Tag: commercialization
News

BioVentures Podcast Episode 20: TTO to TTO with Arkansas State University

Technology transfer is evolving rapidly, and collaboration between institutions has never been more important. In Episode 20 of the BioVentures Podcast, we welcome Luna Acosta, Director of Technology Transfer at Arkansas State University, for a conversation about the changing landscape of research commercialization and the future of university innovation. Drawing on her experience leading Arkansas State University’s technology transfer efforts, Acosta shares insights into how technology transfer offices are adapting to meet the needs of today’s researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners. The discussion explores how artificial intelligence is beginning to influence research commercialization, why customer discovery has become a critical component of successful innovation, and how strategic partnerships with industry can accelerate the path from discovery to impact. The episode also examines an important shift occurring across the technology transfer profession: moving beyond traditional success metrics such as patent counts to focus on the real-world impact of university innovations. Acosta and the BioVentures team discuss the current funding environment, the lasting importance of the Bayh-Dole Act in supporting innovation, and the role that collaboration among Arkansas institutions plays in strengthening the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Whether you’re a researcher looking to commercialize your work, an entrepreneur interested in university innovation, or a technology transfer professional, this episode offers valuable perspectives on the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of research commercialization. Listen to Episode 20 of the BioVentures Podcast and join the conversation on how collaboration, innovation, and technology transfer are driving meaningful impact across Arkansas and beyond.

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July 28, 2026
Innovation

Licensing Spotlight: From UAMS Research to NuvOx’s NanO₂ Stroke Program

A technology developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and licensed through BioVentures is continuing its path toward the clinic as NanO₂, an investigational oxygen therapeutic being developed by NuvOx Therapeutics for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.  The underlying innovation was discovered by William C. Culp, M.D., Robert D. Skinner, Ph.D., and Evan C. Unger, M.D. and is based on dodecafluoropentane emulsion (DDFPe), a technology designed to enhance oxygen delivery to tissues affected by ischemia. During an ischemic stroke, blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted, depriving brain tissue of the oxygen needed to survive.  Early research at UAMS demonstrated the potential of DDFPe to support oxygen delivery to vulnerable brain tissue in preclinical models of ischemic stroke. These findings led to the development of intellectual property covering the use of DDFPe for stroke and ischemia, which was subsequently licensed to NuvOx Therapeutics through BioVentures.  Since licensing, the technology has continued to advance through both preclinical and clinical development. UAMS investigators evaluated intravenous DDFPe in an early randomized, controlled, dose-escalation clinical trial involving patients with acute ischemic stroke, generating data that supported continued clinical investigation.  Today, NuvOx is evaluating NanO₂ in NOVEL, a Phase IIb clinical trial in the UK with 150 patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion. The study is investigating NanO₂ in combination with standard reperfusion therapy and is designed to evaluate its ability to reduce brain infarct size by improving oxygen delivery to tissue at risk.  While NanO₂ remains an investigational therapy and has not yet been approved for general medical use, its progress illustrates how discoveries made within academic research institutions can evolve into promising therapeutic candidates through intellectual property protection, licensing, and industry partnership.  BioVentures is proud to support the commercialization of innovations that have the potential to improve patient care while translating groundbreaking university research into real-world impact. 

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July 7, 2026
Events

HSE Grand Rounds to Feature Dr. Stefanie Kennon-McGill

Stefanie Kennon-McGill, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager at BioVentures LLC, will be the featured speaker at 2 p.m. Wednesday, August 27, for the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Grand Rounds. The topic will be “Leveraging Commercialization to Further Your Impact.” Join us at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, 10th Floor, Betsy Blass Conference Room.  The UAMS community and public are welcome to attend.

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August 5, 2025