BioVentures presented its Innovation Awards during the 2026 UAMS Student Research Day, recognizing students whose research reflects creativity, scientific excellence, and an interest in translational science.
Student Research Day is an annual event that highlights the breadth of research being conducted across UAMS. The event brings together graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical house staff/fellows to share their work through poster presentations and to engage with faculty, researchers, and peers across the institution.
The BioVentures Innovation Awards recognize projects that demonstrate innovative thinking and research with the potential to contribute to future translational applications in medicine and health.
This year’s award recipients were:
- Ric Anloague: Osteocyte-Derived FGF23 is a Novel Target to Treat Multiple Myeloma
- Md Rafikul Islam: Antisense Oligonucleotide–Mediated Correction of Oncogenic Splicing in Cancer
- Eva Palmer: Design and Synthesis of Novel LSD1/EZH2 Dual Inhibitors for Synergistic Anticancer Activity
- Madison Allen: Development and Testing of a Novel Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Based Tool for Quantifying Local Lung Tissue Strain
- Nicole Hooten: Investigating the Use of DNA-PKcs Inhibitors for Melanoma Therapy
- Russell Rainwater: Novel therapy for prevention of delayed graft function in kidney transplantation.
- Daniel Armstrong: Discovery of DNA-PKcs Inhibitors as Immunosuppressants for Graft Rejection
- Emmanuela Beliard: Non-Invasive Hypoxia Detection in Circulating Exosomes
- Pooja Ghai: Exploring the G-quadruplex Probe, BG4, as a Flow Cytometry Diagnostic Tool in Cancer
- Luke Enemark: iscovery of novel 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as BRK/PTK6 inhibitors
BioVentures congratulates these students for their outstanding work and innovative approach to research. Their projects reflect the importance of early-stage scientific discovery and the role it can play in shaping future advances in medicine, diagnostics, and healthcare technologies.
Through initiatives like the BioVentures Innovation Awards, the office aims to encourage a spirit of innovation and highlight the potential of student-led research to contribute to the broader biomedical innovation ecosystem.
