Professor Receives Chancellor’s Innovation Award for Breakthrough Copper Therapy

Dr. Vishal M. Gohil, professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Texas A&M University, received the 2025 Chancellor’s Innovation Award for his groundbreaking work on copper metabolism and mitochondrial diseases.

Dr. Gohil’s lab discovered that elesclomol—a former cancer drug—can deliver copper into mitochondria, correcting defects caused by genetic copper deficiency. This finding offers new hope for treating Menkes disease, a rare and fatal disorder in children.

“Dr. Gohil’s work is a true example of innovation that begins at the lab bench and extends to life-changing therapies,” said Janie Hurley, Senior Director of Licensing.

Preclinical studies in zebrafish and mice showed that elesclomol restores mitochondrial function, leading to a licensing agreement with Engrail Therapeutics and preparations for U.S. clinical trials. The FDA has granted the drug Orphan and Rare Pediatric Disease Designations.

The therapy is already making an impact: in Spain, five children have received elesclomol under compassionate use, including one who now walks and speaks after being previously bedridden.

Dr. Gohil, who joined Texas A&M in 2012, is internationally recognized for his research and has received numerous honors, including the Ivano Bertini Award and the Chairman’s Prize from the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. His work is funded by NIH, The Welch Foundation, and Engrail Therapeutics. Click here to see full story.