Tag: UAMS
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
Podcast

New BioVentures Podcast Episode Features Dr. Marie Burdine’s Research on Kidney Transplant Outcomes

BioVentures has released a new podcast episode featuring Dr. Marie Burdine, a member of the most recent AR Health Ventures Accelerator cohort. In the episode, she discusses her team’s research on a drug designed to reduce delayed graft function (DGF), a complication that can occur following kidney transplantation. DGF affects approximately 30% of kidney transplant recipients and is often associated with damage to donor kidneys during transport. Dr. Burdine’s team is evaluating whether adding the drug to organ preservation solutions can reduce injury and improve recovery after transplantation using a preclinical pig transplant model. According to the discussion, early findings indicate faster recovery of kidney function and reduced tissue injury. The research aims to improve transplant outcomes and increase the number of donor organs suitable for transplantation.

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June 11, 2026
Events

HSIE Grand Rounds to Feature Jeff Moran

Jeff Moran, Ph.D., CEO of PinPoint Testing LLC, will be the featured speaker at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026, for the Health Sciences Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HSIE) Grand Rounds. His presentation, From Concept to Venture: Building Entrepreneurial Success from the Ground Up, will explore the process of translating ideas into successful ventures, drawing on his extensive experience in analytical toxicology and public health laboratory leadership.  Join us at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 10th Floor, Betsy Blass Boardroom.  The UAMS community and the public are welcome to attend. 

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April 23, 2026
Innovation

Invention Spotlight: Novel Approach to Protein Aggregation in Neurodegenerative Disease

Congratulations to UAMS inventors Dr. Robert Reis, Dr. Peter Crooks and Dr. Srinivas Ayyadevara on the issuance of a new patent for a promising approach to targeting protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease.   Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease are often linked by one major biological challenge: the buildup of toxic protein aggregates in the brain and central nervous system. While many therapies focus on managing symptoms or addressing downstream effects, there remains a significant need for approaches that target protein aggregation more directly.  This newly issued patent covers methods using combretastatin-A4 (CA4) and related analogs to prevent or reduce protein aggregation through compounds that bind glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The technology represents a new therapeutic direction for aggregation-associated disorders and suggests a potential disease-modifying strategy across multiple neurodegenerative indications.  Preclinical studies described in the patent showed encouraging findings across several model systems, including reductions in aggregate burden, decreases in amyloid accumulation, improved disease-related phenotypes, and lifespan extension in nematode models. Together, these results support the potential of a CA4-based platform as a differentiated approach for targeting protein-aggregation pathology in the central nervous system.  Inventors  Peter Crooks, M.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc. (Manc), FRSC, FRPharmS, CSci, CChem, Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  Robert Reis, Ph.D., Professor at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  Srinivas Ayyadevara, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  

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March 25, 2026