Eric Wang Named Innovator of the Year at the eighth annual Standing InnOvation event on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
Dr. Eric Wang’s research focuses on all aspects of neuromuscular and neurological diseases, as well as RNA biology. Specifically, his lab in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the College of Medicine focuses on myotonic dystrophy, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, and how the mutation causes problems in muscles, the heart, and the brain.
“My lab is really focused on drawing a more defined path between basic understanding of disease mechanisms and how we’re actually going to treat them,” said Wang, an associate professor.
In addition to being a dedicated scientist, Dr. Wang is also an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Kate Therapeutics, a UF biotechnology company that developed AAV-based gene therapies for muscle and heart diseases. In November 2024, Kate Therapeutics was acquired by Novartis for $1.2 billion—UFRF had a significant equity position, resulting in excellent financial returns to the University of Florida.
“Eric Wang isn’t just a researcher doing research to get a grant and another publication. He’s doing things that he really believes… The University of Florida is very fortunate to have [him],” said Dr. Jackson Streeter, director of UF Innovate | Ventures.
When selecting the Innovator of the Year, UF Innovate considers a researcher’s body of work and selects someone who has made significant contributions that have been licensed and taken to the marketplace, sometimes by the researcher launching a startup based on discoveries.