ASU professor to study new genome editing tools with NIH Innovator Award

There are many human genetic diseases — for example, sickle-cell disease, cystic fibrosis and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome — that currently have no cure and are caused by point mutations, for which there is a pressing need to develop precision genome editing tools able to correct these mutations with high efficiency and accuracy.

Assistant Professor Audrey Lapinaite from Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute’s ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center is working on this problem and has just been awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award.Continue reading

$2 Million SBIR direct to phase II award funds therapeutic development and testing at Stingray Therapeutics and TGen

PHOENIX, Ariz. — October 4, 2022 — The Translational Genomics Research Institute, Part of City of Hope, and Stingray Therapeutics, Inc. of Dallas and Houston, Texas today announced a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) accelerated direct to phase II award of $2 Million. The NIH award, known as America’s Seed Fund, provides support to early-stage businesses to bring scientific innovations from bench to bedside.Continue reading

MCCCD Governing Board Names Dr. Steven R. Gonzales the System’s Permanent Chancellor

Tempe, Ariz, September 27, 2022 – Tonight, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) Governing Board voted to appoint Dr. Steven R. Gonzales as MCCCD’s permanent Chancellor. Dr. Gonzales has led the system in an interim capacity since January 25, 2020, when he was appointed by the Governing Board after the departure of former Chancellor, Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick.Continue reading

Anuncia Medical, Inc. Honored with an AZBio Fast Lane Award

Relieving Pressure on the Brain

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) normally flows through the cavities (ventricles) of our brains and bathes our brain and spinal column. Hydrocephalus is a condition caused by a buildup of this fluid deep within the brain. The excess fluid puts pressure on the brain. This pressure can damage brain tissues and cause a range of brain function problems. Hydrocephalus can happen at any age, but it occurs more frequently among infants and adults 60 and over.Continue reading

Dr. Brinton Named AZ Bioscience Researcher of the Year

Photo of Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD

Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD

Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, director of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science(CIBS) will be honored as the Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year by the Arizona Bioindustry Association (AZBio) at the 2022 AZBio Awards event Sept. 28 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Dr. Brinton is a Regents Professor of Pharmacology with an additional appointment in neurology in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson and a member of BIO5 Institute. She returned to her alma mater in 2016 to create CIBS, a hybrid university/biotech research center designed to advance cures for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, through integrated discovery, translational and clinical science. Since its inception, CIBS has received more than $112 million in grants to advance cures for these neurodegenerative diseases.Continue reading

Aqualung Therapeutics Corp. Announces FDA Clearance of Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for ALT-100, a Novel mAb Therapy for the Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

– Aqualung will continue the P1A Healthy Human Volunteer Trial and complete the trial first half of 2023
– The Phase 2A study (PUERTA) will be initiated in the 2nd half of 2023
– ALT-100 is the first humanized mAb therapy that targets the eNAMPT protein which plays a pivotal role in regulating inflammation and fibrosisContinue reading