- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Center Creates Accelerator to Help Arkansas Entrepreneurs Get Early-Stage Federal Innovation Funding

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 14:41:35 +0000

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is launching a new accelerator to help more early-stage Arkansas companies tap into SBIR, the highly competitive federal Small Business Innovation Research funding program. Also known as America’s Seed Fund, SBIR and its sister, Small Business Technology Transfer, annually award $2.5 billion in grants and contracts to small firms to pursue the commercial potential of innovative technologies. Companies seeking SBIR funding typically apply multiple times before succeeding. Only were funded in 2017, the most recent year for which statistics are available. ASBTDC’s new Lab2Launch Accelerator will offer step-by-step guidance on every aspect of preparing and submitting a robust SBIR proposal. Led by the center’s Rebecca Todd and Martial Trigeaud, participants will get help with topic selection, budget preparation, writing and editing, market research and more. “Through SBIR, entrepreneurs can build businesses around their scientific passions and get the funding they need to develop cutting-edge products and technologies,” said State Director Laura Fine. “We want to see more SBIR applicants and winners from Arkansas and believe the Lab2Launch Accelerator is a way to accomplish that.” Separate six-week cohorts will focus on different federal agencies. The first will begin in January and focus on the National Institutes of Health. A National Science Foundation cohort will follow in March. To give companies based anywhere in the state an opportunity to take part, they may attend sessions virtually or in person. There is no application fee or cost to participate. To apply, visit . Spots are limited, so interested companies are encouraged to apply early. L2L-Accel is made possible through Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information, contact Todd at (501) 683-7700 or rctodd@ualr.edu. This story was provided by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock researcher studies how nanomaterials can speed healing in bone wounds

Janea Snyder — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 21:05:42 +0000

Dr. Shawn Bourdo, research assistant professor at the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received an $85,500 grant from the (NIH) to study how certain nanomaterials may enhance healing in bone wounds. The project, led by Dr. Madhu Dhar at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will investigate the effect that graphene nanomaterials have on bone cell growth. The team hopes that these nanomaterials will be able to stimulate cell growth to promote tissue and bone healing. Based on the results, the researchers will understand the cell-nanomaterial interaction which will provide clues on how to tailor the nanomaterials for increased cellular response. Eventually, this research may have major benefits for individuals who suffer from bone fractures, trauma, and diseases. “One of the most exciting aspects of the work is that preliminary data shows that these materials can stimulate stem cells to grow into bone cells without any external growth factors,” Bourdo said. “The work we are undertaking will provide some of the first clues as to how graphene-based materials influence the cellular pathways that lead to bone formation.” Bourdo will be joined in his work by an undergraduate student and Dr. Alexandru Biris, director and chief scientist at the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences. This project will provide new research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at both ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, materials chemistry, and veterinary and human medicine. This project is funded through the NIH’s Academic Research Enhancement Award program. The goal of this program is to support meritorious research, enhance opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student researchers, and strengthen the research environment of schools that have not been major recipients of NIH support. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15AR070460. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Contributing Editor: Lydia Perry / Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

NuShores Biosciences receives $1.7 million grant to study bone regeneration technology

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 13:10:30 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock spin-off company, has received a $1.7 million grant to study how NuShores’ bone regeneration technology can be applied in craniofacial tissues. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a component of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded the company a 2.5-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast Track grant to study the NuCress bone filler scaffold’s ability to facilitate dental implants in the jaw. “This NIH award is a direct result of the profound study results in long bone delivered by our research collaborators at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The reviewers were able to clearly see the potential in dental applications for this technology. I’m excited to work with world-class clinicians to study the NuCress scaffold for the future benefit of their patients,” states Sharon Ballard, NuShores’ CEO. The NuCress scaffold is a nanomaterial-based bone regeneration device developed for large segmental defects. This development is led by Dr. Alex Biris, the director and chief scientist of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences and a professor of systems engineering in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “This is a significant win to expand NuShores’ technology, made possible through our university relationships, Arkansas’ small business development infrastructure, and tireless work by a dedicated team. We are grateful,” said Biris.

