Bingxu Liu, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the lab, has recieved two awards for his immunology research.

The first is the 2024 Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology. This award recognizes research he performed as a graduate student at MIT on the role Stimulator of Interferon Genes, or STING, plays in defending against viruses, bacteria, and tumors.

Bingxu is also one of 12 recipients of the 2024 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in graduate studies in the biological sciences. Awarded by the Fred Hutch Cancer Center and named for Dr. Harold “Hal” Weintraub, a molecular biologist who helped found the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, the award has been given to 339 graduate students since its inception in 2000. The award honors Weintraub’s scientific leadership and his legacy as an extraordinary mentor, colleague, collaborator, and friend.

Bingxu’s doctoral work bridged immunology and protein engineering, shedding new light on how the immune system senses important molecules. Since joining this lab, he has focused on building brand new biosensors that can overcome the sensing limits of natural biological systems. He’s now using protein design to better detect a range of molecules, including small molecules and diverse protein targets. This research may support the development of cancer-targeting drugs and yield highly multiplexed research tools.

Bingxu’s creative approach to both immunology and protein design is a source of inspiration. His essay on STING has been published in Science, and more information on the Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize can be found the Michelson Philanthropies website.