Lake Michigan College has announced that 2025 Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award has been awarded to Dr. John Marcelletti. This award is given to an LMC alumnus who has accomplished significant success in his/ her personal or professional endeavors. John will be honored at the Alumni Awards reception on Saturday, October 25, at Lake Michigan College John, the son of Frank and Janet (McNabb)Marcelletti grew up on Lake Cora, graduated from Lawrence Public Schools, before attending LMC. He and his wife Melinda (Bower) live in San Diego. Melinda was Miss Lawrence 1968. John’s grandfather, Dr. A A McNabb, was president of the Lawrence School Board for many years.
Lake Michigan College released the following statement:
Dr. John Marcelletti (‘69)
Dr. John Marcelletti has made substantial contributions to the medical science fields of 1) precision medicine related to autoimmune disease and cancer diagnostic and prognostic biomarker data utilization, 2) drug invention and development leading to FDA approval and marketing by GlaxoSmithKline of Abreva®, an anti-herpes simplex virus therapeutic, and 3) regulated drug and biomarker bioanalysis using immunological and enzymatic methods in multi-national laboratory settings.
A native of Lawrence, Michigan, John began his academic journey at Lake Michigan College (LMC) in 1968. John enjoyed LMC campus life and was a member of the Phi Kappa Nu fraternity. He credits LMC with building the strong educational foundation that prepared him to move forward with his education and for success in major research institutions and biotechnology companies.
After leaving LMC, John earned a B.A. from Wayne State University (WSU), followed by a Ph.D. from the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, WSU School of Medicine. Subsequently, he earned an M.B.A. from Western Michigan University. Dr. Marcelletti took a position in the early 80s with a start-up biotechnology company in San Diego, CA. Over approximately 35 years, he has been involved in the founding of four other biotechnology companies. Past key positions with established firms included Vice President of Large Molecule Bioanalysis (BioAgilytix San Diego, 2015-2023) and Senior Lab Director of Immunoanalytical & Cell-based Biotechnology Services (Tandem Labs San Diego, LabCorp Clinical Trials Group, 2012-2015). He is a member of several professional associations and continues to serve the biotechnology community as a scientific consultant.
John’s bibliography lists over 80 scientific publications, including primary research journal articles, reviews, book chapters, and patents. Issued patents, which included co-inventors, covered the analyses of biomarkers and statistical algorithms for diagnosing and predicting outcomes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Other patents covered the methods and procedures integral to the invention, development, and FDA approval of Abreva®, a topical antiviral therapeutic for recurrent herpes simplex virus lip infections. An FDA-approved therapeutic invention is a high achievement in the biotechnology industry. Research funding for these activities was derived in part from grants from the 1) National Institutes of Health, 2) American Cancer Society, and 3) Leukemia Society of America (presently Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).
