Endowed by Dr. Richard Siegel, Co-Founder and long-time Director of the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars MD/PhD Program, and his wife, Vera Siegel.
We are proud to announce Sooraj Achar as the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Richard and Vera Siegel Translational Award for Advances in Medical Science. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of medical science that translate fundamental discoveries from the bench to the bedside.
About the Award
The Translational Award for Advances in Medical Science, endowed by Dr. Richard Siegel and his wife, Vera Siegel, honors researchers who have made significant strides in bridging the gap between basic research and clinical application. This award celebrates advancements that have the potential to improve patient care and treatment outcomes.
Meet the Winner: Sooraj Achar
Sooraj Achar’s innovative work in the lab has led to remarkable advancements in the field of medical science. His contributions exemplify the essence of translational research, moving groundbreaking discoveries from the laboratory to clinical applications.
Key Achievements:
- Innovative Platform: Sooraj’s initial work involved designing and engineering a robotic/machine learning platform to study T cell activation ex vivo. This project was published in Science in 2022 and received the IBRA Innovation Award for Novel Solutions in Biology or Medicine.
- Advanced Research: Building on this success, Sooraj investigated the crosstalk between the endogenous T cell receptor (TCR) and the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in CAR-T cells. His research explored how TCR signals can be leveraged to enhance the specificity of CAR-T cells by engineering signal antagonism when interacting with self-tissues and synergism when targeting neo-antigens.
- Collaborative Effort: Sooraj’s research is characterized by its comprehensive, highly collaborative, and translational nature, making significant contributions to the field of immunotherapy and cancer treatment.
Sooraj commented, “I am honored to have been awarded the Dr. Richard and Vera Siegel Translational Award at the 2024 NIH Global Doctoral Partnerships Annual Workshop Awards Ceremony for my work on improving the precision of cancer immunotherapy. I would like to thank my mentors Dr. Gregoire Altan-Bonnet at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Prof. Michael Dustin at Oxford University, as well as my collaborators at the University of Montreal and the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the NCI, for their efforts in helping translate our biological discovery of T cell receptor mediated inhibition of chimeric antigen receptor activation into a commercially viable method of reducing off-target toxicity of healthy tissue during immunotherapy. It has been immensely gratifying to be able to work on a project that draws upon fundamental advances in theoretical and basic science to design more effective clinical therapeutics, and I firmly believe that this interdisciplinary, collaborative model of conducting research represents the future of biomedical science.”
Recognizing Excellence
IBRA and the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program extend heartfelt congratulations to Sooraj Achar for his outstanding achievements. His dedication to advancing medical science and his innovative contributions make him a deserving recipient of the Translational Award for Advances in Medical Science.
We also commend the other nominees, Asmay Gharia, Dalton Hermans, James Anibal, Jasmine Mack, Stanley Fayn, and Zoe Wong, for their exceptional contributions to the field of medical science.
Stay tuned for more updates and news on groundbreaking research from the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. For more information on Sooraj Achar’s work and the Dr. Richard and Vera Siegel Translational Award for Advances in Medical Science, please visit our website.