NuShores Biosciences, LLC

NuShores has partnered with Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine on this grant. If successful, the scaffold will be a transformational tool for surgeons involved in bone regeneration in a variety of fields. Founded in 2014, NuShores has the exclusive, global license from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to commercialize university-owned patented and patent-pending technologies related to the NuCress scaffold. The company has received assistance from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. The NuCress scaffold has already given a number of animals a new lease on life. For example, just last year, it was used at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine to heal Hercules, an alpaca who broke his leg on his ranch in Lebanon, Tennessee, at only 24 hours old. The open wound and exposed bone led to a serious infection, which prevented the bone from healing properly. Against the odds, the scaffold eliminated the infection and completely regenerated the missing bone. Thanks to the NuCress scaffold, Hercules is now a thriving member of his herd. About the SBIR Program The SBIR program involves 11 federal agencies investing more than $3 billion a year in high risk/high payoff research and development conducted by the nation’s leading science-technology innovators. NuShores’ award is known as a Fast Track Grant, where funding occurs when SBIR Phase I and Phase II proposals are peer reviewed at the same time and granted in a single award. This approach expedites funding and research for the companies. Research described in this press release is supported by the National Center for Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R44DE028213-01.

Science Scholars present research at state conference

Janea Snyder — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 17:51:44 +0000

Eight students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock recently presented their research at the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Conference in Fayetteville on Oct. 27-28, 2017. The students were among more than 200 statewide participants. Six of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students are in the Science Scholars program, a scholarship and enrichment program for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics. Two students are members of the Arkansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (LSAMP). The (Arkansas INBRE) is funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program of the National Institutes of Health. The Arkansas INBRE aims to promote biomedical research in Arkansas. “The INBRE conference is the premier undergraduate research conference in STEM in the Tri-state area (Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma),” said Dr. Jim Winter, co-director of the Science Scholars and Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “We are pleased that our students participated and gained a rewarding experience. We look forward to having students present at this conference every year.” The students and their research are as follows: Kassandra Castrillo of Little Rock, an environmental engineering major presented “How to find an internship and maximize the benefits.” Her mentor is Dr. Lashun Thomas in the Environmental Engineering Program, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Courtney Curry of Waldo, a biology major, presented “Examining the antimicrobial activity of doped carbon nanoparticles.” She is mentored by Dr. Nawab Ali, Biology Department, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Jaylen Gregory of Jacksonville, a computer and systems engineering major, presented “The effects of cell phones on the human head.” His mentor is Dr. Hussein Al-Rizzo, Systems Engineering Department, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Kristen Gregory of Jacksonville, a chemistry and biology major, presented “Investigations into the effects of caffeine on cell death in the slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum.” Her mentor is Dr. John Bush, Biology Department, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Lora Heath of Little Rock, a chemistry major, presented “Improving sample collection of flurbiprofen using concentration gradients and size with porous membranes.” Her mentor is Dr. Julie Stenken, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, ��Vlog��ý Fayetteville Paloma Salazar of Little Rock, a chemistry major, presented “Using carbonized algal cells to synthesize copper oxide and split water to produce hydrogen fuel.” Her mentor is Dr. Wei Zhao, Chemistry Department, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Sylvia Szwedo of Little Rock, a chemistry major, presented “Isolating exosomes using tumor-specific antibodies in the serum and abdominal fluid as a step towards an ovarian cancer screening method.” Her mentor is Dr. Karen Abbott, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, ��Vlog��ýMS Nathan Taylor of Cabot, a chemistry major, presented “Analysis of animal kidney stones through infrared spectroscopy.” His mentor is Dr. Russ Summers, Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory In upper right photo are student researchers Nathan Taylor, Sylvia Szwedo, Kassandra Castrillo, Paloma Salazar and Lora Heath with Dr. Jim Winter.

Information Science Department receives over $260,000 to support ��Vlog��ýMS bioinformatics research program

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 18:36:49 +0000

The Department of Information Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received more than $260,000 to continue its partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (��Vlog��ýMS). This partnership supports the Bioinformatics Core of the Arkansas IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. Awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this grant is active for five years. The total funding for the five-year period is over $1.3 million. The Bioinformatics Core supports students, faculty, and researchers throughout the state and region with technology, education, training, and services related to biomedical research. Bioinformatics is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the development of software, methods, and tools to interpret and analyze biological data such as genetic codes, proteins, and molecular structures. The Bioinformatics Core primarily supports the joint ��Vlog��ý Little Rock/��Vlog��ýMS Graduate Program in Bioinformatics. The graduate program began officially in 2004 directly from Arkansas INBRE funding and offers two graduate degrees in bioinformatics. The Bioinformatics Core also supports activities of the MidSouth Bioinformatics Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. This center provides consulting services, computational resources, skills workshops, reference library, and online knowledge base to students, faculty, and researchers. The center also provides graduate assistantships. Some of these assistantships are sponsored by Arkansas INBRE, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and the ��Vlog��ýMS College of Medicine. Additionally, the Bioinformatics Core supports undergraduate faculty researchers sponsored by Arkansas INBRE who concentrate on bioinformatics research. Dr. Elizabeth Pierce, chair of the Department of Information Science and principal investigator of the grant, is dedicated to providing opportunities to students in this field. “Today, more than ever, bioinformatics is critical for anyone interested in a career in the life sciences,” Pierce said. “Whether it involves medicine, climate, environment, animals, plants, food, or forensics, these areas are generating genomic data at an astonishing rate. Helping people to master the tools and techniques for working with this massive bio data is a critical goal of this grant.” Through the Bioinformatics Core, the center provides technical and strategic support to the , a regional society founded by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor Dr. Steve Jennings. Arkansas INBRE is funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the NIH Institutional Development Award Program. This program was established to broaden the geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical and behavioral research. Currently, this program supports INBRE programs in 23 states and Puerto Rico.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor researches enhanced cancer therapy

