The National Academy of Inventors has named five University of Arizona faculty members as Class of 2024 Senior Members. To be selected as a Senior Member, academic inventors must demonstrate their rising leadership within their fields and show success in the patenting, licensing, and commercialization of innovations stemming from their work. According to the NAI, they must have produced “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.”
This cohort of UArizona honorees have innovated in areas from Alzheimer’s disease to antimicrobials to advances in quantum communications, and hail from across the academic and research spectrum, including medicine, chemistry and biochemistry, agriculture, and optical sciences.
“Every year, more UArizona faculty are recognized with this honor,” said Doug Hockstad, associate vice president of Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the office of the university that works with researchers to protect and commercialize inventions stemming from innovation. “The number and diversity of researchers honored is a clear indicator that not only are we a leader in cutting-edge research, but that we have a growing institutional focus on generating impact from and recognizing those discoveries and achievements.”
Elliot Cheu, Interim Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation said, “Congratulations to this year’s inductees, who truly deserve this honor. Their induction not only highlights their contributions as individuals, but also underscores the university’s collective commitment to translating research and discovery into real-world solutions that benefit society.”
Roberta Diaz Brinton, Regents Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology and Director of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science
University of Arizona Health Sciences, BIO5 Institute
A UArizona alum, Brinton returned to the University of Arizona in 2016 as the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science (CIBS) to investigate and develop the innovations of the future in brain science and bring them to the world. Going beyond traditional academic models, Brinton has set up a hybrid research environment bridging academia and biotech focused on developing cures for Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and ALS. That dedication has delivered results. Her research has been continuously funded for over 30 years through the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and multiple foundations and private donors. She has six granted patents to her name, and others pending. Under her leadership, the CIBS team has generated 26 patents, enabled 48 invention disclosures, and generated $109 million in grants. Building on CIBS discoveries, she has co-founded a startup, NeuTherapeutics, to advance the development of allopregnanolone as a regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease patients and their healthcare teams. The company is also bringing to market a formulation of three estrogenic plant compounds called PhytoSERMs to promote both brain and breast health for menopausal women.
“I am honored to be selected as a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors which will advance the national and global impact of our inventions to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases,” Brinton said. “Our inventions are the result of decades of innovative research by exceptional teams of scientists who will continue to boldly innovate at the University of Arizona to bring innovations of the future to those who need a cure today.”
This year’s class of NAI Senior Members is the largest to date and hails from 60 NAI Member Institutions across the nation. Collectively, they are named inventors on over 1000 U.S. patents with 344 of those being licensed technologies and commercialized products. The 2024 class also showcases the shared commitment to celebrating the diversity of the academic ecosystem, with 50% of this year’s Senior Members being outstanding female and/or underrepresented academic inventors.
“This year’s class of Senior Members is truly a testament to the outstanding innovation happening at NAI Member Institutions and what happens when the academic space encourages and celebrates invention and commercialization,” said Paul R. Sanberg, President of NAI. “We are proud to welcome these outstanding academic inventors to the Academy and look forward to supporting and celebrating them as they continue in their innovation journeys.”
The 2024 class of Senior Members were celebrated at NAI’s Annual Conference taking place June 16-18th, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina.