Dr. Chen is the George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science and professor of molecular biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Md. He completed his undergraduate study in biology at Fujian (China) Normal University, after which he went on to earn his PhD from State University of New York at Buffalo.
The prize includes a $100,000 honorarium, donated to the FNIH by philanthropist Ann Lurie, who serves as president of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation and president of Lurie Holdings, according to the press release.
“This is a tremendous honor and is a strong endorsement of the work discovered by the scientists in my lab; it is very exciting,” said Dr. Chen. “We hope to continue our work to deepen our understanding of this pathway, as the mechanisms of the pathway are not yet completely understood, as well as look more into how we can harness the immunity pathway to develop treatments for cases like autoimmune diseases or cancer.”