The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recently announced the election of more than 160 people as members of the 2023 class. Among them are two members of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Professor Daniel G. Anderson and principal research scientist Ana Jaklenec. In addition, 11 MIT alumni were also recognized.
Election to the NAI is the highest professional honor bestowed exclusively on academic inventors and recognizes individuals who create or promote outstanding inventions that have a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and social well-being.
“Daniel and Anna embody some of the Koch Institute’s core values of interdisciplinary innovation and are committed to translating their discoveries into real impact for patients,” said Matthew Vander Heiden, president of the Koch Institute. Vander Heiden said. “Their election to the Academy is well-deserved, and we are honored to include them in the Koch Institute and MIT research communities.”
Daniel Anderson is the Joseph R. Mares (1924) Professor of Chemical Engineering and a core member of the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science. He is a leading researcher in the fields of nanotherapeutics and biomaterials. Anderson’s work has driven advances in a range of fields, including medical devices, cell therapies, drug delivery, gene therapy and materials science, and has resulted in more than 500 publications, patents and patent applications. He founded several companies, including Living Proof, Olivo Labs, Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP), Sigilon Therapeutics, Verseau Therapeutics, oRNA and VasoRx. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and a Lagon Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard Affiliates of the institute.
Ana Jaklenec is a principal research scientist and principal investigator at the Koch Institute, a leader in bioengineering and materials science focused on controlled delivery and stability of global health therapeutics. She is the inventor of multiple drug delivery technologies that have the potential to enable equitable health care worldwide. Her lab is developing new manufacturing technologies to engineer nano- and microscale materials for self-reinforcing vaccines, 3D printing of on-demand microneedles, heat-stable polymer carriers for oral delivery of micronutrients and probiotics, and long-acting vaccines. Long-term drug delivery systems for cancer immunotherapy. She has published over 100 manuscripts, patents, and patent applications, and founded 3 companies: Particles for Humanity, VitaKey, and OmniPulse Biosciences.
The 11 MIT alumni selected for the 2023 NAI class include:
- Dr. Michelle Barsoom ’85 (Materials Science and Engineering);
- Eric Burger ’84 (electrical engineering and computer science);
- Kevin Kelly SM ’88, PhD ’91 (mechanical engineering);
- Dr. Ali Khademhosseini ’05 (bioengineering);
- Joshua Makower ’85 (mechanical engineering);
- Marcella Moss ’97 (biology);
- Milos Popovic SM ’02, PhD ’08 (electrical engineering and computer science);
- Dr. Milica Radisic ’04 (chemical engineering);
- David Reinkensmeyer ’88 (electrical engineering);
- Boris Lubinsky, Ph.D. ’81 (mechanical engineering); and
- Paul S. Weiss ’80, SM ’80 (chemistry).
Since its inception in 2012, the NAI Fellows program has grown to include 1,898 outstanding researchers and innovators who hold more than 63,000 U.S. patents and 13,000 licensed technologies. NAI Fellows are known for the social and economic impact of their inventions, contributing to significant advances in science and consumer technology. Their innovations have generated more than $3 trillion in revenue and created 1 million jobs.
“This year’s NAI Fellows showcase the talents of researchers within the innovation ecosystem. Each of these individuals has made significant contributions to science and society through their work,” said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. “This new class joins our existing fellows to create innovations that drive critical advances across disciplines and stimulate global and national economies in immeasurable ways as they move these technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace. ”