OnSeptember 25th, 2020,ProfessorHuangZhiweifromHIT'sSchoolof Life Science and Technology, whoseresearch on dissecting the molecular mechanisms involved in biological adaptive immune system,won the 2ndXPLORER PRIZE-LIFE SCIENCESand wasencouraged to continue his research in this field to reveal the basic scientific laws of how the biological adaptive immune system recognizes self and non-self antigens and initiateanimmune response.
The"XPLORER PRIZE",initiatedin 2018 by MaHuateng,Chairman and CEOofTencent,and 14well-knownscientists, isaimingatawardingforyoung scientistsaged45and under who are working full-timeinthe Chinesemainland, Hong Kong and Macao in ninefieldsof fundamental science andfrontiertechnologies.
Professor HuangZhiwei has been engaged in research ondissectingthe molecular mechanism of the biological adaptive immune system. Heand his grouphaveunveiled the assembly of human adaptive immune T-cell receptor apparatus, the structural basis of signal transduction, the mechanism of the human immune system being inhibited by HIV infection factors, and the work of the prokaryotic adaptive immune system and its activity regulation mechanism. A series of achievements have been published in top journals includingNature(2014, 2016, 2017, 2019),NatureStructure & Molecular Biology,CellResearch,PNAs,STTT, etc.
According to the“XPLORER PRIZE”ManagementCommittee, the 20202nd“XPLORER PRIZE”received valid application materials from 1,200applicants. Through preliminaryreview, review andfinal defense, 50 applicants were selected as winners. The proportion of winners to applicants is 1:25.The organizer invited over800academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineeringto participate in the reviewprocess.