December 10, 2024
By Emily Cerf
UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of Biomolecular Engineering Mark Akeson has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Akeson is the co-inventor of nanopore sequencing, a revolutionary method for reading DNA and RNA that has enabled some of the most significant advances in the genomics field. Nanopore sequencing allows scientists to analyze DNA or RNA strands as they pass through a tiny pore in a membrane, called a “nanopore” because it is just 1.5 nanometers wide at its narrowest point.
“This is an enormous honor, but I expect that the best is still ahead for UCSC and nanopore sequencing,” Akeson said. “For instance, everyone’s favorite small molecule, tRNA, is a current focus in several labs on campus that use nanopore technology, for good reason.”
Along with UCSC Professor Emeritus of Biomolecular Engineering David Deamer and Professor Emeritus of Biology at Harvard Dan Branton, Akeson developed the foundational techniques for this method of sequencing. These concepts were licensed as patents by the founders of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, who used them to create small, portable devices for sequencing. These devices have become standard laboratory equipment that have transformed how scientists work with DNA, allowing sequencing to be brought to remote areas of the world and even to the International Space Station.
Akeson has dedicated much of his career to improving nanopore sequencing technology, and his current research focuses on optimizing nanopore technology to better study RNA. This history and continued research has made UC Santa Cruz researchers leading experts in using nanopore technologies for genomics, enabling them to accomplish once considered impossible feats such as producing the first end-to-end human genome reference.
“Mark is a long-time pioneer in employing rigorous, innovative approaches to develop new technology for great biomedical impact,” said Alexander Wolf, Dean of the Baskin School of Engineering. “It’s clear from the breadth of genomics research happening on campus that his work serves as a foundation and an inspiration to the Baskin Engineering community, and beyond.”
Akeson is the sixth UC Santa Cruz faculty member to be recognized with this honor from the NAI.
The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Election as a NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors.
Akeson is among 170 innovators newly elected as fellows this year. The 2024 Class of Fellows will be honored and presented their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at the NAI 14th Annual Meeting on June 26th, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.