Award & Investment Overview
Northwestern University has awarded more than $2.1 million to eight biomedical research projects through the fifth round of the Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund.
Selected from 27 proposals, the projects span therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics, digital health, and health data sciences. The funding will support translational milestones including prototype and app development, feasibility testing, biomarker validation, preparation for regulatory studies, and generation of evidence needed to attract follow-on funding and commercial partners.
The latest awards bring the fund’s cumulative support to more than $10.9 million across 41 project awards. The program is backed by a $35 million commitment from the Ryan Family and is specifically designed to address the funding gap between academic discovery and real-world application.
For commercialization leaders, this is a strong example of GAP funding operating as a portfolio. Rather than simply funding additional research, the program supports defined translational activities that can move individual technologies toward validation, regulatory development, external investment, partnership, and clinical adoption.
Approach & Ecosystem Context
The Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund supports high-risk biomedical research with strong translational potential at the point where additional evidence or development is required before outside capital, industry partnerships, or clinical pathways become viable.
This fifth-round portfolio also illustrates how GAP programs can provide continuing support rather than treating proof of concept as a single funding event. Some of the eight projects build on earlier Ryan Fund awards and are now advancing toward subsequent translational milestones.
The projects draw investigators from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, McCormick School of Engineering, and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. This cross-disciplinary structure connects clinical expertise with engineering, materials science, data science, and foundational biomedical research.
Informed by the Mind the GAP initiative and GAP COA consortium activity, the Ryan Fund demonstrates an important characteristic of mature GAP programs: capital is tied to specific commercialization-relevant milestones. Prototype development, biomarker validation, feasibility studies, regulatory preparation, and evidence generation can each reduce a different source of risk before a technology reaches licensing, startup formation, industry partnership, or clinical development.
The next application deadline is September 8, 2026.
Innovation & Technology
The eight funded projects represent different pathways through biomedical translation.
Irina V. Balyasnikova is building on previous Ryan Fund support for a biologic tri-specific T-cell engager targeting three proteins on glioblastoma cells. The multi-target approach is intended to address tumor heterogeneity and reduce the ability of cancer cells to escape single-target therapies.
Stewart Shankman and Andrea Graham are evaluating an AI-based coach for DRIVEN, a smartphone intervention combining psychotherapy techniques with job-seeking strategies for people experiencing unemployment-related depression.
Richard Gershon and Stella Wang are developing MotiQ, an AI-enhanced tablet platform that analyzes movement as users complete increasingly demanding cognitive tasks. The platform is intended to help differentiate Lewy body dementia from Alzheimer’s disease.
Jessica Walter, John Rogers, and Amber Watters are developing a reusable wearable abdominal patch combining fetal electrocardiography with controlled vibration to provide a standardized assessment of fetal reserve.
Alexis Demonbreun and Elizabeth McNally are developing and validating biomarkers for an anti-LTBP4 antibody therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The biomarkers are intended to demonstrate whether the therapy engages its biological target and produces the expected effect.
Judith Moskowitz, Elizabeth Addington, and DerShung Yang are translating FERNS, an NIH-validated positive emotion-regulation program, into native iOS and Android applications.
Theresa L. Bender Pape and Sherri Livengood are advancing Neural-Target Select, a precision neuromodulation platform designed to identify individualized brain targets and standardize dosing for transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Shannon Lauberth is developing a first-in-class small molecule that selectively inhibits the RNA-binding function of topoisomerase I, creating a potential therapeutic approach for resistant colorectal cancer without relying on the DNA-damaging mechanism of conventional TOP1 therapies.
Potential Market Uses and Applications
Tri-Specific T-Cell Engager
Potential Clinical Applications
- Glioblastoma treatment
- Multi-target cancer immunotherapy
- Treatment-resistant brain cancers
- Combination oncology strategies
DRIVEN AI Coach
Potential Digital Health Applications
- Mental health support
- Unemployment-related depression
- Digital psychotherapy
- Behavioral health coaching
MotiQ
Potential Clinical and Diagnostic Applications
- Lewy body dementia diagnosis
- Alzheimer’s disease differential diagnosis
- Neurodegenerative disease assessment
- Clinical trial enrollment
Fetal Reserve Wearable
Potential Maternal-Fetal Health Applications
- Prenatal fetal monitoring
- Fetal reserve assessment
- Pregnancy risk evaluation
- Clinical decision support
Anti-LTBP4 Biomarkers
Potential Therapeutic Development Applications
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Treatment-response monitoring
- Biomarker-guided drug development
- Clinical trial preparation
FERNS
Potential Digital Health Applications
- Mental health applications
- Stress management
- Positive emotion regulation
- Evidence-based behavioral interventions
Neural-Target Select
Potential Neurotechnology Applications
- Precision TMS
- Neurorehabilitation
- Neuropsychiatric treatment
- Personalized neuromodulation
- TMS dosing standardization
TOP1 RNA-Binding Inhibitor
Potential Therapeutic Applications
- Resistant colorectal cancer
- Precision oncology
- Small-molecule therapeutics
- RNA-dependent cancer pathways
Related Topics
Northwestern University, Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund, proof of concept, translational research, biomedical commercialization, GAP funding, medical devices, digital health, therapeutics, diagnostics, university commercialization, research acceleration
About innovosource
innovosource tracks GAP programs, including proof-of-concept programs, startup accelerators, translational research initiatives, university venture funds, and commercialization ecosystems that help move university innovations from research to market.
Our coverage is informed by the Mind the GAP initiative and the GAP COA consortium activity, providing practical insights into the evolving commercialization landscape.
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