UF Innovate | Tech Licensing

Today's the day! One of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences' very own researchers will launch into space on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket to conduct a study on plants! 🚀 Rob Ferl, Ph.D., the UF Astraeus Space Institute director, is launching his research on Arabidopsis thaliana to new heights. Research has previously demonstrated that this plant can detect that it's in space and then change how its genes are expressed! 🌱🧬 The experiment will determine which genes turn on and off at various stages of the flight, giving scientists insight into how plants adjust their gene expression from Earth to space. Since plants may one day be an essential part of space exploration, understanding how they react to a space environment is the first step toward learning how to effectively grow them! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gZf7m-7t #AstroGator #NS26 #BlueOrigin

UF Innovate | Tech Licensing was featured on the latest episode of Tech Transfer Insights, a video blog on YouTube, diving into cutting-edge technologies from universities and colleges across the nation! 🎓💡 In the latest episode, the University of Florida was spotlighted alongside its extensive technology listings. The video mentions how easy and simple it is to explore these innovations! "...just Google "University of Florida technology transfer..." and the first link you’ll see is from UF Innovate Tech Licensing — a home base with every single technology available for licensing! 🧑💻 The video does a fantastic job of breaking down the listings, covering everything from the title, subheading, and body to the application, advantages, and an overall explanation of what each technology is for. Check it out here and stay ahead of the curve with the latest in tech transfer! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eieA_5Mh

Are you a University of Florida #innovator whose technology would benefit from going to space? Now is your chance to launch your research to new heights! 🚀 The Space Edge Accelerator enables biomedical innovators to gain access to the unique space environment for R&D and manufacturing applications. 🔬 The 12-week hybrid program will help you develop your space strategy, prepare to activate your plans, and compete for funding and flight opportunities. The deadline is September 8, so apply today! ▶️ https://lnkd.in/ezVvDy9W #UFInnovator #InnoGator #AstroGator

A groundbreaking HIV-detection test kit from the University of Florida, harnessing advanced CRISPR technology, could revolutionize early detection and save millions of lives. Unlike current tests that detect HIV only weeks after infection, this kit aims to offer results in minutes, allowing for earlier treatment and potentially reducing the virus to undetectable levels. 🦠 Developed by Dr. Piyush Jain and his team at the UF Department of Chemical Engineering, this user-friendly test is designed to act as a reliable early-warning system. With 1.3 million new HIV cases and 630,000 related deaths reported in 2022, the need for early detection has never been more critical. Read more on how this innovation could significantly reduce outbreaks and save lives.⏩ https://lnkd.in/eMmn5PKn

#AI is transforming how Emerging Pathogens Institute researchers are forecasting and responding to disease. 🌐 In southwest Texas, the soil-dwelling bacteria Bacillus anthracis poses a yearly threat to livestock, wildlife, and humans with the often-fatal disease anthrax. Jason K. Blackburn, Ph.D., from the Emerging Pathogens Institute and professor at the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Geography, uses AI to predict risk and track outbreaks -- notably severe in 2001, 2005, and 2019. 🦠 Blackburn's lab collaborates with veterinarians and ranchers, offering diagnostic services for their animals. Utilizing remotely sensed data from Google Earth Engine, Blackburn's team automates the gathering of environmental data to study disease transmission. 🔬 They use machine learning to look at the potential peaks and seasonality of the disease. Blackburn is developing an AI-based model that can forecast the likelihood of an outbreak based on what the first few months looked like. This effort is part of UF's broader AI initiative, which includes an expanded AI curriculum, faculty expertise, and infrastructure like the #HiPerGator supercomputer. Other EPI researchers, Marco Salemi, Simone Marini, and Mattia Prosperi, are turning to AI to tailor and optimize public health measures. This further ties into how these researchers are using AI to predict new COVID-19 variants. Throughout the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated its adaptability, and even with the implementation of various public health measures, COVID-19 mutated and spread worldwide. However, Salemi, Maini, and Prosperi developed algorithms to track the virus' evolution. This can help scientists develop specific drugs to target the latest variations. “What really excites me right now is having an algorithm that can very quickly predict new and more aggressive variants,” Salemi remarked. “That’s obviously a good safeguard for the future.”

