Inaugural Eyecelerator Innovation Award Presented to Regeneron Executives
Leonard Schleifer, MD, PhD, and George Yancopoulos, MD, PhD, of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals were awarded the first Eyecelerator Innovation Award.
"This year's Eyecelerator Innovation Award honors the remarkable physician-led, science-driven innovation that has significantly advanced the field of medicine. The award celebrates Drs. Schleifer and Yancopoulos for their visionary leadership, perseverance in the face of challenges, and commitment to teamwork," Allen C. Ho, MD, Eyecelerator Retina Program Director, said in an Eyecelerator announcement. "Their groundbreaking contributions to ophthalmology and medicine have not only pushed the boundaries of what is possible but have also earned the deep respect and admiration of their peers and innovators worldwide. Their work has made a profound and lasting impact on patient lives globally."
Regeneron’s ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to 12 FDA-approved or authorized treatments and numerous product candidates in development, nearly all of which were homegrown in its laboratories, Eyecelerator noted.
Dr. Schleifer is the Co-Founder, Board Co-Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Regeneron. He founded Regeneron in 1988. Together with Dr. Yancopoulos, he has built the company from a tiny startup into one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. Dr. Schleifer has been recognized as a 2020 Businessperson of the Year by Fortune, one of Barron’s Best CEOs, a Yale School of Management Legend in Leadership, and as E&Y’s Life Sciences Entrepreneur of the Year.
Dr. Yancopoulos is the Co-Founder, Board Co-Chair, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. He has built and managed Regeneron alongside Dr. Schleifer since 1989. Dr. Yancopoulos, along with key members of his team, is the principal inventor of Regeneron’s 12 FDA-approved or authorized medicines and important foundational technologies, including the TRAP technology, VelociGene, and VelocImmune. He has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has been pivotal in creating the science-driven, collaborative, and highly productive R&D culture at Regeneron. Dr. Yancopoulos was the 11th most highly cited scientist in the world in the 1990s, and in 2004 he was elected to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences.