Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale to Support 15 Breakthrough Interventions in Cardiometabolic, Autoimmunity, Dermatology, Oncology, and More
Breakthrough ideas need more than a laboratory—they need a path to impact. Since 2017, Yale and the Blavatnik Family Foundation have partnered to propel promising research beyond the university walls, bridging the gap between discovery and real-world application. Through the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, a $65 million accelerator fund managed by Yale Ventures, 90 unique projects have led to 23 startups, 4 acquisitions, nine investigational new drug (IND) clearances, and work across diverse therapeutic modalities—including small and large molecules, nucleic acids, PNAs, ADCs, phage therapy, nanoparticles, exosomes, medical devices, digital health, and platform technologies.
This year’s fifteen awardees continue that legacy, tackling some of the most urgent life science challenges with projects spanning novel therapeutics to AI-powered medical solutions.
The 2025 awardees will be recognized at the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit on May 28–29.
"Each of these projects holds the potential to transform healthcare, and we are excited to work closely with this year’s awardees to accelerate their progress,” said Morag Grassie, director of the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale. “Our team takes a highly personalized approach, collaborating with each researcher and their team to navigate the complexities of translation, refine strategies, identify expert external partners and position their innovations for real-world impact.”
Meet the 2025 Blavatnik Awardees:
Demetrios Braddock, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology
Targeting genetically associated obesity
Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Dermatology
Novel treatment for hypertrophic and keloidal scarring
Qingyu Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Multimodal AI Copilot for eye doctors
Craig Crews, PhD, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Professor of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Management
BioLong: Extending serum half-lives of therapeutics
John Elefteriades, MD, William W.L. Glenn Professor of Surgery (Cardiac)
AI-powered risk assessment tool for aortic aneurysms: Enhancing clinical decision-making for aortic-repair surgery
Jung Han, PhD, William A. Norton Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Optical sensing solution for an accessible, non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitor (NIGM)
Seth Herzon, PhD, Milton Harris '29 PhD Professor of Chemistry
DNA Self-Activating Warheads (SAWs)
Yingqun Huang, MD, PhD, Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Inflammation & Immunology Breakthrough: Molecular glues for the selective elimination of pathogenic macrophages
Richard Kibbey, MD, PhD, Ensign Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology and Metabolism), and Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Small molecule incretin hormone amplifier for the treatment of obesity and diabetes
Carrie Lucas, PhD, Associate Professor of Immunobiology
Resetting the immune system for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
Markus Müschen, MD-PhD, Arthur H. and Isabel Bunker Professor of Medicine (Hematology) and Professor of Immunobiology
A new class of selective GSK3B-inhibitors for refractory lymphoid malignancies and autoimmunity
Mohini Ranganathan, MBBS, Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Simulated Psychedelic Healthcare Intervention (Si-PHI)
Samit Shah, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology)
Angiomedix: revolutionizing the diagnosis of heart disease
Martin Schwartz, PhD, Robert W. Berliner Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Cell Biology
Therapeutic targeting of protocadherin gamma A9 (Pcdhga9)
Stephen Waxman, MD, PhD, Bridget Flaherty Professor of Neurology and of Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Chuan-Ju Liu, PhD, Charles W. Ohse Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
Preventing the progression of osteoarthritis by preventing joint degeneration
To learn more about the projects, watch their presentations from Life Sciences Pitchfest which took place in December 2024.
Michael Crair, vice provost for research and William Ziegler III Professor of Neuroscience, stated,
"The partnership between Yale and the Blavatnik Family Foundation has been instrumental in accelerating the translation of Yale research into real, transformative healthcare solutions. Through the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, we have built an ecosystem where bold life sciences ideas receive the support they need to advance from the lab to market. We are deeply grateful for the Foundation’s continued commitment to research and innovation.”
Join us at the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit to celebrate the awardees. Early-bird registration is open through March 14.
About the Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation supports world-renowned educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and across the globe. Led by Len Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed more than $1 billion to over 250 organizations.