Flashpoint Therapeutics Scientific Founder, Chad Mirkin, Receives 2024 Kavli Prize for Groundbreaking Work on Spherical Nucleic Acids

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Sep 19, 2024, 12:54 ET

Award Marks Milestone in Flashpoint's Journey to Translate Cutting Edge Science into Breakthrough Therapies

CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Flashpoint Therapeutics proudly announces that its scientific founder, Professor Chad A. Mirkin, has been awarded the 2024 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience for his pioneering work on spherical nucleic acids (SNAs). This technology underpins Flashpoint's proprietary Structural Nanomedicine platform, which engineers multi-component nanostructures to deliver precise therapeutic cocktails to specific cells, achieving unprecedented improvements in treatment efficacy, safety, and targeting precision.

The Kavli Prize, awarded biennially by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation, and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, is one of science's most prestigious honors. Mirkin shares this year's award with Dr. Robert Langer and Dr. Paul Alivisatos for their collective contributions to nanomedicine.

"Structural Nanomedicine opens a new frontier in medicine," said Chad Mirkin. "SNAs have the power to rewrite the rules of drug discovery, and Flashpoint is translating this potential into life-saving therapies, redefining possibilities for cancer and other complex diseases."

Mirkin's numerous accolades, including the King Faisal Prize, National Medal of Science, Dan David Prize, and Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, underscore the impact of his work. The Kavli Prize further elevates Mirkin's stature in the scientific community. Nineteen past recipients of such awards have later won the Nobel Prize.

Adam Margolin, CEO of Flashpoint Therapeutics, added, "The Kavli Prize validates the groundbreaking science behind our mission. We're committed to advancing this transformative technology into the clinic, where it promises to revolutionize patient care."

Flashpoint's platform has demonstrated strong preclinical and early clinical results, including enhanced safety, potency, stability, and targeted delivery, leading to complete cancer cures in animal models. The company plans to build a robust pipeline of SNA-enabled nanotherapeutics through a combination of in-house development and strategic partnerships. This pipeline will span a range of applications including nucleic acid, protein, and CRISPR therapeutics across multiple potential disease states.

About Flashpoint Therapeutics
Flashpoint Therapeutics is at the forefront of drug discovery with its innovative structural nanomedicine platform. By precisely delivering RNA, DNA, and peptide cargoes to specific cellular targets, our technology facilitates the creation of highly potent, multi-targeted therapies with optimized structure-function relationships and synchronized activation kinetics. Through groundbreaking research led by Dr. Chad Mirkin, Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University, Flashpoint has developed a structural nanomedicine platform based on exclusive rights to spherical nucleic acid technology.

About the Kavli Prize
The Kavli Prize is awarded every two years by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation, and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. It recognizes outstanding scientific achievements in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. The prize is considered one of the highest honors in science, often serving as a precursor to the Nobel Prize, with many laureates subsequently receiving Nobel recognition. This year, the Kavli Prize in Nanomedicine was awarded to Professor Chad A. Mirkin, Dr. Robert Langer, and Dr. Paul Alivisatos for their transformative contributions to the field.

SOURCE Flashpoint Therapeutics