Two Johns Hopkins research teams have been awarded approximately $200,000 in competitive translational funding from the Louis B. Thalheimer Fund for Translational Research. The fund, established through a $5.4 million gift from businessman and philanthropist Louis B. Thalheimer, provides seed support for proof-of-concept and validation studies of innovative technologies with strong potential to improve human health and society.
Since 2016, the Thalheimer Fund has awarded more than $2 million across 25 projects at Johns Hopkins. Past recipients have developed advances ranging from new biosensors for cardiac arrhythmia drugs to sustainable lithium extraction methods and DNA-barcoded platforms for cell-line selection.
This year’s awardees represent two ambitious projects: a gene therapy-powered biological pacemaker and a new immunotherapy strategy designed to make cancers more visible to the immune system.
Gene Therapy for Biological Pacemakers
Principal Investigator: Hee Cheol Cho, PhD
Cho, associate professor of surgery, pediatrics, biomedical engineering, and anesthesia & critical care medicine, is leading a team developing a device-free alternative to traditional pacemakers. Using lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA to deliver the TBX18 transcription factor, their approach reprograms ordinary heart cells into pacemaker cells.
Unlike electronic pacemakers, which pose risks of infection, malfunction, and repeated surgeries—particularly for pediatric patients—this biological pacemaker could offer a safer, less invasive, and longer-lasting solution. With Thalheimer funding, the team will refine delivery methods and work with clinicians to align their approach with real-world patient needs.
Making Cancer Cells More Visible to the Immune System
Principal Investigator: Kenneth Kinzler, PhD
Kinzler, the Barry Family Professor of Oncology and director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins, is pursuing a novel way to boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. His team is targeting nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a cellular quality-control process that usually eliminates faulty genetic messages.
By temporarily inhibiting NMD with new small-molecule drugs, tumor cells are forced to produce abnormal proteins that can act as neoantigens—essentially making the cancer “visible” to the immune system. This could help immune cells recognize and attack tumors that would otherwise evade detection.
“Translating a discovery from an academic lab to real-world applications, particularly for therapeutics, is a complex and challenging process,” Kinzler said. “JHTV and The Thalheimer Fund have been instrumental in providing critical guidance and funding to bridge this gap.”
The team will use Thalheimer funding to refine NMD-inhibiting compounds, with the long-term goal of advancing to clinical trials. If successful, this approach could expand the reach of immunotherapy to patients whose cancers currently resist treatment.
Driving Innovation Toward Impact
Finalists for the Thalheimer awards present their proposals before a panel of independent investors, researchers, and innovation leaders. Beyond funding, recipients benefit from guidance and connections that help accelerate lab discoveries into real-world applications.
This year’s winning projects underscore Johns Hopkins’ culture of cross-disciplinary innovation and its commitment to transforming pioneering science into solutions that improve health and society.
