30 Under 30: Baby Docs

Chasing cures, in 30 words or less.

Alpha Lee | 25 GROUP LEADER, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Putting his machinelearning expertise to work, Lee cofounded PostEra, an international nonprofit consortium, to find a drug to treat COVID-19. They’ve pinpointed 1,900 promising molecule compounds as of late March.

Catherine Freije | 28 & Cameron Myhrvold | 30 RESEARCHERS, BROAD INSTITUTE

Harvard virology researchers use CRISPR gene editing to detect and destroy viruses. The two have published almost 30 research papers— and yes, Myhrvold is that Myhrvold (he’s Nathan’s son).

Janice Chen | 28

& Lucas Harrington | 29 COFOUNDERS, MAMMOTH BIOSCIENCES

With $68 million in funding for their CRISPR diagnostic tools, Chen, Harrington and Trevor Martin have now set their sights on an urgent challenge: rapid detection of the coronavirus’s exact composition.

Connall Laverty | 30 FOUNDER, WIA

Nearly 1 million coronavirus patients worldwide might need ventilators, so Laverty, who runs an “Internet of Things” company, collaborated with over 300 diverse professionals to create opensource plans to 3D-print them.

Swathi Iyengar | 30 TECHNICAL OFFICER, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

A health economist for the WHO, Iyengar developed MedMon, a mobile app that charts the price and availability of medicines in more than 25 countries.

Janel Nour-Omid | 27 COFOUNDER AND CEO, VITALACY

Hand washing is essential to stop disease. Nour-Omid raised $5 million in funding for a wearable smart band that discreetly reminds health-care workers leaving patients’ rooms to scrub their digits.