Whitehead Institute graduate student Jimmy Ly receives the 2025 International Birnstiel Award

The Max Birnstiel Foundation and the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) have named Whitehead Institute graduate student Jimmy Ly one of six laureates to receive the 2025 International Birnstiel Award for Doctoral Studies in Molecular Life Sciences.

This distinction, among the most competitive global honors for PhD researchers in the field, recognizes Ly’s work investigating “a previously unrecognized layer of gene regulation that deepens our understanding of human biology, disease, and how complexity can emerge from a limited number of genes,” the award announcement highlights.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award,” says Ly, who is a doctoral student in the Lab of Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman. “It reflects not only my own work, but also the support and collaborations I’ve been fortunate to have at Whitehead Institute and throughout MIT.”

Until recently, scientists have typically assumed that each gene in our DNA produces just one protein. But researchers are now discovering that cells can generate thousands of protein variants—slightly altered versions of known proteins—by using the same stretch of genetic code in different ways during protein production. Once dismissed as occasional accidents of gene expression, these variants are emerging as important contributors to how cells function.

Ly’s research focuses on these previously undetected and largely unstudied protein variants. In recent work, Ly and colleagues have shown how cells shift between producing different protein variants during cell division. He is now studying individual protein variants to better understand their roles in health and disease.

In his latest project, Ly looked at protein variants of a gene called TRNT1, which is linked to a rare disorder known as Sideroblastic Anemia with B-cell Immunodeficiency, Periodic Fevers, and Developmental Delay (SIFD). Most patients with this disease carry mutations that affect both TRNT1 protein variants, resulting in severe symptoms and low life expectancy. However, some patients have mutations that affect only one variant, leading to much milder symptoms.

This work on “isoform-selective alleles”—mutations that disrupt only one protein variant—demonstrates how certain genetic mutations can cause partial loss of gene function rather than a complete loss. Understanding these effects could be critical for advancing scientific knowledge of rare genetic disorders.

“Jimmy is a transformative scientist who has not only made remarkable discoveries for his own work, but has had a powerful impact on the work across our lab and the entire Institute,” says Cheeseman. “I am thrilled to see Jimmy and his work recognized in this way.” 

The International Birnstiel Award is presented annually. This year’s six laureates represent institutions across Europe, Asia, and North America. The recipients will be formally celebrated at a ceremony in Vienna on 5 November 2025, where each will receive a certificate, a trophy, and a prize of 2,000 Euros. By highlighting the achievements of outstanding young researchers, the award celebrates the promise of the next generation of molecular life scientists.