Scripps Scientist Awarded Grant For Work On Cancer Vaccines

SAN DIEGO, CA — Dr. Yuzhong Liu, an assistant chemistry professor at Scripps Research, was among three scientists granted $150,000 Wednesday by the Michelson Medical Research Foundation to continue her work on cancer vaccines.

The grants, part of the Human Immunome Project, are intended for early career scientists "advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research for major global diseases," according to a statement from the Michelson Foundation.

"Investing in bold, early career scientists fuels the high-risk, high- reward ideas that push the boundaries of medicine and pave the way for lifesaving breakthroughs," said Dr. Gary Michelson, founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies and co-founder and chair of the board of directors of the California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy. "Cutting-edge immunology research is transforming the way we prevent and treat disease."

Liu leads a lab at Scripps using chemistry and synthetic biology "to advance novel drug discovery." Her proposal ("Improved Saponin-based Adjuvants for Cancer Vaccines") seeks to use synthetic biology to shine a light on the way certain sugar molecules react with immune responses in order to develop safer and more potent elements for use in cancer vaccines.

Dr. Omar Abudayyeh of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Dr. Caleb Lareau of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were the other grant recipients.

"The immune system is the epicenter of human health. The award- winning proposals of Dr. Abudayyeh, Dr. Lareau, and Dr. Liu are poised to impact how we understand infection and combat deadly diseases such as cancer," said Dr. Hans Keirstead, CEO of the Human Immunome Project. "The Human Immunome Project is proud to support their innovative research."

— City News Service