Professor Josep Bassaganya-Riera wins 2017 Innovator of the Year Award

Frontiers Specialty Chief Editor and serial entrepreneur named 2017 Innovator of the Year by Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology Council (USA).

Frontiers Specialty Chief Editor and serial entrepreneur named 2017 Innovator of the Year by Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology Council (USA).

Frontiers Specialty Chief Editor and serial entrepreneur named 2017 Innovator of the Year by Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology Council (USA). 

— Hedwig Ens

Sources: NIMML and biotherapeutics

During its 18th annual TechNite awards banquet, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council celebrated the region’s technology community by honoring a talented group of companies and individuals. Nominations were accepted for five awards: STEM-H Educator, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Regional Leadership, and Rising Star. Director Josep Bassaganya-Riera of the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Virginia Tech, and co-Specialty Chief Editor of the Specialty Section Nutritional Immunology, was named Innovator of the Year.

As founder of three biotech companies among which BioTherapeutics, Prof. Bassaganya-Riera has demonstrated to accelerate the development of innovative technologies into marketable products for personalized nutrition and health promotion. With advanced informatics and computational modelling he works at the forefront of precision medicine technology conquering inflammation, diabetes, and bowel disease.

Frontiers Specialty Chief Editor and serial entrepreneur named 2017 Innovator of the Year by Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology Council (USA).

Frontiers Specialty Chief Editor Prof. Bassaganya-Riera.

“It is a distinct honor and a privilege to accept the 2017 Innovation Award from the RBTC,” Prof. Bassaganya-Riera explains. “Transformative innovation is only possible with the unwavering resolve, hard work, loyalty and dedication of a fantastic group of individuals. I am proud that our team shares a vision for the future of precision medicine and health.”

During Virginia Tech’s most recent TEDx event, Prof. Bassaganya-Riera elaborates on his vision for precision medicine. He explains how the modelling and simulation of immunological systems helps in capturing the variation at an individual level. Having access to this human variation offers clinicians and patients a more rapid pipeline between clinical trials and personalized treatments.