The rise of antibiotic-resistant infections is a critical global health crisis, causing over 23,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone and leading to tens of billions in healthcare costs. Traditional antibiotics are losing effectiveness quickly, often within just two years, leaving patients vulnerable to dangerous infections. 😷 Drs. Timothy Spicer and Louis Scampavia from the Department of Molecular Medicine at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology have developed an ultra-high throughput screening method. This advanced technique has combed through over 645,000 compounds to identify 19 novel small molecules with the power to combat a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria, including notorious pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These new compounds, with their unique structures and low toxicity, could be the key to developing the next generation of powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics. This breakthrough holds the potential to revolutionize the treatment of bacterial infections, offering new hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance. The development of these compounds could significantly reduce the prevalence of resistant infections, save lives, and cut down on the massive healthcare costs currently burdening the system. 💵 This #GatorMade🐊 new tech is now available for licensing:▶️ https://lnkd.in/eRef7VGy

#OrigiGator Satlantis, a University of Florida startup and resident client at UF Innovate | Accelerate, is on a thrilling mission to unveil the secrets of dark matter in the universe. Their latest 300-kilogram satellite boasts four cutting-edge cameras, including two with infrared capabilities, designed to capture the unseen. These powerful instruments will scan the structures around small galaxies, aiming to map out the elusive dark matter. 🛰️ The project, called ARRAKIHS (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted Galaxies as a Key Tool for Halo Studies), marks the European Space Agency - ESA's first scientific mission led by Spain. Founder and CEO of Satlantis Juan Tomás Hernani mentions how he is so "used to scientists defining the problem and then consulting with the industry. But in this case, we are hand in hand from the beginning." The satellite's camera optics are exceptionally precise, featuring lenses with a tolerance of one micron and a roughness of just 40 nanometers. If everything goes as planned, this mission could reveal findings that defy current scientific understanding. 📡

#OrigiGator Rise Therapeutics, a University of Florida startup licensing technology from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Infectious Disease & Immunology, has kicked off its groundbreaking R-5280 Phase 1b clinical trial, enrolling the first patient in this crucial study for type 1 diabetes. 💉 Type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune condition, leaves the pancreas unable to produce insulin, causing dangerously high blood sugar levels. It often strikes in childhood or adolescence, requiring lifelong insulin therapy. In the U.S., approximately 1.6 million people live with type 1 diabetes, with 40,000 new cases annually. Gary Fanger, CEO of Rise Therapeutics, shared his excitement: “With our third drug now in clinical development, we have the opportunity with R-5280 to control another devastating disease using an oral immunotherapy approach.” The Phase 1b trial (NCT06057454) is a placebo-controlled, blinded study conducted at multiple U.S. sites. It aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of R-5280 in halting the progression of beta islet cell destruction in new-onset type 1 diabetes patients. The trial will involve 39 participants, assessing improvements in disease severity through key biomarkers.

The Natural Products Discovery Center is a fascinating labyrinth of vials, each containing a unique freeze-dried microbe from some of the world's most diverse ecologies—rainforest soils, coastal marshes, deep ocean waters, and even decomposing animal dung. This incredible collection, compiled over 80 years, includes organisms that may now be extinct, offering a precious window into Earth's past. 🌎 For Ben Shen, PhD, and his team at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, these tiny treasures hold immense promise for the future of medicine. These unexplored microbes could be the key to groundbreaking treatments and cures. Natural products, substances produced by living organisms, offer remarkable evolutionary advantages and can be found in various environments. They are highly valued for their unique adaptations and complex structures, which have significant pharmacological and medicinal potential. 😷 "Natural products have made a profound impact on the history of drug development, leading to the creation of some of the world’s most important medicines,” says Dr. Shen. The future of drug discovery might lie in these tiny, yet mighty, microbes.

J.P. Morgan has upgraded Solid Biosciences stock from Neutral to Overweight, raising the price target from $10.00 to $15.00, reflecting a positive outlook on the company's future prospects. 📈 Known for its innovative gene therapy and focus on rare diseases, Solid Biosciences, a UF Innovate | Accelerate client, who acquired #OrigiGator and former UF Innovate | Accelerate client, AavantiBio, Inc., and its licenses of AAV technology, is set to release promising initial data on its key product, SGT-003, later this year. The positive regulatory environment in the U.S. for gene therapy bolsters Solid Biosciences' growth potential. JPMorgan's upgrade highlights the exciting prospects of the company's broader gene therapy pipeline and sees the current valuation of SLDB shares as undervalued, offering significant upside for investors. 🧬