Two Stanford PhD students win the Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists
Uche Medoh, PhD ’24, has won the Grand Prize in the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists for his essay on his PhD work at Stanford. The prize, established in 2013, is a prestigious global award designed to recognize the research of early career scientists within two years of receiving a PhD in the life sciences. Medoh will receive $30,000 in prize money and will be honored, along with three other awardees, at a ceremony and banquet in Stockholm, Sweden, that coincide with Nobel Week in Stockholm.
At Stanford, Medoh, a biochemistry PhD student in the Chemistry/Biology Interface Training Program at Sarafan ChEM-H, worked in the laboratory of Monther Abu-Remaileh, Assistant Professor of chemical engineering and genetics in the School of Engineering and School of Medicine. Abu-Remaileh studies cellular metabolism inside the tiny cellular compartments called lysosomes that act as molecular recycling centers, processing cellular waste and preventing toxic build-up of molecules that cause disease.
Medoh’s winning essay focused on his work on a molecule called BMP that accumulates in the brain in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Discovered over 50 years ago, BMP is a fat molecule whose levels rise as part of a hallmark protective response in neurodegenerative disease, but no one knew how it was produced.
Medoh discovered that a lysosomal enzyme called CLN5 is responsible for making BMP in cells, solving a decades-long mystery. Mutations in the gene that encodes CLN5 have long been associated with Alzheimer's disease and a rare childhood neurodegenerative disorder called Batten disease, but Medoh’s discovery of CLN5 function provided the first explanation for how it contributes to these diseases at a molecular level. His work offers clues for how to approach the development of new therapeutics that could one day treat these devastating disorders.
King Hung, a cancer biology PhD student in the School of Medicine (PhD ’24), will also be honored with $10,000 as Category Winner for his essay about his work on the genetic regulation of cancer. While at Stanford, he worked in the lab of Howard Chang, Virginia and D. K. Ludwig Professor of cancer research in the School of Medicine, and collaborated with the laboratory of Paul Mischel, institute scholar at Sarafan ChEM-H and Fortinet Founders Professor in pathology in the School of Medicine, studying the role of cancer-promoting genes in circular pieces of DNA, which are common in many human cancers.
After completing their PhDs at Stanford, Medoh recently transitioned to a role as a Principal Investigator and Science Fellow at the Arc Institute, and Hung recently transitioned into role as a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Research. In December, they will travel to Stockholm for a week of science events, designed to provide additional support and networking opportunities for some of the world’s most promising early-career scientists. They will meet with leading scientists in their fields and attend an award ceremony at the Grand Hôtel of Mirrors, the original site of the Nobel Prize banquet.
Monther Abu-Remaileh is also an Institute Scholar at Sarafan ChEM-H and a member of Bio-X, the Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, Stanford Cancer Institute, and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Howard Chang is also a professor of genetics and dermatology and, by courtesy, of pathology, as well as a member of Bio-X, the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, Stanford Cancer Institute, and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Paul Mischel is also a Professor, by courtesy, of neurosurgery and a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute.
