UC San Diego Neurobiologist Ryan Hibbs Receives Prestigious NIH Javits Award for Pioneering Brain and Muscle Research

February 11, 2026

By Mario Aguilera

University of California San Diego Neurobiology and Pharmacology Professor Ryan Hibbs has been honored with the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Professor Ryan Hibbs

This prestigious seven-year grant is awarded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to scientists who have demonstrated exceptional scientific productivity and a history of high-impact research in the field of neurology.

The award provides long-term support for Hibbs’ groundbreaking investigations into nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These proteins act as critical “levers” in the nervous system by regulating diverse physiological processes including muscle contraction, cognition and inflammation. As primary therapeutic targets for a wide range of conditions, these receptors are important in understanding autoimmune diseases, addiction and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Using cutting-edge cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in the university’s new Goeddel Family Technology Sandbox, Hibbs’ lab visualizes these receptors at an atomic level to solve fundamental mysteries of human health.

“The Javits Award allows my lab to tackle the most complex, high-risk questions in our field,” said Hibbs, chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the School of Biological Sciences. “By understanding how these receptors are built in their natural environment, we can design more precise therapies with fewer side effects, offering new hope for patients with debilitating neurological disorders.”

A major focus of the newly funded research will be on myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks muscle receptors. Hibbs’ team is mapping how patient autoantibodies physically block these receptors like “plugs” in an ion channel, providing a structural blueprint that could open the door to new classes of treatments for muscle weakness. Additionally, the research addresses congenital myasthenic syndromes by exploring how genetic mutations alter receptor kinetics and how existing drugs can be refined to be more effective.

The Javits Award also empowers the lab to pursue the ambitious goal of mapping the “native” subunit arrangements of receptors directly from brain tissue. While these receptors are primary targets for treating neurological disorders and nicotine addiction, their true structure in the human brain has remained elusive.

The Javits Award was established in 1983 to honor Jacob Javits, the late New York Senator who was a victim of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the neurogenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Javits was a strong advocate for research support in a wide variety of disorders of the brain and nervous system.