Why are innovation and entrepreneurship important in academic research? Since the Bayh-Dole Act was passed in 1980, permitting institutions to retain ownership of their inventions arising from federal funding, more than 200 drug treatments and vaccines have been brought to market through academic-commercial partnerships.
Weill Cornell Medicine’s Ninth Annual Dean’s Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship celebrated and fostered this entrepreneurial spirit on Nov. 17 at Weill Cornell's Griffis Faculty Club.
“You have a flywheel effect where research begets innovation, which begets patient impact and revenue,” said Dr. Lisa Placanica, senior managing director of the Center for Technology Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine, in her welcome remarks. “That puts forth further research and innovation. The impact is transformative for health care and the economy.”
In fiscal year 2025, Weill Cornell transferred 21 of its intellectual properties to commercial partners for further development, had 72 products on the market and grossed over $11 million in total licensing income and revenue. Then in September, the first drug discovered by a Weill Cornell researcher received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Dr. Hazel Szeto (M.D., Ph.D. ’77), retired professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine and entrepreneur, discovered a small peptide that ultimately became the first therapy for an ultra-rare genetic disease called Barth Syndrome.
“By commercializing our intellectual property, we can transform care delivery on a broad scale. Let’s keep celebrating and supporting the extraordinary innovations emerging from Weill Cornell Medicine—solutions aimed at helping big populations,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. “Together, as a community, we’ll have far greater impact by approaching scientific challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset—unlocking new paths forward that change lives.”
This year’s symposium featured Weill Cornell researchers, past and present, who are tackling cancer, brain injuries and the science of aging gracefully.
Removing the “Un” from “Undruggable”
Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences alumnus Dr. Barry Kappel (Ph.D. ’06) was determined to study medical science and focus on translational research as a student. “My goal in life is to change the lives of patients—that’s never wavered,” said Dr. Kappel, who is founder, president, CEO and director of Sapience Therapeutics.
In a fireside chat with Dr. Harrington, he shared the ups and downs of his career path from laboratory scientist to biotech CEO.
Dr. Barry Kappel (left) and Suzan Wollard
After receiving his doctoral degree, Dr. Kappel decided to pursue an MBA at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business. He transitioned into the business world, adding new skills to his scientific repertoire—fundraising, management and building investor relationships. Being on the business side of drug development allowed him to build a science-driven biotech company and collaborate with universities to develop multiple technologies.
Dr. Kappel credited his persistence in the face of challenges to his time at Weill Cornell, where he witnessed pioneering scientists working on new treatments for cancer that were not well accepted at the time. “They displayed the fortitude to get through the problems and reinvent the way they assessed patients, which eventually led to successful therapies,” he said. Twenty years later, immunotherapy and radiotherapy are saving thousands of lives.
He founded Sapience Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing peptide-based therapeutics aimed at previously “undruggable” targets for high-mortality cancers. “The word ‘un’ will never sit well with me and shouldn’t sit well with any scientist,” says Dr. Kappel. “I see it as a challenge.”
In fact, Sapience Therapeutics has taken on one of the toughest diseases — glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer — using a modality many investors and drug developers have traditionally avoided. They acquired a peptide from a university and then reinvented it into a drug (Lucicebtide) that has the potential to address glioblastoma. Lucicebtide has shown promising results in early clinical trials, demonstrating that a peptide-based “undruggable target” therapy can produce clinical responses in very aggressive tumors.
The company also built its own platform to develop peptides for other cancer targets. By using stabilized peptides capable of disrupting protein-protein interactions inside cells, Sapience may expand the set of therapeutic targets in cancer.
Bringing Back Consciousness After Traumatic Brain Injury
Another prolific innovator, Dr. Nicholas Schiff (M.D. ’92), the Jerold B. Katz Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell, was inducted into the world of commercialization and entrepreneurship decades ago. He has translated his lab’s discoveries into real-world therapeutic ventures through two commercial efforts.
Dr. Nicholas Schiff
He and his colleagues were among the first to show that electrical stimulation in the brain’s central thalmus could restore communication and some motor/cognitive functions in a patient who was in a minimally conscious state for years.
Dr. Schiff continued to develop this technology after Boston Scientific acquired his first startup, supported in part by de-risking funding from Enterprise Innovation. When tested in a randomized clinical trial, the researchers showed that central thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) could be an effective therapy for moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, even eight or more years after the incident.
He is inspired to help these patients restore some of the abilities they have lost and live fuller lives. One of his first patients started reading again after treatment and became an avid reader 18 years after a car crash damaged her brain. “I got my daughter back. It’s beyond my hopes and anticipations,” her mother said.
Dr. Schiff and his colleagues founded Re-EmergeDBS to further validate the technology in phase 2 and 3 trials and improve existing equipment. They have raised $30 million to take the technology to the next level.
“The end game of all of this is to develop and commercialize a DBS system to help more patients regain cognitive abilities after traumatic brain injury,” he said.
Empowering Older Adults to Be Active and Independent
Beyond treating diseases, improving the quality of life is equally important to health care professionals and innovators. A dynamic AgeTech panel highlighted many cutting-edge efforts and technologies that aim to increase longevity and improve the aging experience for all.
Chaired by Dr. Mark Steven Lachs, the Irene F. and I. Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine and co-chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine for NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the panel included a key opinion leader and entrepreneur in the aging sector, a doctor and two industry investors.
Dr. Mark Lachs
Dr. Lachs’s initial experience with commercialization was licensing a training program to government agencies and vendors that helped assess an elderly individual’s decision-making ability.
Most technologies today weren’t developed with older users in mind, but with a growing heterogeneous aging population, there is potentially a huge longevity market. As Michael Clinton, founder and CEO of ROAR Forward, pointed out, businesses, non-profit organizations and academics are all trying to figure out how to better serve this unique group.
Passionate about providing quality care and improving lives for older adults, Dr. Lachs proactively seeks out collaborations to advance innovative ideas from his research team to reach a greater number of people. Along with Cornell engineers in Ithaca, his team has designed age specific headsets and a virtual reality pilot program that allows home-bound elders to engage in fitness and social activities with others online. This technology has the potential to combat loneliness and reduce anxiety.
Next month, Geisinger Health Care System, a health care provider and insurer in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which has a large Medicare Advantage and rural population, will launch a randomized controlled trial with Weill Cornell Medicine. The trial aims to increase the accessibility of telehealth and local senior resources with the hope of reducing medical costs and hospitalization.
AgeTech Panel (left to right) Michael Clinton, Michelle Chang, Aurelie Cornett and Dr. Cybele Pacheco.
Industries are sharing data and partnering with academia to develop AgeTech for older customers also. Two of Dr. Lachs’s colleagues ran workshops on aging-friendly and user-centered design at Comcast NBC Universal. Michelle Chang, partner at Comcast Ventures, said that six million of their customers are 65 plus and most of them prefer to age in place. Comcast is exploring the possibility of adding easier health care access at home with a remote button or voice activation and health monitoring. Similarly, the AARP created the AgeTech Collaborative four years ago to support innovations that empower people to age the way they want, bringing together universities, investors, startups and senior home communities.
The symposium exemplifies Weill Cornell’s dedication to nurturing and strengthening a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. As Dr. Krystyn J. Van Vliet, vice president for innovation and external engagement strategy at Cornell University, noted, the motivation for taking an idea to market is grounded in patient needs. “This momentum from research to innovation to societal impact requires teamwork and collaboration to turn new pathways, methods and devices into novel products and services,” she said. “This ‘innovation to impact’ mindset, and partnerships forged with experts within and beyond Cornell, are what powers that flywheel across Weill Cornell Medicine and throughout Cornell.”