Northeastern student Justin Hayes has received the Northeastern Center for Research Innovation 2024 Student Innovation Impact Award.
At Concordance Therapeutics Inc., CEO and Northeastern University doctoral student Justin Hayes is developing probiotics designed to improve the quality of life for patients with peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
It’s a tricky area of research requiring a deep understanding of gut microbiome environments. In his five years studying at Northeastern, Hayes has been laser-focused on advancing the space.
Working under Northeastern chemical engineering professors Ben Woolston and Ryan Koppes, Hayes has investigated how the metabolites in gut microbiomes impact human gut function. In 2024, armed with the knowledge he had gained while studying at Northeastern, Hayes launched Concordance Therapeutics.
Recognizing Hayes’ contribution to the biotechnology space, Northeastern’s Center for Research Innovation, the university’s chapter of the National Academy of Inventors, has awarded Hayes with the 2024 Student Innovation Impact Award.
“Since joining Northeastern University as a Ph.D. student, Justin has been on a mission: to develop cutting-edge health technologies with the ultimate goal of saving human lives,” the center wrote in a statement before honoring Hayes with the award. “His journey has been defined by curiosity, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to impact.”
The Center for Research Innovation has been a helpful player in the venture, assisting Hayes in patenting innovations key to Concordance’s Therapeutics and helping him apply to accelerator programs.
It’s one of the many resources Hayes is thankful to have access to at Northeastern as he gets his company off the ground.
Hayes says what Concordance brings to the table are engineered microbes in the form of probiotics to serve as therapeutics for a range of diseases. And while it’s still early days for the company, the plan is to provide these probiotics through medications taken orally.
“It could be a pill. It could be a liquid medicine. It could even be integrated into a yogurt,” he says, noting the company is still determining the best way to deliver the product.
Right now, the company is in the process of raising funding. Hayes recently applied for several small business grants from the National Institutes of Health. By the end of the year, they plan to get funding from private investors.
Hayes is confident in the company’s future, highlighting that data the company has collected through animal testing suggests its technology works.
“So now, it’s about trying to get some money to move out of Northeastern and get our own lab space and get our own footing as a company,” he says.
Being recognized by the Center for Research Innovation has undoubtedly helped Hayes stay on course.
“It’s a huge honor. There are obviously tons of great innovators at Northeastern, so it’s definitely great to get,” he says. “It’s attributed to my professors. They’ve given me the freedom to really explore and pursue my dreams of being an entrepreneur.”