But wait...there's more to the ChatGPT Agent story
Follow up research to my last post
[Continuation from my previous article. This one is mostly content created by ChatGPT Agent or o3-Pro]
Yea, so after posting my last article, I went back and watched the ChatGPT Agent launch video again. While my use-case is different then theirs (they were planning a destination wedding and I’m looking into biotech startups in an under-represented space), I realized that I gave up too quickly. These tools are meant to be used iteratively.
I re-opened my Agent chat and asked,
Now please compile a list of the top researchers in this space as well as the CSO and scientific board members of Kojin Therapeutics. Also, find out what related patents Kojin holds in this space
I don’t know if I needed the Agent instead of just using o3 but it was fun watching it read websites while I cracked a beer.
Conclusion:
ChatGPT Agent and o3-Pro did a remarkable job pulling together data from many sources in a short amount of time. And while I don’t know how complete they are, the information is accurate based on my checks (though I can’t say 100% correct).
Complete reports follow.
Key players in ferroptosis & immuno‑oncology and Kojin Therapeutics leadership/patents
Leading researchers
Bibliometric analyses of the 100 most‑cited ferroptosis articles provide an objective view of the researchers who have shaped this young field. Table 2 from a 2022 Frontiers in Oncology analysis lists the ten authors with the most papers among highly cited ferroptosis studies and notes their institutionspmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. A complementary 2021 bibliometric review in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology adds information on total publications and co‑citation strengthspmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Based on these analyses, the following investigators are widely regarded as leaders:
Brent R. Stockwell Columbia University & Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Pioneering chemist who helped define ferroptosis. He co‑discovered small‑molecule inducers like erastin and coined the term ferroptosis. The 2022 bibliometric analysis shows him with 19 publications among the 100 most‑cited ferroptosis papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and the 2021 study lists him as the most productive author with 47 articlespmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Marcus Conrad Helmholtz Zentrum München. Biochemist who elucidated the role of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and discovered ferroptosis inhibitors such as ferrostatin‑1. He ranks second for publications (10 papers) among highly cited articles pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and fourth in total productivity pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Rui Kang University of Pittsburgh & Guangzhou Medical University Immunologist/biochemist studying damage‑associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and ferroptosis‑induced immunity. Ranked third in publications (9 papers) among top‑cited studies pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and third overall for productivity (37 articles)mpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Joseph Paul Friedmann‑Angeli (J.P. Friedmann‑Angeli) Helmholtz Zentrum München / University of Würzburg Co‑discovered GPX4’s role in ferroptosis and helped establish the FSP1–CoQ10 pathway. He appears among the top ten authors with eight papers in highly cited articles pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Scott J. Dixon Stanford University (formerly at Columbia) Biochemist who co‑defined ferroptosis and identified erastin’s mechanism. He is tied for fifth place with eight highly cited publications pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and is among the top authors by co‑citation strength pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Daolin Tang Guangzhou Medical University / University of Pittsburgh Immunologist whose work links ferroptosis to immunogenic cell death. He is tied with Dixon for eight highly cited papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and is the second‑most productive author overall (38 papers) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Weiqiang Gu (W. Gu) Columbia UniversityResearches p53‑regulated metabolic pathways and ferroptosis; has seven highly cited papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Valerian E. Kagan University of Pittsburgh Biochemist studying lipid peroxidation and DAMP signaling; among the top‑ten authors by co‑citation strength pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and with six highly cited papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Raviraj Skouta Columbia University Medicinal chemist who developed ferroptosis‑inducing compounds; tied for nine‑tenth place with six highly cited papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Yu Y. Tyurina & Weichang (William) Yang University of Pittsburgh / Columbia University Both studied lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis regulators; each has six highly cited papers pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and substantial co‑citation strength pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
These investigators continue to drive innovations at the interface of cell death and cancer immunotherapy and collaborate with industry on ferroptosis‑targeted therapeutics.
Kojin Therapeutics: leadership and scientific advisory board
Company status. Kojin Therapeutics, a Boston‑based startup founded in 2021 to develop small‑molecule ferroptosis inducers, raised a $60 million Series A. However, a 2025 article in Fierce Biotech reports that the company is winding down operations due to funding challengesfiercebiotech.com. The firm’s early leadership history is nonetheless notable:
Chief scientific officer (CSO). When Kojin launched, the CSO was Dr. Kay Ahn, a former Global Head of Molecular & Cell Pharmacology at Janssen. Press articles from 2021 note that Ahn joined co‑founder Vasanthi Viswanathan and CEO Luba Greenwood in an all‑woman executive team fiercebiotech.combizjournals.com. Public sources do not report a subsequent change in the CSO role, so she is still listed as CSO in company materials.
