Northwestern University, in collaboration with the Ryan Family Foundation, has announced the allocation of over $2 million from the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund to support eight innovative research projects. This initiative is part of a larger $35 million effort aimed at accelerating life sciences research with immediate societal impact.
Since its inception, the fund has awarded more than $4 million across two rounds, supporting 16 transformative projects selected from a competitive pool of 139 proposals submitted by Northwestern researchers. The second round saw 67 proposals vying for funding, reflecting Northwestern's robust culture of discovery.
Patrick G. Ryan commented on the fund's purpose: “We established the research acceleration fund to elevate Northwestern’s translational capabilities.” He emphasized that strategic investments are made to bridge gaps that hinder groundbreaking discoveries and facilitate their transition into practical solutions.
The selection criteria for these awards focus on several factors including transformative potential, differentiation from existing approaches, achieved milestones, next-phase outlook, and feasibility of near-term execution. The selected projects span therapeutics, health IT/data science analytics, and medical devices.
Eric J. Perreault highlighted the impact of this funding: “The Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund is transforming innovation at Northwestern, empowering our faculty to translate their groundbreaking discoveries into real solutions.”
Among those awarded is Timothy L. Sita from Feinberg School of Medicine for developing advanced diagnostics and treatments for glioblastoma using electrical modulation technology. Bharath Chandrasekaran aims to improve hearing loss diagnostics through AI and data analytics. Karan Ahuja focuses on making motion-capture technology accessible for consumer health monitoring.
Other recipients include Joseph R. Leventhal working on improving organ transplant outcomes through immune tolerance techniques; Aline Martin addressing mineral bone disorders in chronic kidney disease patients; William A. Muller aiming to create drugs reducing heart attack tissue damage; Xiaoyu Zhang developing therapeutic probes enhancing cancer immunotherapy; and Gabriel J. Rocklin creating mini proteins for intracellular drug delivery.
The Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund was created by Patrick G., Shirley W., and family members as a gift to aid basic research transitioning towards commercialization when traditional funding falls short.
Jian Cao expressed congratulations to all recipients: “These projects highlight Northwestern’s interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation leadership.”
Information about submitting proposals for future funding rounds can be found on the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund website or inquiries directed via email.