Innovation and New Inventions

2019 Senior Member

Rajeev Aurora, Ph.D., is inventor on seven U.S. patents. Ultragenyx, a drug company focused on serious, debilitating, rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, has licensed Aurora’s patented technology regarding low doses of a protein known as RANKL. Animal tests show promise for low-dose RANKL to treat osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. Many of his studies aimed at finding processes that might be inhibited by drugs in diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, arthritis, ophthalmology and central nervous system diseases like depression and schizophrenia. To this end, he has built a team of computational biologists and statisticians to analyze samples from animal models, investigational studies and clinical trials. Aurora has encouraged other faculty, postdocs, and students to publish their data and protect their intellectual property. His perspective has been and will continue to be important in fostering innovation.

2019 Senior Member

Yie-Hwa Chang, Ph.D., has 11 U.S. patents, all commercialized. He discovered a type of enzyme (eukaryotic methionine aminopeptidase or MetAP) with a role in inhibiting new blood vessels, triggering great interest in cancer and obesity drugs. He also founded the Mediomics diagnostic company that offers biosensors and assays with major advantages in quantifying cells, biomarkers, and pathogens. More than $8 million of government grants/contracts are helping to develop his technologies. Current projects include quick diagnosis of Zika infection or Graves disease. He regularly mentors undergraduate and graduate students in his research, encouraging them to take creative initiative and contribute independently. One former student has five patents, and others have become faculty innovating in drug delivery and novel binding reagents. He has been extremely successful helping local scientists receive seed funding to transition from academic research technology to private enterprise. This networking has increased the number of local biotech startups.

2020 Senior Member

William Dannevik, Ph.D., and Robert Pasken, Ph.D., co-invented the Quantum Weather® forecasting system. Covered by five U.S. patents, the system predicts damage to electric utility assets, allowing quicker service restoration. The work has created a unique 13-year high-resolution weather data archive, helping Dannevik and Pasken compete for research funding. Dannevik has more than 50 publications in refereed journals, won the 2009 SLU Faculty Innovation Award, the 1999 Gordon Bell Prize in High Performance Computing, and the University of California 2000 Laboratory Science and Technology Award. He led the Atmospheric Science Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for seven years, and served as SLU EAS department chair for 12 years. His interests include theory and simulation of turbulent geophysical fluid flows, and mesoscale weather prediction. With graduate students, he recently developed a method for predicting statistical properties of Earth’s climate system, and for estimating the transport of plant pathogens in agricultural canopies.

2025 Senior Member

Enrico Di Cera, Ph.D., holds five U.S. patents and over 250 publications from pioneering blood-coagulation research. His discoveries on allosteric regulation of thrombin and structural insight into prothrombin activation have shaped the field and lead to new therapeutic strategies. Two of his patents underpin first-in-class therapies designed to prevent thrombosis without impairing beneficial clotting. A third patent enables at-scale production of this therapy by Aronora, Inc., which completed phase II clinical trials and received FDA Fast Track Designation, with the potential to benefit millions suffering from kidney disease and other thrombotic conditions. As chair of Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at SLU, Di Cera has recruited and mentored researchers pursuing therapies for diseases including blood disorders, neurodegeneration and rare disease, and led an expansion of expertise in X-ray crystallography and structural biochemistry, creating a destination for those seeking to perform cutting edge biochemistry research with a purpose.

2025 Senior Member

Koyal Garg, Ph.D., has a U.S. patent for biomimetic sponges designed for tissue regeneration, addressing the critical lack of effective treatments for volumetric muscle loss (VML), the traumatic or surgical loss of skeletal muscle and subsequent functional impairment. The technology enables creation of biomimetic sponges with tailored biomimetic and supplemental therapeutic properties. It is licensed to GenAssist Inc., a company co-founded by a former student, and Garg continues to provide scientific advising on development. Garg teaches and mentors students across academic levels in the laboratory, classroom, and into productive independent careers, with a focus on preparing students for the skills and requirements of their next position, not just their current one. She has provided her biomaterials expertise extensively to research projects across the University, and to creation of a tissue engineering and regenerative medicine track within the biomedical engineering curriculum.

