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Featured Innovators

Northwestern faculty are innovators determined to solve pressing problems. They are inventors and entrepreneurs making an impact in tackling such diverse challenges as organ and tissue regeneration, management of blockchain transactions, and the battle against COVID-19. Read their stories below.
Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD

Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD
The Center for Urologic Oncology is identifying compounds likely to successfully target the elusive MYC protein implicated in more than half of all cancers.

Guillermo Ameer

Guillermo Ameer, DSc
VesselTek Biomedical has developed synthetic resorbable biomaterials that stabilize soft-tissue grafts while promoting the body's normal healing process. 

Alok Choudhary

Alok Choudhary, PhD 
Recently acquired by Mediaocean, 4C Insights created a platform that fuels omnichannel optimization of advertising and marketing campaigns.

Paul DeCaen, PhD
With pioneering research into kidney ion channels, Paul DeCaen is close to unlocking the door to a potential alternative that prevents a cyst from even forming.

Omar Farha, PhD

Omar Farha, PhD
NuMat Technologies is perfecting a programmable sponge that enables the separation and storage of gases.

 

Jiaxing Huang, PhD

Jiaxing Huang, PhD
Jiaxing Huang's innovative team has made discoveries ranging from graphene hair dyes, to a self-sanitizing COVID-19 mask insert, to a viral-neutralizing coating for stainless steel surfaces.

Michael Jewett, PhD

Michael Jewett, PhD
SwiftScale Biologics leverages cell-free biomanufacturing to scale and develop new therapies by significantly reducing the time-to-market.

Aleksandar Kuzmanovic, PhD

Aleksandar Kuzmanovic, PhD
bloXroute enables the blockchain industry to scale by increasing the speed of transactions without sacrificing security or decentralization.
 

I Caroline LePoole, PhD

I Caroline LePoole, PhD
Temprian Therapeutics has developed a biologic therapeutic aimed at reversing the progression of the autoimmune disease vitiligo.

Joseph Leventhal, MD, PhD

Joseph Leventhal, MD
TRACT Therapeutics is testing a T-cell-based therapy to ease Crohn's disease and raise the chances of success for organ transplantation.

Julius Lucks, PhD

Julius Lucks, PhD
Stemloop has developed a field test for water quality and more recently a test to check for COVID-19 contamination on surfaces and in water.

Chad Mirkin, PhDChad Mirkin, PhD
Azul3D is setting out to make a paradigm shift in manufacturing by taking 3D printing from prototypes and limited runs to manufacturing in one streamlined process.
John Rogers, PhD

John Rogers, PhD

Sibel Health is delivering better health data with soft, flexible sensors that are powered by advanced analytics, operated by best-in-class software, and integrated with the cloud optimized for artificial intelligence and machine learning.