UGA Pharmacy Faculty Members Presented Inventor Awards

The University of Georgia’s Delta Innovation Hub, under the Office of Research, recently honored distinguished UGA researchers with the prestigious UGA Innovation Gateway Medal and Inventor Slate, and three faculty members from the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences were among the recipients.

Drs. Eileen Kennedy,Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Pharmacy and Associate Department Head for Education; Wided Najahi-Missaoui, Clinical Assistant Professor; and Uma S. Singh, Assistant Research Scientist and Lecturer, were acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to innovative research and groundbreaking advancements.

The accolade highlighted the researchers’ remarkable achievements, including the attainment of significant milestones and the securing of U.S. patents within their respective fields of expertise. The specific patents that led to their recognitions are:

Dr. Kennedy gained U.S. Patent 10,822,380, titled “Disruption of the wave3 protein complex for suppression of invasion and metastasis.”

Dr. Najahi-Missaoui earned U.S. Patent Number 11,517,539, titled “IPA-3-loaded liposomes and methods of use thereof.”
Drs. Singh, in partnership with Dr. David Chu, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, secured three U.S. and one internationally-covered patent:

US Patent 11,945,833 and international patent Number WO 2023/076611 A1 titled “Prodrugs of L-BHDU and methods of treating viral infections.”
Two United States Utility Patents: U.S. patent 10,995,093 and U.S. Patent 10,533,008, titled “Synthesis of 2′-fluoro-6′-methylene carbocyclic adenosine (FMCA) and 2′-fluoro-6′-methylene carbocyclic guanosine (FMCG).”

“We are immensely proud of the remarkable achievements of these faculty members in our Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Science Department,” said Dr. Michael Bartlett, University Professor and Associate Dean for Science Education, Research, and Technology. “Their commitment to their field of study is making an impact on the health and wellness of society.”

Currently, UGA is ranked No. 1 among U.S. universities for the number of new research-based products to market, according to the annual survey by AUTM. It has ranked in the top two in this measure for nine consecutive years and has never placed outside the top five. The university’s research enterprise continues to grow at an impressive pace, fueling the innovation pipeline. During the past decade, UGA’s research and development expenditures have surged almost 68%, reaching $628.1 million in fiscal year 2024.