Tag: Cancer
Blog

BioVentures Supports UAMS M1 Students in PCAR Summer Program

BioVentures supported University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) first-year medical students this summer through the Partnership in Cancer Research (PCAR) program. Over eight weeks, participants worked in multidisciplinary teams to address real-world challenges in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or survivorship. The program culminated in entrepreneurial pitch presentations to a panel of judges. Three BioVentures team members served as mentors, advising students on refining problem statements, assessing market opportunities, and developing business models. Another team member participated as a judge, providing feedback from a commercialization perspective. The collaboration aimed to foster entrepreneurial thinking, highlight the role of innovation in cancer care, and encourage future clinician-innovators at UAMS. This initiative reflects BioVentures’ ongoing commitment to advancing healthcare entrepreneurship and translating research into real-world impact.

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August 5, 2025
News

A New Antibody Detects a Hidden Cancer Signal 

Newly granted patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,281,171 B2, “Periostin Antibodies and Methods of Using the Same” What’s the problem? Some cancers create a unique “signal” by adding a rare sugar modification to proteins like periostin. This tumor-specific marker could help identify and target cancer, but it’s extremely difficult to detect. Traditional tools often miss it because these sugar structures are hard for the immune system to recognize.  What does this technology do? This patent covers a new monoclonal antibody, C9, that targets the sugar marker not the whole protein. Using samples from ovarian cancer patients, inventors at UAMS identified an antibody that binds precisely to this cancer-specific structure. In mouse models, this C9 antibody successfully located and attached to tumors, showing strong potential for cancer imaging and targeted treatment. 

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August 5, 2025