In a letter addressed to Dr. Pei-Yong Shi and his team of researchers in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, recognized the incredible work done by the scientists during the fast-paced COVID-19 pandemic.
“You are a leading example for both the infectious disease and broader biomedical research communities,” Fauci wrote. “And I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to global public health.”
The letter praised the hard work and dedication of Shi, a professor and Vice President for Research Innovation at UTMB, and his team, and said their research enabled the public health communities to respond to the pandemic with extraordinary speed and efficiency.
Among other achievements, Shi and his team developed a reverse genetic system that allows allowed scientists to study SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and its variants quickly and safely. Shi’s reporter neutralization assay has enabled the rapid development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the first vaccine with efficacy in humans. His team has also worked closely with Pfizer to test its COVID-19 vaccine as new variants arise.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this recognition from Dr. Fauci and NIAID,” said Shi. “We couldn’t have made such progress without the dedication of the entire team and the support at UTMB.”
Amongst those recognized by Fauci are UTMB’s Drs Chaitanya Kurhade, Hongjie Xia, Xuping Xie and Jing Zou.
