Researchers earn Michelson Medical Research Foundation grants

A trio of young researchers were named Tuesday recipients of grants awarded by the Los Angeles-based Michelson Medical Research Foundation to support their work in the fields of human immunology, vaccine discovery and immunotherapy.

“We need disruptive thinkers and doers who dare to change the trajectory of the world for the better,” Dr. Gary Michelson, founder and co-chair of the Michelson Medical Research Foundation, said in a statement. “Yet promising young researchers too often lack the opportunities, resources and freedom to explore their bold ideas. With the Michelson Prizes, we aim to provide early career investigators a vital boost for their forward-thinking approaches.”

Recipients of the $150,000 grants, which are presented in conjunction with the Human Vaccines Project, are Dr. Camila Consiglio, postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet; Dr. Rong Ma, postdoctoral fellow at Emory University; and Dr. Nicholas Wu, assistant professor at the University of Illinois.

“It is inspiring to see their passion for innovation and their courage to think out of the box,” Dr. Wayne Koff, CEO and president of the Human Vaccines Project, said in a statement. “I look forward to their future breakthrough discoveries and how their research can contribute to the Human Vaccines Project’s mission of developing the first AI model of human immunity.”