"Dr. Edward Chuong is investigating the unexpected role of transposons in shaping immune responses and potentially influencing cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Long considered genomic 鈥渏unk鈥� or inert fossils, transposons 鈥� mobile genetic elements that make up over 50% of the human genome 鈥� are now emerging as important regulators of host gene expression. Dr. Chuong鈥檚 research has revealed that transposon-derived regulatory elements have been co-opted as enhancers and transcriptional switches, playing essential roles in innate immune signaling across multiple mammalian lineages, including primates, rodents, and bats."