MSIP Recognizes Researchers and i3 Funding Awardees at Annual Ceremony

The annual Mount Sinai Health System Innovation Awards Ceremony took place on October 24, 2022. This year’s hybrid event (in-person and virtual) featured various awardees, including the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as recognition for the i3 Prism 2022 and i3 Genesis 2021-2022 awardees, presented by MSIP. The Inventor of the Year, Transaction of the Year, and Mount Sinai Pitch Challenge winners were also recognized by MSIP.

Meet the Winners:
Inventor of the Year: Steven J. Burakoff, MD

The Inventor of the Year award was created to recognize an individual or collaborative investigators within Mount Sinai whose research is making, or has the potential to make, significant positive and product-driven impacts on health. Dr. Burakoff is the Dean for Cancer Innovation, the Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Cancer Medicine, and Chief of Pediatric Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His years of research on the biology of small molecule therapeutics, known as HPK1, as a potential treatment for cancer led to partnerships with Pfizer and Cullinan Oncology.

Transaction of the Year: Linus Biotechnology

The Transaction of the Year award recognizes a notable technology from Mount Sinai that represents a major breakthrough in research and a strong commercial partnership for advancement. LinusBio is a startup company focused on the development of diagnostics and prognostics that are based on past environmental exposures of individuals. The company’s initial diagnostic, StrandDx-ASD, received Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. FDA for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Lifetime Achievement: Robert J. Desnick, MD

The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes an esteemed inventor who has significantly impacted society through healthcare technology commercialization, has a significant history of scientific publications and patents, and is considered a key opinion leader in their respective medical and/or scientific field. Dr. Desnick is the Professor and Chair Emeritus for the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai. His many years of research at Mount Sinai focused on understanding and developing solutions for rare metabolic diseases. His research in collaboration with others led to the development of therapies for Fabry Disease and Niemann-Pick B Disease, and acute hepatic porphyria.

As another measure of Dr. Desnick contributions to research and society, he published 590 peer-reviewed articles, 250 book chapters, and 10 books, as well as 26 US-issued patents, some of which are licensed. He fostered a culture of innovation and serves as a mentor for faculty and fellows in Genetics and Genomic Sciences and more broadly across the Institution.

Mount Sinai Pitch Challenge Winner: Tyree Williams, M.Eng

This year’s Pitch Challenge winner, Tyree Williams, was also recognized for the development of a cement leakage prevention system for spinal surgeries.

i3 Funding:

Awardees of i3 Genesis 2021-2022 and the inaugural i3 Prism 2022 were also recognized at the ceremony, for various technologies in development that aim to help the patient population.

i3 Prism Awardees:
Maddison Archer
Emelie Lassén
Benjamin Rodriguez

i3 Genesis Awardees:
Alfred-Marc Iloreta, MD
Turner Baker, PhD
Alexis Bruhat, MS, MBE
Benjamin Rapoport, MD
Jonathan DePierro, PhD
Laurel Morris, PhD
James Murrough, MD PhD
Dennis Charney, MD
Adriana Feder, MD
Mark Rea, PhD
Bridget Bradley
Evren Azeloglu, PhD
Eric Lima, PhD
Alan Benvenisty, MD
Kirk Campbell, MD
Jacob Wright
Gautam Kamthan, MD
Sean Ianchulev, MD
Daniela Sia, PhD
Anna Tocheva, PhD
Elliot Merritt, PhD
Emily Bramel, PhD student
Isabella Morgan
Joshua Bederson, MD
Mitch Baldwin
Benjamin Rapoport, MD
Weijia Zhang, PhD
Stephen Ward, MD
Fasika Tedla, MD
Zhengzi Yi, MSc
Caixia Xi, MSc
Yulia Landa, Psy.D, MS
Rachel Jespersen, MSW
Kara Bagot, MD
Angela Diaz, MD
Anne Nucci, MD
Margaret Brandwein, MD
Mark Urken, MD

Tune in to the ceremony here.