Chien Ho
Carnegie Mellon University, USA
2021

Dr. Ho received his BA degree in Chemistry from Williams College and his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry from Yale University. He took his postdoctoral training in the Departments of Chemistry and of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is Alumni Professor of Biological Sciences, emeritus, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering (courtesy), emeritus, at Carnegie Mellon University. In the mid-80s, he established the Pittsburgh Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Center for Biomedical Research, a joint research and training program for the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Ho’s research goal is to understand the relationships among structure, dynamics, and function in biological systems by correlating information obtained from biochemical, biophysical, and molecular biological techniques. He has three major research projects: (1) to understand the molecular basis of hemoglobin allostery by combining the techniques of molecular biology and structural biology, such as NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and wide-angle scattering (WAXS); (2) to develop a two-pronged approach to detect cardiac transplant rejection in rat models, namely monitoring the infiltration of immune cells into a rejecting heart, and at the same time monitoring heart dysfunction during various stages of the rejection process; and (3) to develop a new methodology to deliver anti-cancer nanodrugs with reduced off-target toxicities and more efficacy of the drugs by pre-administration of Intralipid®, an FDA-approved nutritional supplement, to temporarily blunt the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Dr. Ho has co-authored over 300 scientific papers. He has received a number of awards and honors including election to Academician of Academia Sinica, Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), and is a recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a MERIT Award of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and a Gold Medal from the ISMRM.