NIH awards two Scripps Research fellows more than $1 million each for their high-risk, high-impact work

Fellows Shannon Miller and Megan Ken have both received NIH Director’s Awards from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.

October 08, 2024

LA JOLLA, CA—In recognition of their innovative research trajectories, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted NIH Director’s Awards to Scripps Research Fellows Shannon Miller, PhD, in the Department of Chemistry, and Megan Ken, MD, PhD, in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology.

NIH Director’s Awards fund novel research that holds promise for significantly impacting human health. They are supported by the NIH Common Fund, which invests in bold scientific research that aims to advance the field of biomedicine. Specifically, the awards are conferred through the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) program, which encourages novel investigation that could face funding challenges through conventional avenues.

“The HRHR program champions exceptionally bold and innovative science that pushes the boundaries of biomedical and behavioral research,” says Tara Schwetz, PhD, the NIH deputy director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, as well as the director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which oversees the NIH Common Fund. “The groundbreaking science pursued by these researchers is poised to have a broad impact on human health.”

Each Scripps Research fellow attained one of the 67 research grants awarded this year, which total about $207 million. 

Miller received $1.5 million with the New Innovator Award. This prize, which was established in 2007, supports innovative research from early-career scientists who haven’t received a large, independent grant from the NIH and are within 10 years of their final degree or clinical residency. Money from this award will be split into two multi-year segments.

At Scripps Research, Miller develops technologies applied to modern gene therapy and genome editing. Although these tools show promise to treat genetic diseases, many therapeutic applications are limited because of significant issues related to delivery, disease scope and toxicity. Thus, Miller aspires to advance genome editing technology by improving safety and delivery methods, while also expanding the range of genetic changes that these tools can make. She’s interested in using genome editing to treat immunological disease, cancer and other monogenic diseases where a single genetic cause isn’t apparent.

“As my lab engineers tools to advance gene therapies and the genome editing field, it’s an honor to have my research goals recognized by the NIH,” says Miller. “It’s extremely rewarding to hear stories of people who have been directly impacted by these types of medicines, and I hope that one day my work can impact lives.”

Prior to joining Scripps Research, Miller earned her PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University and BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Ken was conferred the Early Independence Award. Her prize comes with $1.25 million, which will be allotted in $250,000 distributions over the course of five years. Ken’s award was established in 2011 and supports junior scientists who demonstrate exceptional creativity while proposing bold, innovative research projects with the potential to significantly impact areas in line with NIH’s mission to enhance health and advance related knowledge. This award is given to scientists who have recently received their doctoral degree or completed their clinical residency; the aim is to bypass traditional postdoctoral training and launch independent research careers.

Ken’s lab at Scripps Research studies the structure of RNA and how it interacts with proteins, focusing on how these dynamics could be targeted for drug development. The main goal is finding new ways to study RNA that could lead to the creation of therapies for diseases like HIV. Ken and her lab combine various methods—such as computer modeling and in vitro means—to improve the understanding of RNA’s role in the body.

“The field of targeting RNA with small molecules is relatively new, and I’d like to thank the NIH for believing in my work,” says Ken. “The reason I went into medicine and science was to develop treatments for diseases that currently don’t have cures or effective medicines, and this award puts me that much closer to impacting underserved patients.” 

Before coming to Scripps Research, Ken earned her MD and PhD in Biochemistry from Duke University School of Medicine and BA in Biology and Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis.

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