Congratulations to Xiaojing for winning the 2025 BioInnovation Institute & Science Prize for Innovation!
For his work developing an innovative programmable RNA sensor and molecular tools to improve mRNA vector therapeutics, Xiaojing Gao has received the 2025 BioInnovation Institute & Science Prize for Innovation.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the race for a vaccine spurred the rapid development and distribution of mRNA vectors as a way to deliver therapeutic medicine. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine triggers antigen production when it enters a cell. For mRNA vectors to be even more precise, they must deliver payloads to the right cells at the right time. However, achieving cell-type-specific expression of therapeutic payloads has been challenging.
In the prize-winning essay, Gao highlights his work in developing RADAR (RNA-sensing using ADAR)—a system that utilizes endogenous ADAR enzymes to create programmable mRNA sensors that activate payloads in response to specific cell markers. According to Gao, RADAR has been successfully validated in human cancer cell lines, the mouse central nervous system, and plants, indicating its wide potential applications.
