Protein design pioneer David Baker, PhD, was named to the inaugural TIME 100 Health list.
The new, annual honor from the news magazine recognizes a hundred global leaders for advancing progress in health, medicine, biomedical sciences and related fields.
Baker is recognized for his work in protein design. He and his team predicted how chains of amino acids folded into protein structures and developed computer programs to build new protein molecules with desired shapes, based on the knowledge that a protein’s structure determines its function. They designed and created proteins that previously had not existed in nature. His team’s work has led to practical applications that include new platforms for creating vaccines, such as ones against COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, which is a serious respiratory infection in babies and older adults.
Tulio de Oliveira, PhD, affiliate professor of global health at the UW School of Medicine and the UW School of Public Health, also was named to the TIME100 Health list. His main faculty appointment is professor of bioinformatics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He was recognized for his role in hunting viruses in Africa, for his work in global preparedness for emerging pathogens, and for creating two major institutes in Africa to track viral diseases.
Read more from the UW Medicine Newsroom.
