COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) elected two professors from The Ohio State University College of Medicine to its 2023 class of Fellows.

What You Need To Know

  • The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) elected two professors from The Ohio State University College of Medicine to its 2023 class of Fellows

  • Krystof Bankiewicz and Michael Tweedle were named the 17th and 18th Ohio State inventors selected for the honor 

  • According to the press release from the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, the 2023 class of Fellows represents 35 U.S. states and 10 countries, exemplifying the Academy’s belief that great innovators can be found everywhere

Krystof Bankiewicz, professor in the department of neurological surgery and Michael Tweedle, professor emeritus in the department of radiology, are among the 162 academic inventors named NAI Fellows this year, according to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Election as an Academy Fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Bankiewicz and Tweedle the 17th and 18th Ohio State inventors selected for the honor.

“Members of this year’s class of NAI Fellows are making significant contributions to both science and society through their work,” Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NAI, said. “This new class, in conjunction with our existing Fellows, are creating innovations that drive crucial advancements across a variety of disciplines and stimulate the global and national economy in immeasurable ways as they move these technologies from lab to marketplace.”

Bankiewicz joined the OSUWMC in 2019 and holds the Gibert and Kathryn Mitchell Endowed Chair, according to the press release. He became the chief scientific officer of Ohio State's Gene Therapy Institute when it launched in 2022 and his research focuses on developing translational approaches to drug, gene and cell replacement therapies.

“I’m proud of the advances we’ve made to treat Parkinson’s disease and a rare genetic disorder called AADC deficiency, which causes severe physical and developmental disabilities in children, but more work still needs to be done. We want to cure every child in the world with this disease,” Bankiewicz said in the press release. 

Throughout his career, Bankiewicz has authored more than 230 peer-reviewed articles appearing in journals such as Science, Nature Medicine and Nature Communications.

“I am so honored to join the National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow and look forward to inventing new and improved gene therapies for a wide variety of brain disorders including Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s disease and alcohol use disorders,” Bankiewicz said in the press release.

Tweedle joined the Ohio State's medical facult in 2009 and is one of the world's most prominent and innovative researchers in diagnostic imaging and contrast media, according to the press release.

"I have always believed that if cancer can be imaged early enough, it can be cured,” Tweedle said in the press release. “That premise has underpinned all of my work to create new imaging agents."

According to the press release, Tweedle holds or co-hold 39 U.S. patents and was the co-inventor of first-in-class targeted imaging and therapeutic peptides for prostate, breast and head and neck cancers.

"I love research, but inventing, creating and driving new ideas to real-world practice is my passion,” Tweedle said in the press release. “So I am deeply moved by the election to Fellow in the NAI."

According to the press release, the 2023 class of Fellows represents 35 U.S. states and 10 countries, exemplifying the Academy’s belief that great innovators can be found everywhere.