Zhijian "James" Chen has been awarded the 2026 Elaine Redding Brinster Prize in Science or Medicine in recognition of his discovery of the cGAS enzyme and its role in immune response.
September 09, 2025
Congratulations to Dr. Chen on his selection as the fifth recipient of the Elaine Redding Brinster Prize! The Brinster Prize is awarded annually by the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to a researcher whose discovery has made a unique impact on biomedicine. It is supported by an endowment from the children of Elaine Redding Brinster and Ralph L. Brinster, V.M.D., Ph.D., the Richard King Mellon Professor of Reproductive Physiology at the University of Pennsylvania and a National Medal of Science recipient. The Brinster Prize will be presented March 18, 2026, as part of the daylong Ralph L. Brinster Symposium
For more information, please read: UT Southwestern biochemist Zhijian ‘James’ Chen to receive 2026 Brinster Prize2026 Brinster Prize honors breakthrough in immune research | Penn Medicine