UNCP Neuroscientist Ben Bahr Receives Sigma Xi Wyatt Technology Transfer Award for Alzheimer's Research
Dr. Ben Bahr, the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor at UNC Pembroke, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Dr. Philip J. Wyatt Technology Transfer Award from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, recognizing his innovations and success in Alzheimer’s disease research that has the potential to improve lives.
Established in 2025, the Wyatt Award recognizes Sigma Xi members whose research demonstrates exceptional potential for commercialization by helping bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world application.
The award recognizes Bahr’s years of research aimed at developing an affordable and easy-to-take oral treatment for Alzheimer’s disease — one that could one day offer patients a more accessible alternative to existing intravenous therapies while targeting multiple harmful proteins associated with the disease. Supported by a $1.1 million NCInnovation grant, Bahr’s work has resulted in patented discoveries, a spinoff company called Neuralkis Therapeutics and collaborations with research laboratories in the United States and Europe.
“This award recognizes not only the scientific discoveries we’ve made, but the work required to move those discoveries beyond the laboratory,” Bahr said. “Commercialization is about building the partnerships needed to reach the clinical trial stage and eventually bring an effective treatment to patients in all communities. Our goal has always been to develop research that can make a real difference in people's lives.”
Sigma Xi is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers, dedicated to advancing research, scientific integrity and public understanding of science.
Unlike many existing Alzheimer’s treatments that require intravenous infusions and target only a single disease process, Bahr's laboratory is developing a pill designed to help the brain naturally clear several toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease. The approach could make future treatments more accessible while reducing side effects for patients.
The current research, supported by NCInnovation, has reported promising safety and efficacy findings from internationally recognized research organizations, including the McAllister Heart Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill, Charles River Laboratories in Finland, and Eurofins Laboratories in California and Missouri. Bahr’s team will present its research to potential industry partners at ConvergeSouth 2026 in Winston-Salem in August, as it seeks additional investment to move the technology toward human clinical trials.
“Dr. Bahr has devoted his career to confronting one of medicine’s most difficult challenges, and this award is a fitting recognition of his persistence, ingenuity and impact,” said Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings.
“At UNC Pembroke, his work is not only bringing promising treatments closer to patients but also giving our students the rare opportunity to contribute to research that could change millions of lives. We are incredibly proud of all he has accomplished and the hope his work offers to families affected by Alzheimer’s disease,” Cummings said.
The Wyatt Award includes a $7,500 prize, which Bahr said he plans to donate to UNCP’s Alzheimer's disease research program to help support the many stages of drug development required to move promising discoveries toward human clinical trials.
“Dr. Bahr's recognition by Sigma Xi is a testament to the extraordinary caliber of research taking place at UNCP,” said Dr. Diane Prusank, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.
“His groundbreaking work in neuroscience not only advances our understanding of Alzheimer's disease but also indicates how innovative research can improve lives through real-world application. We are incredibly proud of Dr. Bahr for this well-deserved honor and grateful for the impact he continues to make on our students, our university and the broader scientific community.”
Throughout his career, Bahr has published more than 150 scientific papers, secured multiple patents and led research focused on understanding the biological processes behind Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. His laboratory at UNCP provides undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on research experience as they pursue discoveries that may one day improve the treatment of millions of people worldwide affected by dementia.
“Dr. Bahr exemplifies the vision of the Dr. Philip J. Wyatt Technology Transfer Award by transforming decades of groundbreaking neuroscience research into promising therapeutic innovations,” said Sigma Xi CEO Jamie Vernon.
Bahr credits the accomplishment to a collaborative effort involving his Biotech Center lab team, invaluable student researchers and university colleagues who have helped advance the project despite the challenges of conducting technology transfer work at a regional university.
“It shows the determination of the people at UNC Pembroke,” Bahr said. “We work with what we have, and we don't shy away from difficult challenges. It has taken a tremendous team effort to move this research from discovery to the point where we're talking with companies that could help bring these innovations to patients.”
While the award recognizes years of progress, Bahr said the ultimate measure of success will be improving patients’ lives.
“Hopefully one day our drug will be available for humans to treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other devastating diseases,” Bahr said. “That's what technology transfer is really about — taking ideas developed at a university and getting them into communities to help people live healthier and happier.”