We are proud to announce the recipients of the George Washington University (GW) Inventor of the Year Awards for 2025. This award recognizes their groundbreaking research and entrepreneurial spirit that has led to impactful technological advancements.
- Dr. Neal Sikka: GW Inventor of the Year
Recently elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Dr. Neal Sikka is the Professor of Emergency Medicine and Chief of the Innovative Practice and Telehealth Section at GW Medical Faculty Associates. Since joining GWU as a faculty member in 2003, Dr. Sikka's contributions to healthcare innovation, particularly in medical device development, have significantly improved patient care.
With 7 issued US utility patents and 3 issued US design patents, all his inventions are commercialized by 2 companies. Dr. Sikka co-invented SonoStik, a device designed to help healthcare professionals insert IV lines in patients with difficult-to-locate veins, and he founded a company to produce the new tool. SonoStik recently received its second FDA clearance and is set for commercialization in summer 2025. Additionally, Dr. Sikka is a co-inventor of a device to enable hands-free treatment of nosebleeds by patients or emergency personnel. This device is on sale by NasaClip and is covered by 2 issued U.S. patents while being marketed in hospitals, urgent care centers, and with sports trainers.
Dr. Sikka has founded multiple digital health startups aimed at improving healthcare delivery, including Connect the Doc, 22otters, and Grapevine Health. As a researcher and an innovator, Dr. Sikka's work bridges the gap between academics and real-world applications.
- Dr. Cindy Liu: Early Career GW Inventor of the Year
Dr. Cindy Liu is the Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Chief Medical Officer of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center. Since joining GW in 2015 as an assistant research professor, Dr. Liu has significantly contributed to technology transfer and commercialization, submitting 6 inventions to TCO, filing 2 provisional patent applications and 1 non-provisional application. Her inventions prior to coming to GW resulted in 4 non-provisional applications and 4 issued US patents.
Dr. Liu is the co-founder and scientific advisor of Trench Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing live biotherapeutic products using the nasal microbiome to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases. Supported by the General Inception startup studio, Trench Therapeutics aims to offer alternatives to unnecessary antibiotic use, addressing critical medical needs. The company has collaborated with Liu through a sponsored research agreement and has submitted an STTR grant to fund further research, seeking an exclusive license from GW in 2025. Additionally, she co-founded Your Private Biome, an open-source citizen-science research project.
As a clinician-scientist, she has led multidisciplinary teams to use innovative approaches that help medicine to shift infectious disease and public health practices based on our understanding of the human microbiome and more importantly, to move beyond empiric antibiotic use in order to combat antibiotic resistance. Her efforts not only contribute to groundbreaking discoveries but also help bridge the gap between scientific advancements and real-world applications, improving public health on a global scale.
Dr. Neal Sikka and Dr. Cindy Liu will be honored at the annual Faculty Honors Ceremony for their achievements. We congratulate both for this amazing accomplishment and look forward to seeing more innovations and inventions from them.