For their work on strengthening food crops against pests and diseases, and on hybrid materials for applications including cancer therapeutics, respectively, Cornell professors Herb Aldwinckle and Ulrich Wiesner have been elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors.
Aldwinckle, a professor emeritus of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and professor in the Department of Design Tech, are among the 2024 class of fellows announced Dec. 10 by the academy.
The 2024 class “represents a truly impressive caliber of inventors,” said Paul Sanberg, president of the National Academy of Inventors. “Each of these individuals are tackling real-world issues and creating solutions that propel us into the future. Through their work, they are making significant contributions to science, creating lasting societal impact, and growing the economy.”
Aldwinckle’s research has focused on disease management in plants, and in recent years, strengthening plant varieties using classical hybridization techniques. Teaming up with other geneticists, Aldwinckle worked on crossbreeding apple rootstocks to improve hardiness against diseases such as the devastating fire blight.
In addition to working on disease resistance in apple varieties, Aldwinckle is also known for his work on encoding transgenes in plants that end up expressing polypeptides, which subsequently deter certain insects from feeding on the plant. The sap-sucking insect pests, or psyllids, can serve as vectors for microbial species and toxins, causing pathogenesis in crops. Aldwinckle’s transgenic plants and plant components invention allows an added layer of protection against psyllids in plants such as sweet oranges, tomatoes and potatoes.
“I would like to acknowledge the close and generous collaboration I have had throughout my career at Cornell with my colleagues, Jim Cummins, emeritus professor of pomology (CALS), Gennaro Fazio, adjunct associate professor of horticulture (CALS), and Terence Robinson, professor of horticulture (CALS),” said Aldwinckle. “I’d also like to recognize the invaluable role that the Center for Technology Licensing at Cornell has played in the successful commercial implementation of our technologies for the benefit of apple growers and consumers in the United States and elsewhere.”
Wiesner works at the intersection of polymer science and inorganic solid-state chemistry, creating multifunctional nanomaterials for applications in energy, separations and nanomedicine, among others. One of his most notable inventions is fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles, known as C’Dots, that are paving the way for advancements in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. Wiesner’s groundbreaking work in this area led to his role as co-director of the NIH funded MSKCC-Cornell Center for Translation of Cancer Nanomedicine and co-founder of several startups pushing C’Dots into human clinical trials.
Additionally, Wiesner’s research has catalyzed advancements in filtration technology. He co-founded TeraPore Technologies, which develops novel nanofiltration products engineered using tunable self-assembled block copolymers. The technology is revolutionizing virus filtration in the pharmaceutical industry with the first product launch in the fall of last year, reducing contamination risks in biological drugs.
“I very much appreciate the honor to be elected Fellow of the NAI. Since coming here I got more and more interested in having real-world impact beyond academic paper writing and Cornell provided ample opportunity with its growing support infrastructure to make that happen,” said Wiesner, who holds more than 150 national and international patents and patent applications.
Aldwinckle and Wiesner will be honored and presented with medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors on June 26 in Atlanta, Georgia.
