About this Event
For a century, we’ve fought diseases like Alzheimer’s and pulmonary fibrosis after the damage is already done. Ronit Freeman wants to get there first.
Freeman is a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member and the lead principal investigator of IMPEDE, a new Carolina-led consortium backed by up to $24.8 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Her team of about 100 researchers spans seven universities on three continents, with industry partner Siemens Healthineers. Their goal is to catch protein-misfolding diseases at the molecular moment they begin, often long before a patient notices a symptom. On a four-year timeline, they plan to:
- submit an early-detection biomarker for Alzheimer’s to the FDA
- advance preclinical treatments for Alzheimer’s and pulmonary fibrosis
- release a public AI-powered “atlas” that predicts how disordered proteins behave
Discoveries like these usually take a decade or more.
Join Tommy Sowers, Carolina’s chief innovation officer, for a conversation with Freeman about the science and the story behind the award. ARPA-H announced the program in January 2026, and in a matter of weeks she pulled together a multi-institution team, an industry partner and a bold plan. They’ll talk about what it takes to build partnerships at that speed and why the team paired a brain disease with a lung disease. They’ll also cover how Carolina’s research and innovation ecosystem helps move lab discoveries toward patients, including UNC Research, KickStart, the Office of Technology Commercialization, NC Innovation and Eshelman Innovation.
You’ll hear about:
- What makes some proteins “undruggable,” and how lab work, simulation and AI are changing that
- How to assemble a winning team and industry partner on an aggressive timeline
- What it’s like to work with ARPA-H, a funder built for high-risk, high-reward bets
- How Freeman is moving her pulmonary fibrosis work from discovery toward a venture
- Advice for faculty, students and founders who are thinking big
Who should attend: faculty, researchers, students, entrepreneurs, industry partners, and anyone curious about how big ideas at Carolina become real-world impact.
About the speakers
Ronit Freeman, PhD, is an associate professor of applied physical sciences and pharmacoengineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and lead principal investigator of the IMPEDE consortium. Her lab has gained attention for its fresh read on Alzheimer’s earliest stages. It is also challenging the assumption that pulmonary fibrosis can’t be reversed.
Tommy Sowers, PhD, is vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development and chief innovation officer at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Event venue & nearby stays
Innovate Carolina Junction, 136 E Rosemary St. Suite 100, Chapel Hill, United States
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