Faculty member named HHMI investigator

John D. MacMicking, Ph.D., associate professor of microbial pathogenesis, is one of 26 scientists named May 19 as investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

The HHMI grants to scientists from 19 institutions across the United States for basic biomedical research are worth $153 million over the next five years. The new HHMI investigators — who include four current HHMI early career scientists — were selected for their individual scientific excellence from a group of 894 eligible applicants.

MacMicking is a leading expert on recent discoveries that most nucleated cells — not just those of the immune system — have developed sophisticated antimicrobial strategies to defend against infection. Many of these strategies are orchestrated through interferon signaling pathways.