December 10 – Hiranmoy Das, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the organization announced announced on December 10. NAI Fellowship is the highest professional honor awarded exclusively to inventors, and this year’s class consists of 170 individuals.
The 2024 cohort of Fellows is an example of the NAI’s belief that groundbreaking innovation knows no borders and inventors can be found everywhere. This is evident from the fact that the nominees represent 39 US states and 12 countries.
Das, who has been a member of NAI since 2018, says becoming an NAI Fellow makes him feel like he has achieved one of the most important milestones in his career.
“Professionally, it is an honor to be associated with the extraordinary competition of great innovative scientists,” Das said in a press release.
Das’ primary research focuses on stem cell therapy that uses stem cells collected from human tissue to treat degenerative diseases. His research interests also include the molecular mechanisms that regulate the activation and functionality of monocytes (white blood cells) in the context of inflammation and identifying molecules responsible for the recognition of various tumor cells (such as ovarian, breast and cervical cancer) by human gamma delta T cells.
Since 2018, Das has been awarded or partnered with five patents, including patent # US 2021/0189334 A1 (“Corneal epithelial cells and their products for the treatment of corneal diseases.” Publication date 06/24/2021); Patent # WO 2019/241462 A1(“Stem cells for the treatment of disorders and diseases.” Publication date 12/19/2019); Patent # US 2019 / 0091310 A (“Unreleased IL-12 for the therapy of cancer.” Publication date 3/28/2019); Patent No. 8669106 (“Erythrocytes differentiated in vitro from nanofiber-expanded CD133+ cells.” Publication date: 11/03/2014); and Patent No. 20090285892 (“Methods and systems for expanding AC133+ cells and directing differentiation.” Publication date: 11/19/2009).
“There is great potential for stem cell therapies to replace the damaged cells and tissues that underlie various medical conditions of the blood, eyes and mouth,” explains Lance R. McMahon, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and innovation at TTUHSC. “TTUHSC is proud of Dr. Das’s groundbreaking work and his potential to treat diseases with commercially viable products and approaches.”
Das joins a growing list of TTUHSC faculty inventors recognized by the NAI for their outstanding innovations in the biomedical sciences. That recognition began in 2018 when Samuel Prien, Ph.D., professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, became the university’s first NAI Senior Member.
In 2023, Lindsay Penrose, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Ted Reid, Ph.D., vice chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, also named NAI Senior Members, an honor received in 2024 by Hongjun “Henry” Liang, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics.
In addition, Prien was named an NAI Fellow in 2021, as was P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, in 2023.
The 2024 NAi Fellows come from 135 research universities, government research institutions and nonprofit organizations around the world and their work spans several disciplines. They are renowned researchers who have achieved prestigious awards and honors such as the Nobel Prize, the US National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the National Medal of Science and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. These incredible inventors also collectively own more than 5,000 issued U.S. patents, and their innovations are having significant and tangible social and economic impacts today and will continue to do so into the future.
Since its founding in 2012, the NAI Fellows program has grown to 2,068 exceptional researchers and innovators holding more than 68,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. NAi Fellows are known for the social and economic impact of their inventions, which contribute to major advances in science and consumer technologies. Their innovations have created more than $3.2 trillion in revenue and 1.2 million jobs. The 2024 Class of Fellows will be honored and presented with their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the NAI’s 14th Annual Meeting on June 26 in Atlanta.
