University of Colorado Boulder biochemistry professor Xuedong Liu was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors this year, recognizing a career of pioneering discoveries and real-world impact. His research on cellular communication has fueled four startups advancing novel treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. 

Since he was in grade school, Xuedong Liu  (CU Boulder Biochemistry) has been intrigued by ‘how the world works.’ But becoming a biologist mostly involved memorizing, classifying and observing–all important skills—and Liu was curious about how organisms are put together, their inner workings and how they progress in a predetermined manner. So he looked to chemistry and physics for laws and rules and ways to predict activity. Ultimately, by combining the disciplines, he saw the best chance to advance science and discovery in a meaningful way. Liu thought, “There’s so much unknown and there’s so much promise–and there’s great opportunity there.”

Fast forward to Atlanta, Georgia in June 2025 when Liu—whose innovations have now led to the creation of four startup companies bringing novel disease therapies to the world—received a medal for being inducted into the elite ranks of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). NAI fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. 

“These academic inventors have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation, and their inventions have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of our society,” said Coke Stewart, acting undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, who presided over the ceremony. 

The NAI chooses “people that have really done something of huge value with their patents,” said Hannah Nelson, associate director of licensing at Venture Partners at CU Boulder and biosciences team lead. “You are not recognized by the NAI unless you are in the very top tier of inventors,” she said. “It’s a prestigious designation that shows that you have contributed again and again in a really substantial way to innovation.”

While Liu knew he had been nominated for the distinction, “it was a very nice surprise,” he said. Liu was deeply honored by the recognition and credited his colleagues and collaborators, who have contributed to a collective effort to solve tough problems in fighting disease. The honor has fanned the flames of Liu’s work. “It’s motivated me even more to do things that change the world,” he said. 

Hitting the target, from lab to marketplace

Liu’s lab at CU Boulder is focused on decoding how cells communicate with each other—a process called cell signaling and fundamental to many aspects of human health. Disruptions in these communication pathways can lead to serious diseases, including cancer. Liu’s research team works on creating pioneering therapies for both cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s disease. To do that, they work at the intersection of sciences with an approach Nelson describes as both visionary and practical. “Within his lab, there is expertise in chemistry and biology, so they are really able to bridge that gap, which is so necessary for making new drugs,” says Nelson. “It’s an important combination of skills.” 

Liu’s career is also defined by a rare knack for drawing together cutting-edge science and real-world applications. “He is definitely one of our most prolific inventors on campus,” said Nelson, who has managed much of the intellectual property emerging from Liu’s lab over the past several years. She has also seen Liu excel in taking research from the bench to the wider world in hopes of making a profound difference in disease treatment.

 

OnKure Therapeutics Inc. (OKUR)

Discovering and developing the next generation of oncology precision medicines.

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Among Liu’s influential ventures is OnKure Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OKUR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company he co-founded with Tony Piscopio in 2011 based on novel oncology therapies originally developed at CU. Since then, OnKure has expanded their pipeline to pursue inhibitors of PI3Kα, a protein complex whose mutation is a key driver in the development and progression of specific breast cancers. Late last year, OnKure merged with Reneo Pharmaceuticals, and the company now has three PI3Kα inhibitor programs, including one currently in clinical development.

Opening the gate

Liu hasn’t stopped there, instead turning his attention to developing a new precision delivery system. The platform is based on using gectosomes, small membranes that can transport molecules within and between cells to deliver therapeutic agents to specific locations in the body. Liu said this type of system—which he calls “opening the gate”—has many advantages, including targeting specific cells which can make a drug more effective and minimize overall side effects. 

“We can move those machineries precisely into the cell type we want and target them without bothering other non-relevant cells. It’s a great unmet medical need,” said Liu. “We believe we have a great opportunity to really target the Achilles heels of cancer cells and the delivery system could be actually a very broad application, not only cancer but many chronic diseases, genetic diseases.”

 

Vesicle Therapeutics Inc.

Pioneering programmable extracellular vesicles to deliver therapeutic proteins and nucleic acids to intracellular targets.

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Building upon that research from his lab, Liu recently founded Vesicle Therapeutics. “This was always a goal in my mind, and I was always interested in this area,” said Liu. “And CU gave me a lot of opportunities to pursue it.” Working with Nelson and others at Venture Partners, Liu was able to test market feasibility of this new delivery system with programs including Lab Venture Challenge, PHAST (Pandemic Hyper Accelerator for Science and Technology, a program launched in 2021 to help fight the COVID pandemic) and the Research-to-Market Discovery Program.   

Liu is grateful to now have a robust support system for spinouts at the university. When he started at CU in 2000, there was no Venture Partners with the broad suite of entrepreneurial programs currently offered. “Nowadays, it’s evolved so much that it really powers the ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the Boulder and Denver areas,” said Liu. 

“I personally benefited tremendously from that support, where you can grow your idea with this proof of concept and test your idea and see if it has potential to grow into something bigger and be commercialized,” he said. “Venture Partners are really phenomenal for the university, I think they’re truly a catalyst for innovations and invention here.”

Liu sees himself as a lifelong learner, in the lab and the business world, with a lot still to contribute. He knows there will be ups and downs and unforeseen problems that will impede his progress to some extent. But even if success is not immediate, he believes, “There’s a lot of hope for the future.”