As we prepare for Cytokines 2025, we’re thrilled to spotlight one of our keynote speakers who has had what can only be described as an exceptional year of scientific recognition. While many of you know that Dr. Zhijian “James” Chen from UT Southwestern Medical Center received the 2024 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, you may not be aware of the remarkable string of additional prestigious honors that have followed—a testament to the transformative impact of his groundbreaking work on innate immunity.
A Rich Collection of Honors
In what represents one of the most concentrated periods of scientific recognition in recent memory, Dr. Chen has received four major awards in just over a year. Following his Lasker Award in September 2024, he was named co-recipient of the 2025 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize alongside Andrea Ablasser and Glen Barber. Most recently, last month, he was awarded the 2026 Elaine Redding Brinster Prize, joining an elite group of scientists whose discoveries have uniquely impacted biomedicine, and just last week the cGAS-STING pathway was selected 2025 Citation Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. Additionally, he received the Qiu Shi Outstanding Scientist Award in November 2024, recognizing his contributions to advancing science and technology. In July 2025, he was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of United Kingdom.
This constellation of awards is particularly striking when you consider their geographic and institutional diversity—spanning the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China—underscoring the truly global impact of Dr. Chen’s discoveries.
The cGAS-STING Revolution: Solving a Century-Old Mystery
To appreciate why Dr. Chen’s work has garnered such widespread acclaim, it’s worth reflecting on the scientific landscape before his discoveries. The observation that nucleic acids could trigger immune responses dates back to 1908, when Ilya Mechnikov noted this phenomenon while sharing the Nobel Prize with Paul Ehrlich. Yet for over a century, the molecular mechanisms underlying this fundamental immune response remained elusive.
The breakthrough came through a series of elegant discoveries spanning 2008-2013. Glen Barber first identified STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) in 2008, showing that this ER-anchored protein could command interferon production upon DNA virus infection. However, the critical question remained: how did STING “know” that DNA had appeared in the cytoplasm?
Dr. Chen’s 2012 discovery of cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase) provided the answer with extraordinary biochemical sophistication. He isolated and identified the small ring-shaped molecule cGAMP—chemically distinct from other dinucleotides—and subsequently identified cGAS as the enzyme catalyzing its formation. This work revealed cGAS as the long-sought cytosolic DNA sensor, capable of clasping DNA strands and undergoing conformational changes that enable cGAMP production from abundant cellular GTP and ATP.
Transforming Our Understanding of Immune Surveillance
The cGAS-STING pathway fundamentally changed how we think about innate immune surveillance. Rather than simply detecting foreign DNA, we now understand that cGAS serves as a universal sensor for mislocalized DNA—whether from pathogens or cellular damage. This insight was paradigm-shifting because it explained how our immune system could distinguish between properly compartmentalized self-DNA (in nuclei and mitochondria) and potentially dangerous cytoplasmic DNA.
This mechanism’s elegance lies in its simplicity: cGAS doesn’t need to distinguish foreign from self—it simply detects DNA where it shouldn’t be. When cellular integrity is compromised, whether by infection, cancer, or cellular stress, the appearance of DNA in the cytoplasm triggers an immediate alarm. The cGAS-STING axis then orchestrates a sophisticated response, activating interferons and other immune messengers that mobilize phagocytes, natural killer cells, and additional immune effectors.
Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Potential
Perhaps most exciting for our community is how Dr. Chen’s discoveries have opened entirely new therapeutic avenues. The recognition that sterile inflammation—underlying autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s—often involves overactive cGAS-STING signaling has sparked intense pharmaceutical interest. Andrea Ablasser’s synthesis of the first STING inhibitor in 2018 marked the beginning of this therapeutic exploration.
Conversely, cGAS-STING pathway agonists are showing remarkable promise in cancer immunotherapy, particularly in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, and are being actively pursued for vaccine development. This bidirectional therapeutic potential—inhibition for inflammatory diseases and activation for cancer and vaccination—exemplifies how fundamental mechanistic insights can spawn diverse clinical applications.
Beyond cGAS: A Career of Discovery
While cGAS represents Dr. Chen’s most celebrated discovery, it’s worth noting his broader contributions to innate immunity. His identification of MAVS (mitochondrial antiviral signaling)—cleverly named both for its function and his favorite basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks—revealed the first mitochondrial protein involved in antiviral immunity. Earlier in his career, he discovered key roles of ubiquitination in NF-kappaB activation.
This body of work demonstrated his consistent ability to identify key signaling nodes that bridge cellular compartments and immune responses.
Looking Forward: Cytokines 2025 and New Frontiers
Dr. Chen’s upcoming keynote at Cytokines 2025 promises to showcase the continued evolution of this field. The focus on lysosome homeostasis suggests exciting new connections between cGAS signaling and cellular quality control mechanisms—an area ripe for discovery given the growing recognition of lysosomal dysfunction in aging and disease.
For those attending Cytokines 2025, Dr. Chen’s presentation offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from someone who has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of innate immunity. His work exemplifies how mechanistic discoveries can simultaneously advance basic science and clinical medicine—a reminder of why fundamental research remains so vital to biomedical progress.
A Testament to Scientific Excellence
Dr. Chen’s remarkable year of recognition reflects more than individual achievement; it represents the power of rigorous, mechanistic investigation to unlock biological mysteries that have persisted for generations. As we celebrate these honors, we’re also celebrating the collaborative nature of scientific discovery—evident in his shared Paul Ehrlich Prize with Ablasser and Barber, and his generous acknowledgment of trainees, colleagues, and mentors who contributed to these discoveries.
We look forward to welcoming Dr. Chen to Cytokines 2025 and hearing about the latest developments from his laboratory. His journey from the initial cGAS discovery to today’s expanding understanding of its roles in health and disease serves as an inspiring example of how curiosity-driven research can ultimately transform medicine and improve human health.
Dr. Zhijian “James” Chen will deliver his keynote address on Tuesday, November 4 at Cytokines 2025. His presentation promises to offer new insights into the evolving roles of cGAS beyond its established functions in innate immunity.