ex vivo assays. Currently at the Allen Institute, Marla leverages innovative single cell technologies and wet lab assays, deep immunology expertise and leading-edge data analysis tools to lead translational research projects. During her postdoctoral training at Stanford University, Marla studied IL-10-expressing B cells in healthy donors and organ transplant recipients, establishing them as a highly dynamic B cell state linked with inflammatory cytokine co-expression, and discovered surface molecules associated with their diverse cytokine profiles. Further, she leveraged a mass cytometry-based approach to evaluate immunoregulatory cell states in a multi-center clinical cohort, consisting of organ transplant recipients that developed Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) associated B cell lymphomas. Marla also contributed to various projects focused on EBV dysregulation of host B cell programming.

Marla completed her Ph.D. in Integrative Genetics and Genomics at the University of California Davis in 2016, during which investigated the interactions of an oncogenic, telomere-integrating avian virus with the host T cell genomic DNA. She received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2010.