ZJU researcher MA Guangxu wins Odile Bain Memorial Prize 2025

When Dr. MA Guangxu opened his inbox one early morning, an email from an unfamiliar sender, Domenico Otranto, seemed ordinary enough to be dragged straight into his spam folder. What he did not realize was that the “junk” message contained news of one of the most significant honors in his career.

A few days later, while cleaning his inbox, the email resurfaced before him. “On behalf of the Odile Bain Memorial Prize (OBMP) Committee, it is a great pleasure for me to inform you that you have been selected as a 2025 prize winner.”

MA Guangxu read the message several times in disbelief. “Fortunately, I didn’t delete it completely,” he laughed. “Otherwise it might have become the biggest missed opportunity of my scientific career.”

The Odile Bain Memorial Prize recognizes outstanding early-career researchers (within five years of earning their PhD) in medical or veterinary parasitology. MA Guangxu is the first independently selected Chinese recipient in the prize’s 11-year history, marking a milestone for both China and ZJU in the global parasitology community.

The award was not a stroke of luck but the outcome of years of devoted work. After working as an honorary research fellow at the University of Melbourne, MA Guangxu returned to China to establish his own team at ZJU. His research aims to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind parasites’ remarkable ability to survive and adapt.

“Scientific research demands patience,” MA Guangxu said. “My field isn’t a trendy field, so you need the determination to spend five, ten, or even more years pursuing a single question.”

Guided by this creed, his team has made significant advances in the developmental biology and immune regulation of helminths, contributing new theoretical and practical tools for diagnosing and controlling zoonotic parasitic diseases.

The award announcement brought messages of congratulations from leading experts worldwide. For MA Guangxu, each greeting served as a reminder of the people and institutions behind his success—ZJU’s cutting-edge research platform, the school’s strong support, his mentor’s guidance, and his team’s commitment. “Without them, I could never have stood on that international stage,” he said.

As an undergraduate class advisor and a doctoral supervisor, MA Guangxu channels this support into nurturing young researchers. He encourages students to broaden their horizons and set ambitious goals: “I often tell them, ‘A fine horse knows its journey is long; it doesn’t need a whip to keep running.’”

He also prioritizes students’ well-being, organizing weekly badminton games, hosting group meals, bringing back small gifts from work trips, and filling his lab with calligraphy and humorous reminders that keep the atmosphere warm and positive.

“Professor MA is as calm as a capybara—nothing seems to ruffle him,” one student joked. “His composure helps us face setbacks with confidence. For him, any progress is good progress.”

The OBMP citation praised MA Guangxu’s work for “combining scientific ingenuity with practical applications in parasitology.” That vision continues to drive his team’s research. “Our goal is to expand our patent portfolio and turn intellectual property into real-world solutions,” he said.

Recently, his team reported a promising drug-free strategy for controlling parasitic nematodes. They found that these parasites rely on host insulin to fuel their development; by disrupting the worms’ insulin receptors, the team could reduce infection levels and dramatically shift sex ratios.

In another breakthrough, the team identified a secreted protein in blood-feeding worms that actively suppresses the host’s inflammatory response both locally and systemically. The finding challenges the traditional view that parasites merely evade immunity and instead shows they can actively regulate host immune pathways, offering fresh insights into host–parasite interactions.

MA Guangxu views the OBMP not just as personal recognition but as an acknowledgment of China’s rising research strength. “This honor belongs not only to me,” he said. “It reflects international recognition of China and ZJU within the field of veterinary parasitology.”

With renewed commitment, he plans to continue advancing parasitology research while mentoring the next generation of scientists with the same perseverance and passion that have guided him throughout his career.

Translator: FANG Fumin
Editor: HAN Xiao