Geffen School of Medicine honors doctor for his groundbreaking research on immune response

In recognition of his groundbreaking work on the mechanisms underlying the cellular response to infection, Dr. Zhijian “James” Chen of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas has received the 2019 Switzer Prize awarded by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.At the prize ceremony on the UCLA campus, during which Chen delivered a lecture about his research focused on the role of DNA in triggering immune defense and autoimmune diseases, the scientist said he was honored to receive the award and then joked that “to this day, I still don’t know who nominated me.”Chen was introduced by Dr. Kelsey Martin, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine, and Dr. Peter Tontonoz, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and biological chemistry.“We use the word transformational a lot in science,” said Tontonoz, nothing that it’s often overused. “But when it comes to James, it really is not. We can only hope ourselves to have the level of impact that he has been able to have.”UCLA ’s medical school awards the Switzer Prize annually to a researcher whose work enhances the understanding of human physiology or biological systems. The prize is intended to recognize research excellence in the biological or biomedical sciences essential to achieving breakthroughs in medical treatments. It includes a $25,000 honorarium.Chen ’s group has been instrumental in the identification of immune response pathways that have significantly added to...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news