2024 Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology Awarded for Groundbreaking Research on STING’s Role in Immune Response
Dr. Bingxu Liu’s Award-Winning Research Unveils Stimulator of Interferon Genes as Pivotal Immune Sensor Channel
Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize Recipients
About the Prize
The Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology focuses on transformative research in human immunology, with trans-disease applications to accelerate vaccine and immunotherapeutic discovery. This international prize is intended to encourage and support early-career investigators from a wide range of disciplines, including computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, protein engineering, nanotechnology, genomics, parasitology and tropical medicine, neurodegenerative diseases, and gene editing, who apply their expertise to perform research that has a lasting impact on vaccine and immunotherapy development. The prize will be awarded annually to one young scientist based on work done in the past three years.
The winner of the Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology is awarded $30,000 and the publication of his or her essay in Science. The essay and those of the finalists are also published on Science Online.
The Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology is no longer being offered.
Questions/Inquiries: media@michelsonphilanthropies.org
“When we empower brilliant minds and invest in bold, creative research, it is with the belief that a single breakthrough discovery could improve the lives of billions.”
Dr. Gary Michelson, Founder and Co-Chair Michelson Philanthropies and Michelson Medical Research, established the Michelson Philanthropies & Science Magazine Prize for Immunology to support early-career researchers who perform transformative research in human immunology with trans-disease applications to accelerate vaccine and immunotherapy discovery.
“The thought that my research could have a real-life impact on how diseases are treated, and that I may be able to see this in my lifetime, is a strong motivation.”
—Dr. Joshua Tan, Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize 2023 Finalist
Precision Immunotherapy – A Mechanistic Approach to Overcoming Treatment Resistance
Michelson Philanthropies & Science Grand Prize Winner (2023) Dr. Aleksandar Obradovic of the Department of Systems Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center was awarded for his outstanding essay “Precision Immunotherapy – A Mechanistic Approach to Overcoming Treatment Resistance.” He received his M.D. in 2023.
Dr. Obradovic’s approach delivers a tailored combination of drugs to treatment-resistant cancer patients, with the potential to significantly improve immunotherapy efficacy.
“Receiving this award is a great honor that recognizes my team’s collaborative work and vision. The award also recognizes a way of doing science that is fundamentally multidisciplinary, open and that enables thinking ‘out of the box’ – and so it greatly encourages me to carry on in this vein.”
— Dr. Roser Vento-Tormo, Michelson Philanthropies & Science Grand Prize 2023 Finalist
