John Kellum, Distinguished Professor of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Kellum is a recognized pioneer in the detection and treatment of acute kidney injury and sepsis, ranking as the world's No. 1 and No. 3 top expert in those areas, respectively, according to medical ranking organization Expertscape, which uses data from the National Institute of Health's database to identify and rank researchers based on topic, condition and diagnosis.

He has been a prolific innovator, accumulating 26 issued U.S. patents to date. His technologies have been licensed to six different companies: Astute Medical (now Biomerieux), Spectral Diagnostics Inc., Cytosorbents Inc., VirTech Bio LLC, TES Pharma and Klotho Therapeutics. Kellum's work also provided the underpinnings of two startups, PhotoPhage Systems and J3RM LLC. He is the 17th Pitt faculty member to be elected as an NAI Fellow.

Beyond his research role at Pitt, he is also Chief Medical Officer of Spectral Medical Inc., a company that recently announced positive results from a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of septic shock and endotoxemia.

"Dr. Kellum personifies what it means to be a Pitt innovator," said Evan Facher, Pitt's vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship and associate dean for commercial translation at the School of Medicine. "He is a pioneer in his field of research who is determined that the discoveries in his lab make an impact on people's lives through industry partnerships and commercial translation.

The 2025 NAI Fellows cohort includes 169 U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 International Fellows. Explore the full list of 2025 Fellows.

NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Together, the 2025 class holds more than 5,300 U.S. patents and includes recipients of the Nobel Prize and the National Medals of Science and Technology and Innovation as well as members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, among others. This year's 169 U.S. Fellows represent 127 universities, government agencies and research institutions across 40 U.S. states.

Kellum has collaborated with industry on 32 research projects and directed 10 clinical trials, including for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. He served as the principal investigator for Astute Medical (Biomerieux) to develop the Nephrocheck Test, the first FDA-approved in-vitro diagnostic test for the assessment of critically ill patients at risk for developing kidney disease. This invention has made a difference in the lives of thousands of people each year. Biomerieux and Pitt co-own three patents from Kellum for diagnosing and treating kidney failure related to this test.

Also a mentor, Kellum has guided 52 MD and PhD students, many of whom have gone on to important positions in clinical care as well as industry and academia.

Spanning every major field of discovery, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and regenerative medicine, NAI Fellows are tackling the biggest and most pressing issues of our time. Their success in translating research into products and services that improve lives demonstrates the continuing importance of the U.S. patent system.

The NAI Fellows program was founded in 2012 and has grown to include 2,253 distinguished researchers and innovators, who hold more than 86,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. Their innovations have generated an estimated $3.8 trillion in revenue and 1.4 million jobs.

"NAI Fellows are a driving force within the innovation ecosystem, and their contributions across scientific disciplines are shaping the future of our world," said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. "We are thrilled to welcome this year's class of Fellows to the Academy. They are truly an impressive cohort, and we look forward to honoring them at our 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles next year."

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