<p>For his work in furthering the understanding of how the human immune system senses dangerous invading pathogens, Bingxu Li has received the 2024 Michelson Philanthropies & <em>Science</em> Prize for Immunology. Li’s prize-winning essay investigates the role that Stimulator of Interferon Genes, or STING, plays in including multiple distinct defenses against viruses, bacteria, and tumors and in orchestrating myriad downstream responses upon activation – resolving a significant mystery in the field of innate immunity. The sensing and clearance of invading pathogens are crucial to the survival of living systems, ranging from bacteria to humans. This is accomplished by an intricate web of innate immune receptors that detect pathogen-specific molecules called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS). Once activated, these receptors trigger downstream immune responses designed to defend against the invading pathogen. How
Carla-nowosad
Gabriele-casirati
Bingxu-li
Massachusetts-institute-of-technology
Science-prize
Interferon-genes
Massachusetts-institute