HELLENIC HERITAGE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D. Scientist & Entrepreneur
For his legendary achievements in the field of pharmaceutical science and his inspirational leadership and service to the Greek American community.
George Damis Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the world’s premier scientific inventors and medicine-makers. He has built the biotechnology company Regeneron alongside CEO and President Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., as its Co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer for the past 35 years. Under their leadership, Regeneron has become one of the most admired and innovative companies in biotech, with nine FDAor EMA-approved medicines and a pipeline of approximately thirty-five investigational products – almost all of which were homegrown in the company’s own laboratories. In the last twenty years, fewer than 100 biotech companies have invented and successfully obtained FDA approval for even one drug, and only a handful have done this four or more times. Yancopoulos takes an unusually hands-on approach to drug discovery, serving as lead inventor and developer of Regeneron’s medicines, including Eylea® and Dupixent®, which have collectively helped millions of people around the world. He and his team have delivered additional important medicines such as Praluent®, Libtayo®, and the first antibody cocktail treatments for Ebola and COVID-19 in rapid response to emerging public health threats. George has also worked with his team to develop the underlying technologies that support and expedite Regeneron’s drug discovery, including the VelociGene® “knockout” platform, the VelocImmune® human antibody mouse, and the Veloci-Bi™ bispecific antibody creation platform. During his career, Yancopoulos has been among the most-cited scientists in the world, with landmark publications pertaining to the cloning and biology of numerous growth factors and their receptors (from the Neurotrophins, Angiopoietins, and Ephrins to the CNTF receptor and the Agrin receptor, MUSK), on the elucidation of the mechanism of action of the cytokine class of receptors, and other findings leading to the development of Regeneron’s medicines and technologies. His team continues to pursue cutting-edge research, including through the Regeneron Genetics Center, a world-leading effort that has sequenced the exomes of approximately two million people and paired this information with de-identified medical records in the quest to identify new and improved treatment options.
Yancopoulos is a first-generation Greek-American who grew up in NYC, attending public schools and graduating as valedictorian of both the Bronx High School of Science and Columbia University. Yancopoulos then received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia University. At Columbia, he was one of legendary geneticist Dr. Fred Alt’s first doctoral students. Yancopoulos was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and into the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2014. He and Dr. Schleifer were named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016. In 2020, Yancopoulos was named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of The Pandemic.” His leadership of company culture has also been recognized, with Regeneron routinely listed as a top employer by Science, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company and others. In 2022, Regeneron was awarded the prestigious Prix Galien USA Best Biotechnology Product for Inmazeb®. Yancopoulos often notes that his interest in science is a direct result of his high school experiences in science projects and science fairs. Thus, Yancopoulos drives Regeneron’s commitment to STEM education, and spearheaded the company’s becoming the primary sponsor for the world’s leading high school science competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS; formerly the Westinghouse and Intel STS) and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF; formerly the Intel ISEF). Regeneron has committed over $100 million to support these programs.
In recognition of his legendary achievements in the field of pharmaceutical science and his inspirational leadership and service to the Greek American community, we present Dr. George D. Yancopoulos with the Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award this fourth day of March 2023, at our Forty-ninth Anniversary Dinner.