Alumnus Ariel Kantor Cited by Forbes Europe in 30 Under 30 List

Ariel Kantor, cited in 30 Under 30 by Forbes Europe

Duke alumnus and Rhodes Scholar Ariel Kantor was selected for Forbes Europe's latest "30 under 30" — an annual listing of top young innovators, entrepreneurs and world changers.

As part of the Science and Healthcare category, Kantor was recognized for his important contributions to the field of gene editing, including co-founding two new companies in the field.

He is currently vice president of business development and platform strategy at California-headquartered ReCode Therapeutics and leads gene editing and platform innovation for the company. Kantor joined ReCode after his longstanding mentor and fellow Rhodes Scholar, Shehnaaz Suliman (South Africa-at-Large & Balliol 1997) joined the company as CEO early last year.

ReCode Therapeutics is a genetic medicines company using superior delivery to power the next wave of messenger RNA (mRNA) and genome editing therapeutics. ReCode’s selective organ targeting (SORT) lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform is a next-generation, genetic medicines technology that enables precise delivery to target organs and cells beyond the liver.

One application of the technology is for the development of a CFTR mRNA therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis patients that do not respond to existing therapies, for which the company recently announced a substantial strategic investment from the CF Foundation.

Kantor said his Duke experience has carried with him in his work at ReCode and other ventures. “My time at Duke, and especially the four years I spent in Charles Gersbach’s group and through the Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, was foundational in my growth as an entrepreneur and leader” Kantor said.

Kantor graduated from Duke summa cum laude and with top-distinction in 2019, with a self-designed interdisciplinary major involving bioengineering, finance, and policy. His senior thesis examined developing technology-based therapies for orphan diseases.