2019 Senior Member

David Griggs, Ph.D., has six U.S. patents (all licensed) and many continuing drug discovery projects worldwide. He co-founded and still consults for lndalo Therapeutics which features his proprietary technologies using selective integrin antagonists to treat fibrosis in liver and lung diseases that affect millions. Griggs’s published work renewed interest in integrin-based therapeutics such that other independent companies have also formed and compete to develop similar drugs with distinct but overlapping mechanisms. Throughout his career in both industry and academic drug development settings, he has trained many students and junior scientists, and routinely helps peers strategize for drug discovery funding applications or serves as a co-investigator or consultant on their projects. He hosts undergraduate and graduate researchers in his lab and co-leads SLU’s Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation, mentoring on issues such as protecting intellectual property, facilitating new collaborations, and educating scientists and students at all levels about drug discovery.

2019 Senior Member

Tomasz Heyduk, Ph.D.,  has 16 U.S. patents, all licensed. His discoveries help quantify cells, biomarkers and pathogens and have led to numerous grants in collaboration with the local diagnostics company Mediomics. He has developed methods to inhibit, detect and capture medically important targets ranging from small molecules to whole cells, using his understanding of physical mechanisms of binding. Undergraduates and graduate students receive hands-on experience in his lab, and two doctoral dissertations were entirely based on follow-up research to Heyduk’s patented technologies. Both students became co-inventors on some of the patents resulting from this research. Heyduk reviews applications for National Institutes of Health funding through the Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs. Heyduk is also a reviewer for many journals, including Analytical Chemistry, ChemBioChem and Nature.

2021 Senior Member

Marvin Meyers, Ph.D., is co-inventor on 12 SLU patent applications, with three yielding licenses and two securing U.S. patents. Before joining SLU, Meyers was co-inventor on 17 Pfizer patent applications and two issued patents on clinical candidates for pain and cardiovascular disease. His skills as a research collaborator include the design and synthesis of molecules in disease areas that include tuberculosis, cancer, muscular dystrophy, and viral and parasitic diseases. He has participated in numerous research collaborations that have brought SLU significant grant and contract funding. His current research efforts focus on infectious diseases that inflict severe health burdens. At Pfizer, Meyers mentored summer interns and participated in the SURF program for summer research fellowships. At SLU, he has mentored numerous undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows engaged in drug discovery, and taught many more students in the drug discovery and design process.

2022 Senior Member

Adriana Montaño, Ph.D., is an inventor on six U.S. patents focused on new and improved therapies and delivery systems for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) including mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). Without effective treatment, these rare inherited diseases can lead to profound developmental challenges and early death. Current treatments with enzyme-replacement therapy are difficult to administer, potentially hazardous to patient health, and often incompletely effective. Montaño’s work includes the development of less immunogenic proteins, the induction of oral immune tolerance, and the creation of novel gene therapies that deliver greater enzyme activity to targeted tissues. Montaño co-founded Archmont Biopharma a company that is currently performing preclinical proof-of-concept studies to validate its therapy. She actively mentors trainees from undergraduates to postdoctoral and clinical fellows, teaching on topics ranging from cellular and molecular biology to lysosomal storage disorders. Montaño is inspired to help individuals achieve their highest potential.

2023 Senior Member 

Lynda Morrison, Ph.D., is an inventor on six U.S. patents related to herpes simplex virus (HSV), including attenuated HSV strains, vaccination enhancing modifications, and novel inhibitors of HSV replication. HSV establishes lifelong latent infection and has no known cure, though symptoms can be reduced with medication. Two-thirds of the world population is infected with HSV-1, and 500 million with HSV-2. Infection can cause painful blisters and sores, debilitating infections of the brain or eye, and increased risk of co-infections including HIV. In infants, infection can lead to lifelong neurologic disability or death. Morrison investigates the pharmacological properties of novel HSV inhibitors and the mechanisms by which these inhibitors work through collaborations with scientists at SLU and around the world. As assistant dean, Morrison is implementing initiatives to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion at the School of Medicine and to ensure the school curriculum fully reflects those ideals.

2019 Senior Member

Robert Pasken, Ph.D.,  has five U.S. patents licensed for use by local electrical utility Ameren. His QuantumWeather® system produces detailed maps that more accurately anticipate damage to above-ground electric distribution and transmission assets, allowing Ameren to position materials and crews to restore service more quickly. Recent additions predict number of customers, number of poles and length of wire impacted. The underlying work created a 10-year data archive, positioning Pasken’s department to compete for research funding. He also has more than 40 publications in refereed journals and has won the Faculty Innovation Award, NASA Achievement Award and was elected vice president of the local chapter of the American Meteorological Society. He has provided new department expertise in ensemble prediction, machine learning, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles and high-performance computing. He has mentored doctoral and master’s students to become leaders in meteorology and actively encourages undergraduates to participate in field campaigns.