Chairman/CEO. In January 2024, a BusinessWire press release announced that biotech veteran Dr. Harvey J. Berger joined Kojin as chairman, president and CEO businesswire.com. A 2025 Fierce Biotech article explains that Berger replaced acting CEO Amir Nashat and acting president Susan Langer, who led the company at launch fiercebiotech.com.
Founders. Kojin was co‑founded by chemical biologist Stuart Schreiber (Harvard), proteomics pioneer Benjamin Cravatt (Scripps Research), immunologist Stephanie Dougan (Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute), and cell‑state biologist Vasanthi Viswanathan businesswire.com.
Scientific advisory board (SAB). Early press releases list the SAB members who supported Kojin’s discovery platform. According to a 2021 announcement and subsequent articles, the SAB includes:
Stuart Schreiber – co‑founder and chair of the SAB cathaycapital.com.
Benjamin Cravatt – co‑founder and SAB member cathaycapital.com.
Stephanie Dougan – co‑founder and SAB member cathaycapital.com.
Sean Morrison – stem‑cell biologist (UT Southwestern) cathaycapital.com.
George Demetri – medical oncologist (Dana‑Farber) cathaycapital.com.
Joel Barrish – medicinal chemist (former head of discovery at J&J/BlueRock) cathaycapital.com.
Steven Davidsen – cancer biologist (AbbVie R&D) cathaycapital.com.
Later organizational charts (The Org, 2025) indicate that the SAB was expanded to include Morris J. Birnbaum (Pfizer’s former chief scientific officer for internal medicine), Benjamin Neel (NYU Grossman School of Medicine) and Eric Winer (Director of Yale Cancer Center) theorg.com. These additions reflect a deeper focus on translational oncology expertise.
Patents assigned to Kojin Therapeutics
Kojin pursued intellectual‑property protection around its ferroptosis‑induction technology. The following patents are assigned to Kojin Therapeutics, Inc.
US 11,541,116 B2 – “Methods and compositions for inducing ferroptosis in vivo” Granted Jan 3 2023 with priority date Jan 7 2022. Inventors Vasanthi Viswanathan and John Kittridge Eaton Jr. The patent covers methods of administering ferroptosis‑inducing agents (e.g., system Xc− inhibitors) to tissues enriched in selenium, iron or polyunsaturated fatty acids to trigger iron‑dependent cell death patents.google.compatents.google.com. It also describes using “priming agents” to sensitise target tissues patents.google.com. Kojin is listed as the current and original assignee patents.google.com.
US 2023/0226185 A1 – “Methods and compositions for inducing ferroptosis in vivo”U.S. patent application published Jul 20 2023 (priority Jan 7 2022) describing the same inventions as the granted patent above. Inventors and assignee mirror US 11,541,116 patents.google.com.
WO 2023/133053 A2 (PCT)International application filed Dec 22 2022 and published Jul 13 2023. Inventors Vasanthi Viswanathan and John Kittridge Eaton; assignee Kojin Therapeutics Inc. The specification similarly covers compositions and methods to induce ferroptosis in vivo patents.google.com.
As of early 2025, no other publicly available patents are assigned to Kojin beyond this family. Some unrelated patents on “ferroptosis agonists” belong to other organizations and are not associated with Kojin.
Summary
Ferroptosis has emerged as a promising form of immunogenic cell death, and pioneering researchers such as Stockwell, Conrad, Kang, Dixon and Tang have laid the scientific foundation for therapeutic exploitation pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Kojin Therapeutics assembled a scientific advisory board that included many luminaries (Schreiber, Cravatt, Dougan, Morrison, Demetri, Barrish, Davidsen and later Birnbaum, Neel and Winer) cathaycapital.comtheorg.com and secured patents describing methods to induce ferroptosis in vivo patents.google.com. Despite early excitement and a $60 million Series A, the company struggled to secure follow‑on funding and announced in Feb 2025 that it would wind down operations fiercebiotech.com. The scientific advances and intellectual property, however, may remain valuable assets for larger pharmaceutical companies seeking to harness ferroptosis in immuno‑oncology.
Follow Up Research with o3-Pro
Next I asked,
How could the patents impact our startup idea and funding requirements?
