Xinzhong Dong, PhD is a Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience, Dermatology and Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pain and itch, using a multidisciplinary approach to understand sensory signaling. His laboratory identified and characterized a novel family of G protein-coupled receptors (Mrgprs) expressed in sensory neurons and innate immune cells that function as itch receptors. Dr. Dong earned his PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA and completed his postdoctoral training at Caltech. He has authored more than 170 scientific publications and received the NIH/NINDS Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award in 2021. He is also a scientific founder of Escient Pharmaceuticals and SereNeuro Therapeutics.