Molecular Biologist Li-Jun Ma Wins 2026 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize
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Li-Jun Ma, a professor in the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been chosen as this year’s winner of the Mahoney Life Sciences Prize for her work on mitigating the effects of a fungal pathogen that is causing the functional extinction of the bananas most commonly found in U.S. supermarkets. The Mahoney Prize comes with a $25,000 cash award.
“Scientific discoveries often begin with curiosity, and scientists are often driven by a desire to improve the world,” says Ma. “Yet the path from discovery to societal impact frequently requires a leap of faith. The Mahoney Life Science Prize boosts our confidence and strengthens our translational efforts. The connections and network this award offers will further smooth our journey to deliver meaningful benefits to society.”
The banana cultivar we eat today from the supermarket is not the same type as the one people were eating a few generations ago. Those, the Gros Michel bananas, are functionally extinct, victims of the first outbreak of the pathogen, called Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4), in the 1950s.
Today, the most popular type of commercially available banana is the Cavendish variety, which was bred as a disease-resistant response to the Gros Michel extinction. For about 40 years, the Cavendish banana thrived across the globe in the vast monocultured plantations that supply the majority of the world’s commercial banana crop.
But by the 1990s, the good times for the Cavendish banana had begun to come to a close, due to another outbreak of Fusarium. But was it the same strain that ended Gros Michel’s market dominance?
The research undertaken by Ma and her colleagues was published in Nature Microbiology and answers the question with the intention of discovering novel means to control the spread of Foc TR4. These are significant findings, worthy of being honored with the Mahoney Prize. Not only did they discover that this new outbreak of Fusarium did not evolve from the one that had decimated the Gros Michel bananas, they also discovered that Foc TR4, responsible for the current outbreak of banana wilt, uses some accessory genes for both production and detoxification of fungal nitric oxide to invade the host and that the virulence of Foc TR4 was greatly reduced when two genes that control nitric oxide production were eliminated.
Even though Ma and team have not yet completely unraveled all the mysteries of Foc TR4, their work represents a huge step forward in understanding how the pathogen works, and, ultimately, how to mitigate its worst effects.
“In collaboration with an expert banana research team, my laboratory is actively working to translate these findings into practical solutions,” says Ma. “We are exploring the development of novel fungicides that block nitric oxide production and accessory gene function. Additionally, we are investigating RNA interference technologies, which can silence critical fungal virulence genes, providing a more targeted and environmentally friendly control method.”
“Each year, I am struck by the ingenuity and drive of UMass Amherst researchers,” said Richard Mahoney, former CEO and chairman of Monsanto and a UMass alumnus. “The work recognized through the Mahoney Life Sciences Prize demonstrates how scientific insight can evolve into meaningful solutions with the power to improve our world. It’s gratifying to see the university’s continued leadership in advancing life sciences research that is both ambitious and deeply relevant.”
The Mahoney Life Sciences Prize is awarded annually to honor excellence and recognize academic achievement that propels significant advances in science and industry. Richard Mahoney and his two brothers all received their degrees in chemistry from UMass Amherst. They went on to become leaders in their own industries and have served as high-level alumni advisers to the campus.
The annual competition seeks scientists in the College of Natural Sciences who are engaged in high-impact life sciences research that addresses a significant challenge and advances collaboration between researchers and industry. Following a review by an expert panel of life-science-industry scientists and executives, the $25,000 prize is awarded to one CNS faculty member who is the principal author of peer-reviewed research that meets the goals of the Mahoney Life Sciences Prize.
Carrie Williams, a partner at McKesson Ventures, a UMass Amherst alumna and one of this year’s Mahoney Prize reviewers said, “Ma’s paper was exceedingly successful in translating the science behind these new plant pathology findings into actionable applications to advance the research. What resonated for me was the effective communication of the importance of these discoveries and the fact that Ma has already put the wheels in motion to engage experts in the field to help identify practical and environmentally friendly solutions. This is more than an interesting experiment, it’s a well-designed, collaborative approach to applying these new insights.”
This story was originally published by the UMass News Office.