Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is receiving the 2026 Japan Prize in Life Sciences.
Recognized as one of the world’s top researchers on how the body’s immune system protects against such threats as bacteria and viruses, Chen received the prize for his discoveries about the immune system, including cyclic GMP-AMP synthase, or cGAS, which “acts as the body’s burglar alarm to trigger defense from invading pathogens,” UTSW said.
Chen shares this year’s Japan Prize with Shizuo Akira, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at Osaka University.