2025 Senior Member

Nicola Pozzi, Ph.D., holds three U.S. patents for innovative therapeutics in the fields of thrombosis and blood coagulation. The biotech Aronora, Inc. licenses his patent for thrombin variant expression to enable production of their investigative anti-clotting therapy which recently completed phase II clinical trials. Pozzi is formerly co-founder and CEO of Hemadvance, which sought to develop his patent on anti-coagulant fusion proteins to treat patients with thrombosis inducing genetic mutations. Since 2016, Pozzi has focused his research on Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), an autoimmune blood clotting disorder. He developed a new APS diagnostic now in clinical trials and designed potential first-in-class anticoagulation therapeutics free from the risks with current therapies. With over 70 publications and funding from various sources, Pozzi integrates structural enzymology, biophysics, and microfluidics into his teaching and mentorship, fostering innovation among students and postdoctoral researchers.

2025 Senior Member

Tim Randolph, Ph.D., holds two patents for low-cost hematologic assays, including Sickle Confirm, a diagnostic test for sickle cell disease designed for resource-limited settings. Sickle Confirm is licensed to Randolph World Ministries, a nonprofit organization founded by Randolph that provides medical laboratory training and supplies to over 30 Haitian clinics, and seeks to expand affordable diagnostics globally. Variations of Sickle Confirm can be performed in the absence of most modern conveniences, including electricity. A second patent is for an assay to assess responses to the most common sickle-cell treatment. Randolph leads teams of students in projects to refine his discoveries and develop new diagnostics. Randolph welcomes numerous undergraduate students into his lab, putting to practice the University mission to pursue knowledge for the service of humanity, and fosters within trainees an enthusiasm for making an impact on the wellbeing of our global community. His work has earned multiple awards, including the ACLS Distinguished Author Award and the Bio-Rad Professional Achievement Award.

2023 Senior Member

John Tavis, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of hepatitis B virus replication and the biochemistry of viral reverse transcription. Tavis is an inventor on six U.S. patents for therapeutic target discovery and novel compounds to treat infectious diseases, primarily HBV. Despite four decades of effective vaccination, nearly 300 million people suffer from chronic Hepatitis B infection, with millions of new cases each year. Chronic HBV infection causes liver disease including cirrhosis and cancer resulting in nearly a million deaths each year. Current treatments do not eliminate infection. Compounds discovered by Tavis targeting HBV ribonuclease H could potentially control or cure HBV infection, and work synergistically with existing treatments. Tavis is a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board for the Hepatitis B Foundation and Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, and was honored with the Mission Hero Award from the American Cancer Society in 2018.

2021 Senior Member

John Walker, Ph.D., started as a research scientist in small-molecule drug discovery at Searle/ Monsanto, later Pfizer, where he led several chemistry research teams in drug synthesis and optimization, producing seven FDA clinical candidates. Projects and associated patent applications on which he worked at Pfizer included p38 inhibitor inventions, which helped guide anti-inflammatory drug discovery and supported research in COPD.  After Pfizer, Walker joined the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where he consulted on two novel NIH-funded drug discovery projects. At SLU, his contributions have generated significant grant funding and several patent applications, including estrogen-related receptor modulators for use in applications including type 2 diabetes and heart failure, also REV-ERB modulators of nuclear receptors as potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammatory conditions. Walker has mentored many research scientists, including postdoctoral fellows, also graduate and undergraduate students. Several of his mentees have gone on to support or lead other projects resulting in potentially patentable inventions.

2025 Senior Member

Silviya Zustiak, Ph.D., holds four patents for technologies related to the fabrication of hydrogel materials for drug and biotherapeutic discovery, delivery, and controlled release. Her expertise, publications, and patents have enabled multiple opportunities for industry collaboration including developing fabrication techniques and validating product properties for potential treatment of osteoarthritis, drug screening in 3D cultures of glioblastoma, and development of tunable and traceable hydrogel microspheres for therapies that require blocking blood flow. Zustiak has received multiple University and trainee-nominated awards for her course and laboratory mentorship. She has integrated entrepreneurship into her courses to spur curiosity and innovation and advises independent student research including Senior Design and MedLaunch. She co-directs SLU’s Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation and collaborates widely on projects related to therapeutic delivery via hydrogel depots.