This is the entire response:
1. What the Kojin patents actually cover
US 11,541,116 B2 (granted) & US 2023/0226185 A1 (continuation) 7 Jan 2022 Methods of administering ferroptosis‑inducing agents (e.g., system x_c⁻ inhibitors, GPX4 inhibitors, iron‑modulating “priming agents”) in vivo to tissues enriched in selenium, iron or poly‑unsaturated fatty acids, plus dosing regimens that “sensitize” the target tissue.United StatesJan 2042 (+ possible PTA/PT extensions)
WO 2023/133053 A2 (PCT) same Mirrors the U.S. applications; gives Kojin the option to pursue claims in most major jurisdictions (EU, China, Japan, etc.). National‑phase deadlines fell in July 2024; the current status in each country must be checked.PCT members where nationalizedJan 2042
Take‑home: The claims focus on methods (inducing ferroptosis in vivo) rather than on any specific nanoparticle, antibody, or combination with checkpoint inhibitors.
2. Overlap with your proposed product
This section outlines the elements in our concept, likely IP overlap, and associated notes.
Element: Payloads: potent GPX4 inhibitors, system x_c⁻ inhibitors, iron‑based catalysts
Overlap Potential: Medium–High for system x_c⁻ inhibitors and possibly GPX4 inhibitors (if used to “induce ferroptosis in vivo”)
Notes: If you formulate brand‑new small molecules you still practice the claimed method if you administer them to induce ferroptosis in tumors.
Element: Nanoparticle delivery & tumor‑specific triggers
Overlap Potential: Low direct overlap
Notes: Kojin claims do not mention nanoparticles or tumor‑activatable chemistry, which is your main differentiator.
Element: Combination with PD‑1/PD‑L1 antibodies
Overlap Potential: Not explicitly claimed
Notes: Adds a layer of differentiation, but it does not eliminate infringement risk if the underlying ferroptosis‑induction step is still covered.
Element: Biomarker‑driven patient selection
Overlap Potential: Not claimed
Notes: Offers additional IP space for you.
3. Freedom‑to‑Operate (FTO) scenarios
Scenario: License/Acquire Kojin IP (possible because the company is winding down)
FTO risk: Risk absorbed via license; strong offensive position
Strategic implications: May cost $2 – 6 M upfront plus milestones/royalty; strengthens story for investors that large pharma will not block an exit.
Scenario: Design‑around (focus on nanoparticle‑trigger dependency)
FTO risk: Moderate risk
Scenario: You would argue that ferroptosis is induced only after the nanoparticle releases the drug inside the tumor micro‑environment—a condition Kojin’s claims do not contemplate. Success depends on claim language; expect $0.5 – 1 M in legal spend for opinions and potential PTAB/IPR challenges.
Scenario: Challenge validity (e.g., via ex‑parte re‑exam or IPR)
FTO risk: Moderate to high cost, uncertain outcome
Scenario: Budget $1 – 2 M and 12‑18 months; investors may hesitate until resolved.
4. Impact on funding requirements
The presence of Kojin's patents significantly impacts startup budgeting from Seed to Series A, especially in intellectual property planning and risk mitigation. For instance, conducting a comprehensive freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis and claim charting becomes critical and can cost between $150,000 and $300,000, since each Kojin patent claim must be parsed against all planned IND-enabling experiments. To further protect the company and reassure sophisticated life science investors, outside counsel opinions on non-infringement and invalidity are typically required, costing $250,000 to $500,000. If a startup opts to license or purchase assets from Kojin, it may face upfront costs of $2–6 million, with milestone payments potentially reaching $50 million—though these figures depend heavily on how distressed Kojin’s IP estate is, and there could be opportunities to acquire at favorable terms compared to green-field discovery. Even assuming non-infringement, startups should allocate a contingency reserve of $1–2 million for potential inter partes review (IPR) or litigation, which often arise before a Series B or acquisition. Finally, companies must also invest $400,000 to $800,000 over three years in developing their own IP—such as nanoparticles, new payloads, or biomarkers—to build a strong patent moat that supports downstream financing and exit strategies.
Net effect: Seed‑to‑A capital need rises from a typical $6 – 8 M (science + IND‑enabling) to ~$10 – 15 M when IP costs and a possible license payment are included.
5. Recommendations for next steps
Commission a claim‑by‑claim analysis by a specialist in immuno‑oncology IP within 30 days.
Contact Kojin’s bankruptcy/wind‑down representative (or their secured creditors) to gauge licensing or acquisition terms before they auction the assets.
File provisional patents immediately on:
Nanoparticle chemistries that require a tumor‑specific trigger to release the payload.
Novel GPX4/system x_c⁻ inhibitors with distinct scaffolds.
Combination regimens and biomarker algorithms.
Model two financial cases for investors: with and without a Kojin license. Highlight that the license could de‑risk later litigation and even accelerate FDA discussions (existing pre‑clinical data).
Plan investor messaging around the “white‑space” finding: despite Kojin’s patents, no company has yet shown clinically viable tumor‑targeted ferroptosis inducers—your differentiated delivery platform remains attractive.