- Adapted from a press release by Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
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Texas A&M recognized by Fast Company’s ‘World Changing Ideas’ for Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough
Innovative Alzheimer’s nasal spray therapy could slow cognitive decline and improve quality of life for patients and caregivers
The honor comes on the heels of being named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies earlier this year. (Texas A&M Health Marketing and Communications)
Texas A&M University has been named a 2025 Fast Company World Changing Ideas honoree for a promising new nasal spray therapy that could transform how Alzheimer’s disease is treated.
The therapy, developed by Ashok K. Shetty, PhD, and his team at the Texas A&M College of Medicine—part of Texas A&M Health—was selected in the Academic Excellence category, which celebrates breakthrough innovations coming out of higher education. This year’s awards drew more than 1,500 entries from around the world, with winners selected for their ingenuity, scalability and potential for real-world change.
Using neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles, the intranasal treatment is designed to reduce brain inflammation and slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The non-invasive approach has shown promising results in preclinical studies and could offer a new pathway for managing one of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases of our time.
“The impact will be huge,” said Shetty, a University Distinguished Professor of cell biology and genetics and associate director of the Texas A&M Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “Alzheimer’s disease not only affects patients, but also the family members, the caregivers. So, if you postpone cognitive decline by 10 years, the quality of life of both patients and family members would dramatically improve.”
While the therapy is still in the research phase, the recognition underscores the potential of Texas A&M’s biomedical scientists to address major public health challenges through innovation.
“This recognition from Fast Company affirms the bold, transformative research happening at Texas A&M,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M. “Our world-class scientists are not only advancing knowledge, but they’re also delivering solutions that improve lives.”
Texas A&M’s innovative nasal spray joins, among others, Dassault Systemes’ next-gen artificial heart, Voltpost’s retrofitted lampposts for EV charging, the new main terminal at Portland International Airport (PDX) and advanced liquid cooling for data centers from Nexalus on the list of World Changing Ideas this year. Texas A&M is recognized alongside institutions such as MIT, UCLA, UC Berkeley and Boston University in the Academic Excellence category.
“The projects we honor in the World Changing Ideas Awards are more important than ever,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “You and your fellow honorees are playing an important role in building a better world. We’re proud to support the bold ideas you’re working on.”
This honor follows on the heels of Texas A&M being named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies earlier this year.
Media contact: media@tamu.edu
