Dr Chien-Hsiung (Alan) Yu is Head of the Neuroinflammation Laboratory at The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne. Dr Yu’s PhD focused on the inner workings of the innate immune systems and understanding how it functions against infection. In 2016, he expanded his research focus to investigate the molecular events behind immune-mediated neurodegenerative pathway in ALS/MND, and this innovative proposal secured a highly prestigious 5-year Thwaites Gutch Centenary Fellowship funded by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI). During his time at WEHI, Dr Yu’s research into the toxicity of TDP-43 has led to a shift in thinking on how this central ALS/FTD player (1) cause mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release into the cytoplasm (2) via the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), (3) activate the cGAS/STING-related inflammatory responses that eventually leads to neurodegeneration. Excitingly, his team found that the blockade of STING reduced neurodegeneration in vivo, and in patient iPSC-derived motor neurons (Yu et al. Cell 2020, 345 citations). This seminal publication led to three influential editorials, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Cell Research and Trends in Neurosciences, highlighting the importance of innate immune systems in TDP-43 proteinopathies, including ALS/FTD. Only seven years after his PhD, Dr Yu’s research program that aims to tackle down neurodegeneration through lens of innate immunology has been awarded several prestigious grants as PI/CI, including 3 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants and 2 philanthropic funding from the FightMND and CASS Foundation in Australia. Recently, Dr Yu’s research has been recognized by the Frick Foundation Award for ALS research (Switzerland), and he has been appointed as their first Australian laureate.