Howard Hang

Howard Hang, PhD, is the Chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms of host-microbe interactions, particularly how metabolites from host, diet, and microbiota modulate immunity and pathogenesis. He has pioneered chemical methods to study metabolite-protein interactions and developed animal models to identify microbiota-derived protective factors.

Dr. Hang earned his B.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2003) in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Berkeley, respectively. He completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and the Whitehead Institute. His awards include the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (2017), Synergy Award (2019), and Distinguished Teaching Award (2011).

His research spans chemical biology, microbiology, and immunology, with breakthroughs in understanding IFITM antiviral proteins, peptidoglycan metabolism, and microbiota-derived therapies for cancer immunotherapy. His lab's work has generated novel biomarkers and therapeutic leads for infections, inflammation, and immunotherapy.

Key collaborations include studies on checkpoint inhibitor enhancement via Enterococcus peptidoglycan remodeling and discovery of microbiota-derived GPRC5A agonists. His group employs innovative methods like chemical proteomics and site-specific lipidation to study protein modifications in live cells.