Dr. Hong Chen recently received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award, a highly competitive and prestigious award supporting “High Risk, High Reward” research. She is one of only eight recipients nationwide, securing $5.4 million to fund her work. The grant will support her research on using ultrasound to induce a hibernation-like state in mammals. In 2023, Dr. Chen published breakthrough results in Nature Metabolism, demonstrating ultrasound-induced torpor in mice. Her team successfully stimulated the hypothalamus preoptic area to regulate body temperature and metabolism, inducing torpor not only in mice but also in rats, which do not naturally hibernate. This research marks the first noninvasive, safe method to induce a hibernation-like state by targeting the central nervous system.
This news has also been featured in the WashU Newsroom. Congratulations to Dr. Chen on this remarkable achievement!