Northwestern University recently awarded more than $2 million to eight innovative projects through the Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund, which provides strategic seed funding to move bold ideas from proof of concept toward real-world impact. Having completed its fourth round, the fund supports high-risk, high-reward research with strong translational potential, bridging the gap between discovery and commercialization.
Selection criteria focus on the research's potential for transformative impact, its distinction from current methods, progress demonstrated through key milestones, the outlook for subsequent phases and the practicality of near-term implementation - supported by the strength and expertise of the project team. Awards in the latest round ranged from $200,000 to $300,000 for one year. This round's competition attracted 41 proposals from principal investigators throughout Northwestern, reflecting the breadth of innovation across disciplines.
Accelerating impact
Made possible by a generous gift from the Patrick G. '59, '09 H and Shirley W. Ryan '61, '19 H ('97, '00 P) Family, the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund is a $35 million initiative of Northwestern and the Ryan Family Foundation that plays a pivotal role in advancing Northwestern's research mission. The fund helps turn promising discoveries into real-world applications and bridges the critical gap between academic proof of concept and commercialization, often called the "valley of death."
"The Ryan Family's visionary philanthropy has been transformative for Northwestern in so many ways - from research and academics to the student experience and athletics," said Northwestern Interim President and President Emeritus Henry S. Bienen '09 H ('19, '25, '28 GP). "We are deeply grateful for their longstanding support, which continues to propel the University forward and make an extraordinary impact."
Eric J. Perreault, Northwestern's vice president for research, added, "This support enables our faculty to pursue ambitious, interdisciplinary projects that are often too early-stage for traditional funding. By investing in high-risk, high-reward research, we help our investigators cross critical gaps and accelerate innovations that redefine what's possible in patient care."
Over four rounds of funding, the initiative has awarded $8 million to support 33 groundbreaking projects from a competitive pool of 218 proposals submitted by Northwestern researchers.
"At the heart of every breakthrough - whether in business or science - is a culture that values creativity, collaboration and bold thinking," said Pat Ryan Sr. "The Ryan Family established the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund to foster that spirit at Northwestern, helping researchers transform visionary ideas into real-world impact. By supporting innovation at its earliest stages, we aim to accelerate discoveries that improve lives and strengthen society."
Round 4 funded projects and principal investigators (PIs)
Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Margaret Gray Morton Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine
Targeting Siglec-10 (an inhibitory immune receptor) with blocking antibodies to restore immune activity in pancreatic cancer, disrupting tumor immune evasion
Why it matters: Pancreatic cancer is notoriously resistant to treatment. By disrupting tumor immune evasion, this approach could unlock new immunotherapy options for one of the deadliest cancers.
Dr. Mohamed Abazeed, William N. Brand, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine
Developing iSeg, an AI-powered platform for automated tumor segmentation in radiation therapy, improving speed, accuracy and equity in cancer care
Why it matters: Faster, more accurate tumor mapping can improve cancer care equity and outcomes, reducing delays and errors in life-saving radiation treatments.
Dr. Eyal Kimchi, assistant professor of neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-PIs: Levi Hargrove, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, McCormick School of Engineering; R. James Cotton, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine
Creating a wireless, wearable EEG device with AI algorithms to detect delirium in hospitalized patients, replacing subjective assessments with real-time monitoring
Why it matters: Delirium often goes undetected, leading to complications and longer hospital stays. Real-time monitoring could transform patient safety and recovery.
Chad A. Mirkin, George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry; professor of medicine, materials science & engineering, biomedical engineering, and chemical & biological engineering, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering
Pioneering "inverse vaccination" using immunoregulatory SNAs to retrain the immune system for multiple sclerosis (MS), silencing harmful responses without broad immunosuppression
Why it matters: Current MS treatments broadly suppress immunity, increasing infection risk. This targeted approach could silence harmful responses without compromising overall immune health.
Dr. Daniel T. Robinson, associate professor of pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine
Designing wearable sensors to measure breast milk volume and nutrient quality during feeding, providing real-time data to support breastfeeding
Why it matters: Real-time data empowers parents and clinicians to optimize infant nutrition, supporting healthier growth and reducing feeding-related stress.
Dr. Michael Rosen, James R. Hines, MD, Professor of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine
Leading the RIGHT Trial to test non-surgical pharmacologic therapy for inguinal hernia repair using repurposed FDA-approved drugs
Why it matters: If successful, this approach could spare patients invasive surgery, reduce recovery times and lower healthcare costs using existing FDA-approved drugs.
Laleh Golestani Rad, associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiology, McCormick School of Engineering
Co-PI: Ulas Bagci, associate professor of radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine
Developing an AI-assisted tool to predict heating risk for patients with implants during MRI scans, enabling safer imaging through personalized recommendations
Why it matters: Personalized safety recommendations can prevent dangerous complications during imaging, expanding MRI access for patients with implants.
Peng Zhang, assistant professor of neurological surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-PI: Jason Miska, assistant professor of neurological surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine
Creating RNA therapeutics to reprogram macrophages in glioblastoma, overcoming immunotherapy resistance and enhancing anti-tumor response
Why it matters: Glioblastoma resists most treatments. Reprogramming immune cells could overcome therapy resistance and improve survival in this aggressive brain cancer.
Bringing innovations to market
The impact of the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund is evident in the pioneering work it has supported.
For example, a previous award recipient, Karan Ahuja, Wissner Slivka Chair in Computer Science in the McCormick School of Engineering, is translating his research with support from the fund. By enabling sensor fusion, edge AI and scalable algorithms, his technology creates a smart system that helps devices determine their location and motion. The system can track position and movement accurately without becoming confused over time, using only simple, low-power sensors on devices such as smartphones, fitness trackers, drones and autonomous systems. This breakthrough could unlock huge opportunities in fitness, elder care, robotics, industrial operations and personalized health monitoring, at a fraction of the cost and with privacy built in. The technology is attracting broad industry attention.
"With strong IP, early research validation and support from the Ryan Fund at Northwestern, we're poised to democratize motion capture and become the motion-understanding layer for physical AI," Ahuja said.
Similarly, round one awardees Dr. Brad Allen, chief of cardiovascular and thoracic imaging and assistant professor of radiology, and Michael Markl, Lester B. and Frances T. Knight Professor of Cardiac Imaging and professor of biomedical engineering, both of the Feinberg School of Medicine, are advancing a deep-learning technology to measure aortic blood flow in patients at high risk for thoracic aorta aneurysms, using widely available CT and MRI scans as a lower-cost alternative to specialized 4D flow MRI. Their startup, Third Coast Dynamics, aims to bring this innovation to market and seek FDA clearance, with a goal of improving cardiovascular care for more than 500,000 patients annually.
For more details on all the funded research, visit the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund website. The deadline for the next application round is March 1.
