University of Arizona BIO5 Institute

BIO5 member Vignesh Subbian from University of Arizona College of Engineering is the project lead for the eCAMINOS program at the University of Arizona, which is expected to encourage more undergraduates to begin and complete engineering degrees in the next few years and ultimately fill gaps in the workforce. “Asset-based rather than deficit-based thinking has been shown to be effective in promoting student success,” said Subbian, “ But little is known about how to do it longitudinally, throughout the student’s engineering program. This project helps us do that.” Read more: https://bit.ly/3NIMpeV

Congratulations to our public relations team for their PRSA Southern Arizona award on their social media campaign highlighting the KEYS Research Internship! They created a campaign that highlighted the students' research and desires to impact the world through STEM careers. This campaign not only helped grow the KEYS social media channels, but also helped encourage a record number of applicants for the 2024 program.

🌟 Big Win for UACI Startup TheraCea Pharma! 🌟 TheraCea Pharma has been awarded a $275,000 SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)! With the University of Arizona as a proud sub-awardee, this grant will support their groundbreaking work in developing new diagnostic tools for fast and conclusive assessment of therapy in cancer patients and potentially neurological disorders. Based on research developed within the University of Arizona’s University of Arizona BIO5 Institute, the company founded to commercialize U of A technology and mentored and launched through Tech Launch Arizona. TheraCea Pharma is part of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation and is growing their business by leveraging foundational scientific research to create a new class of diagnostic agents aimed at early detection of treatment efficacy in cancer patients. This innovative approach allows patients and healthcare providers to assess the success of cancer therapies within weeks, rather than months, potentially enhancing patient outcomes and improving treatment decision-making. We are proud to support TheraCea Pharma’s journey toward transforming healthcare! 🌍🧬 Iman Daryaei, Ph.D. https://ow.ly/WvzI50TZRvw

Congrats to our 2021 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow Rob Jackson at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson on securing a pivotal National Institutes of Health grant to establish his career in virology and oral cancer. Jackson performs basic research on the biology of human papillomaviruses (HPV) that may one day lead to innovative cancer therapeutics under the mentorship of BIO5 member Koenraad Van Doorslaer, associate professor of immunobiology and co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. The funding from BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship helped Jackson further his expertise in 3D techniques and bioinformatics to study HPV biology at the level of a single cell. “Viruses are fascinating tools for studying human biology,” said Jackson. “I aim to leverage the ancient co-evolutionary relationships between pathogens and host to contribute fundamental knowledge to our understanding of biological processes including normal differentiation and cancer.” Jackson will use the K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of the institutes of the NIH, to establish his independent research program focused on HPV infection and oral health. Read more about viruses, cancer, and the road to research independence: https://bit.ly/40vFUUo

Are you a University of Arizona faculty member looking to connect with Arizona biotech companies? Come to our free event on November 20!

We had cowboys, creepy clowns, delivery robots, a whole slew of detectives with "Scooby Snacks," and many other interesting characters working in the BIO5 administrative suite today. Happy Halloween! 👻

Exciting time in Phoenix this week with the groundbreaking of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI). BIO5 member Deepta Bhattacharya is the inaugural director & BIO5 member Ryan Sprissler, PhD is the associate director. "CAMI presents a significant opportunity to move the basic immunological discoveries being made at the University of Arizona and our partner institutions into new therapies for infectious diseases, autoimmune conditions and cancers,” said Bhattacharya. More: https://bit.ly/4ecC2e7

BIO5 member Cynthia Thomson received the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's University of Arizona Cancer Center Awards Dinner. For several decades at the UACC, Thomson has changed the lives of patients, cancer survivors, students and colleagues through her passion for cancer prevention and compassion for people. “I think one of the most important things as a mentor is just making sure people have the time, and take the time, to really reflect on why they are where they are,” Thomson said. Thomson has authored more than 300-peer reviewed journal articles, 33 book chapters, and 24 books. She’s made significant contributions to national standards including leading the development of nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer prevention and survivorship through the American Cancer Society. Read more about Thomson and her incredible work: https://bit.ly/3YaLtVl

This week on A4LI’s H-SPAN Podcast, we sat down with Dr. George Sutphin, Assistant Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona BIO5 Institute and Chairperson of AMERICAN AGING ASSOCIATION. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Sutphin’s journey from aerospace engineering to geroscience, his lab’s research into aging, and what he is most looking forward to in the field of longevity science. You can listen to our full discussion here: https://bit.ly/4f0aNEx 

Hannah Pizzato, a researcher at the U of A Health Sciences Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI), is focused on developing a stem cell-based therapy for Type 1 diabetes. Working with BIO5 member Deepta Bhattacharya, Pizzato has dedicated years to addressing this challenging issue. In Bhattacharya’s lab, she concentrated on overcoming the immune barriers that hinder stem cell transplantation. Now, as one of the pioneering scientists at CAMI, Pizzato is advancing this vital research with the ambition of one day offering a stem cell therapy that could provide a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Read more: https://bit.ly/3YvNUmP