"Faces of American Innovation" Report Celebrates People Behind Life-Changing Inventions Fostered by the Bayh-Dole Act

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Bayh-Dole Coalition released "Faces of American Innovation," a report highlighting five inspirational people whose work to transform early-stage discoveries into commercial products improved the lives of millions.

"In the day-to-day politics of Washington, D.C., it's easy to forget about bipartisan success stories. The 1980 Bayh-Dole Act is one of those achievements. It passed with overwhelming support from both political parties and helped catalyze decades of American innovation," said Joseph P. Allen, executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. "This report celebrates the often-overlooked sacrifice and perseverance that characterizes American innovation and is required to move breakthroughs out of the lab and into the real world."

The 2023 Faces of American Innovation report profiles the following innovators:

• Dr. Katalin Karikó, a University of Pennsylvania biochemist who helped develop the mRNA technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, preventing nearly 20 million deaths.
• Dr. Dennis Liotta, an Emory University professor and chemist whose work on "emtricitabine" helped transform HIV from a death sentence into a manageable illness, saving tens of millions of lives.
• Dr. Carol Mimura, a UC Berkeley technology transfer official who helped commercialize the Nobel-winning research that led to the revolutionary cancer immunotherapy Yervoy.
• Dr. Yan Wang, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute engineering professor who developed a new lithium battery recycling technique that could end our dependence on gas-powered cars.
• Peter Stern, an entrepreneur who leads a Columbia University spinout that aims to revolutionize LiDAR Technology.

"We all owe a debt of gratitude to the trailblazers highlighted in Faces of American Innovation," continued Brian O'Shaughnessy, the Bayh-Dole Coalition's board chair. "But we're also in debt to Sens. Birch Bayh (D-IN) and Robert Dole (R-KS) ? and all the other lawmakers who helped shepherd the Bayh-Dole Act through Congress. By building America's research and development ecosystem, they helped deliver life-changing innovations to people across the world."

On Wednesday, September 13, the five innovators profiled in the report will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., where they will be presented with the inaugural Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award. To learn more about the event, or to schedule interviews with any of the awardees and Bayh-Dole Coalition Executive Director Joseph P. Allen, please contact Jack Dunn at [email protected].

To access this year's Faces of American Innovation report and learn more about the award recipients and their pioneering work, please visit www.bayhdolecoalition.org/FacesofAmericanInnovation2023. 

About the Bayh-Dole Coalition: The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a diverse group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits.

Press contact
Jack Dunn
[email protected]
202-970-9743 ext. 125

SOURCE Bayh-Dole Coalition