UTSA’s Stanton F. McHardy named fellow of National Academy of Inventors

DECEMBER 10, 2024 — The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) today announced the 2024 fellows, including UTSA’s Stanton F. McHardy, who serves as associate professor of medicinal chemistry and director of the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (CIDD). McHardy was recognized for his prominent advancements in the fields of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

“Dr. McHardy is an acknowledged expert in the area of drug design and medicinal chemistry," said John Frederick, interim dean of the UTSA College of Sciences. "His past experience in the pharmaceutical industry gives him a rich body of experience and knowledge in both the innovative and practical applications aspects of pharmaceutical development. We are delighted that his work is being recognized by the NAI for its excellence."

McHardy directs labs and research programs at UTSA focused on various drug discovery approaches to neurological diseases, infectious diseases, non-opioid pain and cancer. One of his current research programs focuses is the discovery of novel proteolysis targeting chimera’s (PROTACs), a molecule that can utilize our normal cellular machinery to remove unwanted, drug-resistant proteins. This makes it a promising approach for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

“I feel extremely honored to be included as an NAI Fellow and have the opportunity to join such a distinguished group of world-class innovators.”

Prior to joining UTSA, McHardy was the associate director of neuroscience at Pfizer, where he led teams in the discovery of clinical drug candidates for addiction, schizophrenia, ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease.

McHardy holds a total of 42 patents (20 U.S. issued, 22 foreign) in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Among these is a UTSA-based patent that serves as the basis for an active clinical development pipeline at Ridgeline Therapeutics for obesity and diabetes indications. His collaborative research efforts extend beyond UTSA, engaging with the Texas biotechnology community and beyond to advance multidisciplinary scientific advancements. The CIDD is a collaborative initiative between UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.

“I feel extremely honored to be included as an NAI fellow and have the opportunity to join such a distinguished group of world-class innovators,” said McHardy, who is looking forward to the next steps in his research.

Added McHardy, “We plan to expand into two key areas: protein degradation and brain health. First, we have several developing programs in the area of protein degradation using PROTAC (Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras) molecules. We have built a synthesis platform and chemical library under our CPRIT grant RP210208 that allows us to rapidly access novel PROTAC structures. Currently these programs are focused on cancer, however, we plan to expand our PROTAC capabilities to other therapeutic areas, including CNS targets for brain health.”

McHardy’s brain health research will focus on non-addictive pain therapies and neurodegenerative diseases.

In his role as an instructor, McHardy is committed to fostering the next generation of scientists, including postdoctoral researchers in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

“As a professor at UTSA, my ultimate goal is to see my students succeed with independent careers in pharmaceutical, biotech or academic areas,” said McHardy. “I work very hard to ensure my students are fully immersed in their own, independent drug discovery programs for their thesis work, and many of my students are co-inventors on patents and patent applications. This active engagement helps students become extremely knowledgeable about the biology, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of their compounds, preparing them comprehensively for pharmaceutical industry careers.”

Each year, the NAI fellowship program recognizes innovators who are advancing novel areas of research and “making significant tangible societal and economic impacts” in science and consumer technologies.

The NAI’s 2024 fellows hail from 39 U.S. states, 12 countries and 135 research universities, governmental and nonprofit research institutions worldwide, with research and innovation spanning various disciplines. They are accomplished researchers holding honors and distinctions including the Nobel Prize, U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and National Medal of Science and membership in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The inventors collectively hold over 5,000 issued U.S. patents.

“This year's class of NAI fellows represents a truly impressive caliber 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,” said Paul Sanberg, FNAI, President of the NAI. “NAI fellows as a whole are a driving force of innovation, generating crucial advancements across scientific disciplines and creating tangible impacts as they move their technologies from lab to marketplace.”

Since its founding in 2012, the NAI Fellows program has grown to include 2,068 researchers and innovators, who collectively hold over 68,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. Their innovations have generated over $3.2 trillion in revenue and generated 1.2 million jobs.

The fellows will be inducted into the class of 2024 and presented with their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at the NAI 14th Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Atlanta.

— Audrey Gray