On Nov. 10, eight Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty members were recognized with Yale Faculty Innovation Awards, which honor academic founders whose startups—rooted in Yale research—are advancing breakthroughs in health, sustainability, and engineering.
“Yale’s strength lies in the power of ideas to change the world,” said Yale President Maurie McInnis, PhD, during the ceremony. “Our faculty innovators are proving that every discovery holds the potential to create meaningful impact. Through their ventures, they are extending Yale’s reach far beyond campus—into industries, communities, and lives across the nation and around the globe.”
The Yale Faculty Innovation Awards are granted annually by Yale Ventures. This year's awardees included 11 faculty members from across the university.
The 2025 YSM honorees (and their startups) include:
Jason Cai, PhD, associate professor of radiology and biomedical imaging and of pharmacology, for Synvest Imaging Inc., which is developing novel molecular imaging agents to advance early detection and personalized treatment.
Craig Crews, PhD, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry, of pharmacology, and of management, for Quarry Thera, which is advancing the next generation of proximity-induced therapeutics based on molecular glues.
Jonathan Ellman, PhD, Eugene Higgins Professor of Chemistry and professor of pharmacology, for Transneural Therapeutics, which is transforming the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases with novel neuroplastogens.
Richard Flavell, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology, for Plythera, which is transforming scleroderma care with a novel antibody targeting the root cause of fibrosis.
Mark Gerstein, PhD, Albert L. Williams Professor of Biomedical Informatics and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, of computer science, and of statistics and data science, for Mixolydian, which is advancing DNA analysis and privacy protection with cutting-edge data-science approaches.
Arthur Horwich, MD, professor emeritus of genetics, for AWM Bio, which is developing therapies that protect neurons and slow degeneration in ALS and Parkinson’s disease.
Smita Krishnaswamy, PhD, associate professor of genetics and of computer science, for Latent Alpha, which is harnessing artificial intelligence to decode omics data and accelerate precision drug discovery.
Ian Odell, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology, for Plythera, which is transforming scleroderma care with a novel antibody targeting the root cause of fibrosis.