2024 Eshelman Innovation
Impact Report
"The mission is to create game-changing approaches to translating bold ideas into impact for patients.” —Dr. Fred Eshelman
A decade of innovation
In 2024, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the transformational, $100 million gift from Dr. Fred Eshelman that launched Eshelman Innovation within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. We began our second decade with a new look and a refined innovation process, which we point at the world’s toughest healthcare challenges.
- Since 2015, Eshelman Innovation has funded 189 projects across UNC-Chapel Hill.
- Approximately $35 million in Eshelman Innovation funds have generated $251 million in follow-on funding, creating a 1:7 return ratio on Dr. Fred Eshelman’s donation.
- Between Eshelman Innovation funding projects and the follow-on funding, $167 million has gone to Carolina.
The Eshelman Way
Fueling the Eshelman Innovation engine are key inputs from around North Carolina, second among U.S. states in research dollars invested. This rich reservoir of expertise starts with the number one pharmacy school in the country and extends across the state. It includes NC A&T, the country’s largest HBCU; Research Triangle organizations, such as RTI International; and healthcare partners, like the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) and the Humana Foundation. Eshelman Innovation also draws from deep wells of expertise from the world of business, commercialization and finance.
In the outputs column is a growing portfolio of startup companies and drugs under development. The Eshelman Innovation Therapeutics Accelerator has driven novel solutions to unmet needs in oncology, neuroscience and infectious diseases. The Eshelman Innovation Venture Studio creates game-changing digital health startups to combat harms caused by opioid use disorder, food insecurity and more.
2024 Milestones
A core implementation partner in the G7’s 100 Days Mission — the world’s leading pandemic preparedness effort — READDI helped guide the creation of the 100 Days Mission Therapeutics Roadmap and is co-leading a worldwide Therapeutics Development Coalition.
The Light Activated Therapeutics project demonstrated the ability to use light to precisely target drugs and destroy blood clots, an advance that has implications for treating heart attacks, strokes and other deadly conditions.
An overdose case-management tool for community paramedics and others, Goldie Health had a banner year, moving from concept to startup. Goldie hired a CEO, launched its first pilot programs and received seed funding to support new hires and rapid expansion.
The Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), comprised of four universities focused on accelerating scientific advancements for the FDA, received five newly funded projects, totaling $11.4 million in research grants to date.
Eshelman Innovation hosted a Radiopharmaceuticals Summit at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. University researchers, industry leaders and biotechnology investors convened to discuss the state of science and manufacturing for this promising new therapy class, which combines precision radiation and imaging.
The new Screening Live Cancer Explants Program launched a clinical feasibility study and a UNC Research Core Facility. This Core expands impact, allowing a wider range of researchers to test therapeutics on live, uncultured patient tumor tissue.
The 2024 Rankin Awards went to two individuals from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy: Kieran O’Reilly, a second-year PharmD candidate studying machine learning; and Xiangbo Yang, a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery.
Eshelman Innovation launched “North Carolina Innovators You Should Know,” a monthly video series hosted by Eshelman Innovation Executive Director John Bamforth. The series spotlights the brilliant minds and trailblazers driving progress and shaping the future of our state and beyond.
