Honyin Chiu, PhD
Honyin Chiu, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar Scientist, Benaroya Research Institute
Year Joined: 2018
Email: hchiu@benaroyaresearch.org
UW Box: 358059
Lab: Ziegler Lab
Social Media: LinkedIn
Why I chose UW Immunology
The UW Department of Immunology and Seattle itself has on-going world renowned immunology research as well as a strong community of researchers in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Being a part of such a community is fun as a researcher, because you get to see what other exciting ideas people have and you get to talk to others about your own science.
Activities and Interests
I enjoy eating so I like to cook and bake, but there’s also a lot of really good food out here. It’s also pretty typical for people to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking, etc.
Advice from me
Seattle’s a great place to live and people are nice. All I can say really is that I would recommend it to anyone thinking of coming here.
More about me
Before joining UW, I completed my PhD at the University of California, Irvine. My thesis project was focused on PI3K/mTOR signaling in normal B cells and B cell leukemias. I am still working in the realm of the adaptive immunity but now my current research has been focused on T cell development in the thymus, specifically how TGF-beta signaling regulates T cell development and function. We have found that upregulating TGF-beta signaling in the thymus has a protective effect and reduces T cell infiltration into the brain and spinal cord during disease in the mouse model of multiple sclerosis (EAE). Our goal is to understand how T cell development affects their function during disease and identify novel targets for treating autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
