LOS ANGELES — Michelson Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) is proud to announce the eighth cohort of recipients of its 2026 Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants , naming five early-career scientists whose research is advancing the future of human immunology.
The program is supporting its largest cohort to date, awarding five early-career scientists $150,000 each to accelerate innovative work in immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy.
The 2026 awardees are: Benjamin Morehouse, Ph.D. (University of California, Irvine); Theodore Roth, MD, Ph.D. (Stanford University); Inta Gribonika, Ph.D. (Lund University); Joshua Gray, Ph.D. (Columbia University); and Mohamad Abedi, Ph.D. (University of Washington).
This expanded cohort reflects a surge in exceptional applications, driven in part by sustained cuts and uncertainty around federal funding for scientific research. As early-career researchers face these mounting constraints, MMRF is increasing its investment in high-risk, high-impact science with the potential to transform global health.
“Supporting the next generation of immunology pioneers is more critical than ever,” said Dr. Gary K. Michelson , founder and co-chair of Michelson Medical Research Foundation. “Early-career scientists are facing unprecedented constraints in federal funding, yet they continue to propose bold, imaginative science. We are proud to help elevate these visions and ensure that catalytic ideas receive the support they need to flourish.”
Benjamin Morehouse, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Project: Deciphering the Function of an Orphan Enzyme in the Innate Immune System
Morehouse investigates conserved immune mechanisms spanning bacteria to humans. His team identified a previously unknown human enzyme linked to bacterial immune signaling that plays a central role in inflammatory responses to infection. The gene may represent an overlooked therapeutic target for autoimmune disorders and systemic inflammation.
Theodore Roth, MD, Ph.D., Stanford University
Project: Non-Evolved Human Immune Cell States for Next-Generation Immunotherapies
Roth proposes a combinatorial genetic engineering strategy to generate new immune cell states not found in nature, enabling the creation of novel immunotherapies, especially for cancer, by expanding the functional repertoire of human immune cells.
Inta Gribonika, Ph.D., Lund University
Project: Unravelling Cutaneous Humoral Immunity for Topical Barrier Immunization
Gribonika’s work reveals how common skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis promotes cutaneous humoral responses. Her research decodes host-microbiota interactions to develop targeted topical biotherapeutics and novel vaccination strategies that harness skin immunity.
Joshua Gray, Ph.D., Columbia University
Project: Tissue-Adapted CD4 T Cells Orchestrate Mucosal B Cell Immunity in Infancy
Gray aims to define how localized interactions between CD4⁺ T cells and B cells shape antibody responses in infants using spatial transcriptomics and organoid models. This work could inform vaccine design that elicits robust mucosal immunity from birth.
Mohamad Abedi, Ph.D., University of Washington
Project: De Novo Designed Cytokines for Context-Specific Immune Modulation
Abedi will employ computational protein design to create cytokines that activate only in specific environments, such as the tumor microenvironment, enabling precise immune modulation with reduced off-target effects—a major advance for cancer immunotherapy and treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Selected by a distinguished committee of internationally recognized scientists, the 2026 cohort represents a new generation of leaders in immunology and vaccine research. Collectively, their work reflects bold innovation and strong potential to advance vaccines, immunotherapies, and our understanding of how the human immune system responds to disease.
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About Michelson Medical Research Foundation: Founded by Dr. Gary K. Michelson in 1995, Michelson Medical Research Foundation accelerates solutions to global health challenges by fostering high-risk, high-reward approaches that disrupt the status quo to make innovative ideas a reality. Through convergent collaboration among engineers, scientists, and physicians, the foundation helps rapidly move bold concepts and technologies from the laboratory into clinics and communities around the world. Michelson Medical Research Foundation is a division of Michelson Philanthropies. For more information, visit: www.michelsonmedicalresearch.org