Mohamed Seleem elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

Mohamed Seleem Ph.D. '06, whose patented drugs and diagnostic technologies aim to combat antimicrobial-resistant infections that kill more than 1.27 million people worldwide each year according to a 2022 Lancet study, has been named a 2025 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Seleem, the Tyler and Frances Young Endowed Chair in Bacteriology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and Jih-Sheng “Jason” Lai, the James S. Tucker Professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are among the class of 2025 fellows. They join an elite group of fellows that includes university President Tim Sands and X.J. Meng, University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology and professor of internal medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Election to fellow status is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors.

"It's a recognition of having real world technologies that benefit society," Seleem said. "Instead of just having innovation sitting there, it has to have an impact. That's what this award emphasizes — that your innovation has to benefit society."

“Dr. Seleem’s dedication to improving the health and well-being of people across the world is evident in his life-changing work,” said Sands. “He exemplifies our mission as a public research university to bring value to the communities we serve.”

From bench to bedside

Seleem holds 21 U.S. patents focused on combating drug-resistant pathogens, bacteria and fungi that have evolved to survive existing antibiotics. His pioneering approach repurposes Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for new uses against these superbugs, dramatically reducing the time and cost of drug development.

Two of his patented technologies have been licensed to companies and are advancing toward real world use. One of his drug candidates has successfully advanced into clinical trials for treating chronic skin and eye infections in dogs caused by extensively drug-resistant bacteria, with strong potential for future human use. Another patent enables rapid diagnosis of bloodstream infections, crucial for initiating timely treatment. For every hour of delay in starting correct antimicrobial therapy, the risk of death for a patient with septic shock increases by approximately 7 percent, according to research published in Critical Care Medicine.

Seleem's laboratory has developed one of the only validated animal models in the world for testing treatments against drug-resistant gonorrhea. According to the World Health Organization, this pathogen infects 82 million people annually and has evolved resistance to every existing antibiotic. In May, his lab partnered with TAXIS Pharmaceuticals on a $2.9 million National Institutes of Health-funded effort to develop new treatments for the disease.

"Dr. Seleem stands out as a leading authority in multi-drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections — a critical and growing global health threat," said Ajit K. Parhi, chief scientific officer at TAXIS Pharmaceuticals. "Dr. Seleem's lab has established one of the few validated in vivo efficacy models for this pathogen globally. This model is exceptionally difficult to reproduce."

"When it comes to drug discovery, if you don't have a patent, your drug or your invention may not see the light," Seleem said. "A drug may cost $2 billion to hit the market. In academia, we can do a few million — then we're counting on a pharmaceutical company to take it further. Without a patent, they're not going to do that."

Full circle at Virginia Tech

Seleem earned his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2006, receiving the Outstanding Dissertation Award in Sciences and Engineering. He returned in 2020 as an endowed chair and now directs the Center for One Health Research, a hub that unites faculty from veterinary medicine, public health, and biomedical science.

"I came from a lab that basically invented or discovered the current vaccine being used in this country and many others — the RB51," Seleem said. "So my training has a history of securing inventions, making sure it reaches the market, and benefits the world. That's what I learned early in my career and when I was doing my Ph.D."

"Dr. Seleem's path from graduate student to internationally recognized innovator addressing challenges presented by multi-drug-resistant pathogens is inspiring," said M. Daniel Givens, dean of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. "This recognition provides clear evidence of the past, present, and future impact of One Health research — an impact fueled by Dr. Seleem's strategic focus and unwavering energy."

Building the next generation

Seleem has trained more than 100 scientists — graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars — across human and animal health disciplines. He co-founded a biotech startup, Kindi Therapeutics and Drug Discovery LLC, and has secured over $45 million in research funding from agencies including the National Institutes of Health.

“He is one of those rare faculty we call the 'triple threat' — teaching, clinical background, and exceptional research," said Margie Lee, associate dean for research and graduate studies. "His entrepreneurial efforts are exactly what we need in our research enterprise. Dr. Seleem's NAI fellowship exemplifies the caliber of innovation occurring at the veterinary college."

"I always say that my strength is in my team," Seleem said. "Without my team, I won't be able to do anything. They are great, wonderful people who have been with me for a long time."

Part of the fellowship's value, he said, is the validation it provides for the long, uncertain process of translating laboratory discoveries into treatments.

"Patents take a very long time. Sometimes you file a patent, and nothing happens for years," Seleem said. "Being recognized early in that process makes you keep going — that you're on the right track, even if you don't get immediate reward."

Faculty navigating that process can work with the university's Innovation and Partnerships office, which guides inventors from disclosure through licensing and commercialization.

The National Academy of Inventors Fellows Program recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation, creating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Collectively, these fellows hold more than 81,000 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 20,000 licensed technologies and created more than 1.2 million jobs.

Seleem will be formally inducted as a fellow during the academy's 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles on  June 1-4, 2026.