Order from Chaos

Sun Hur seeks simplicity within complex biological systems

Sun Hur’s interdisciplinary research has helped unravel important aspects of how the immune system distinguishes the body’s own molecules from those of invading viruses. Video: Vilcek Foundation
Sun Hur’s interdisciplinary research has helped unravel important aspects of how the immune system distinguishes the body’s own molecules from those of invading viruses. Video: Vilcek Foundation

Self-discovery is a theme that unites Sun Hur’s life and work.

Growing up with a passion for physics, Hur pursued a scientific career in chemistry before launching her own research group in biology. Today, Hur, associate professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, seeks to uncover how the immune system distinguishes self from non-self.

In this video, Hur talks about her personal and scientific journey since coming to the United States from her native South Korea in 2000. Overcoming cultural and language barriers, she has turned her childhood fascination with order and chaos toward exploring how the innate immune system recognizes invaders, in particular disease-causing viruses that generate a double-stranded RNA during replication.

These studies, which could open doors to new treatments for cancer and inflammatory diseases, recently garnered her the Vilcek Foundation’s 2015 Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The foundation, which produced this video, honors and supports foreign-born scientists and artists who have made outstanding contributions to society in the United States.

Adapted from a post on Vector, the clinical and research innovation blog at Boston Children’s.