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 13:45:11 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor is making strides toward developing an effective cancer treatment without the severe side effects of traditional therapies. Dr. Darin Jones, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock associate professor of chemistry, envisions a day when patients can battle cancer without chemotherapy side effects such as hair loss, muscle atrophy, and compromised immune systems. “We are developing a therapy that targets and kills tumor cells, which is unique compared to today’s therapies that are based on nonselective, toxic chemotherapy options,” Jones said. In partnership with Dr. John Tainer from the University of Texas, Jones received a five-year grant of $795,683 from the National Institutes of Health in 2016. They are also collaborating with Dr. Zamal Ahmed at MD Anderson Cancer Institute. “Most chemotherapeutic agents as well as radiation therapy kill cancer cells by inducing DNA damage,” Jones said. “They do so in an indiscriminate manner. If the cancer cell is able to repair the damage, the cancer cell survives and perpetuates the disease.” Within the human body, there are a variety of proteins that cause cells to repair damage to DNA. They are known as DNA repair proteins. Jones and his colleagues are designing and preparing small molecules that prevent these proteins from “turning on the DNA repair process.” “By blocking the DNA repair process, the damaged DNA is not repaired, which results in the death of cancer cells,” Jones said.

Dr. Darin Jones stands in front of a projected image of the crystal structure of the enzyme he is studying to develop an effective cancer treatment without the severe side effects of traditional therapies. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

In currently available hormonal cancer therapy, doctors rely on proteins present in the patient’s body. If the patient does not have the necessary protein receptors, the cancer treatment will not work, and its effectiveness could fade over time if a patient were to go into remission and then later develop cancer, Jones said. Research by Jones and Tainer could provide more options. What makes their research unique is that patients would not need to have a protein receptor in order to receive the treatment. “If we are successful, it would represent a brand new paradigm in cancer therapy research,” Jones said. Tainer, who is testing the medicine in this form of therapy, is excited to work with Jones on the project. “Without a doubt, the creative chemistry from Dr. Jones is the heart of the project and what is driving its success,” Tainer said. Jones has an extensive background in cancer therapy research. Before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, he was a senior scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine and the senior principal scientist and research scientist at Pfizer, a prominent pharmaceutical company. In 2014, Jones received national attention for his research into dehydroleucodine, a molecule found in Ecuadorian plants. Jones thinks the molecule, often used as an anti-inflammatory and treatment for skin infections, could one day form the basis of a treatment for leukemia.

State small business center holds webinars for life-science researchers and entrepreneurs

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 14:15:27 +0000

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a series of designed to help life-sciences researchers and entrepreneurs interested in technology commercialization. ASBTDC has invited four guest experts to lead the webinars beginning Tuesday, Feb. 7. The first webinars focus on the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. NIH’s Rob Vinson will introduce the federal funding programs on Feb. 7. On Thursday, Feb. 9, Dr. Nancy Gray, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences BioVentures director, will share best practices for university researchers looking to start their own spin-off companies. In a two-part series on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Thursday, Feb. 16, Dr., former SBIR/STTR program manager at the agency and now CEO of bioPrime, will go deeper into the National Institutes of Health SBIR/STTR application process. Finally, Jeff Skiba, a professional medical device and business consultant, will lead a four-part series starting Tuesday, Feb. 21, on navigating the FDA approval process. Skiba will identify the strategic steps to consider during new research and development to ensure a company’s processes effectively align with FDA’s approved standards. The three additional webinars will take place on Feb. 28, March 7, and March 14. The events are funded by a $200,000 grant ASBTDC received last year from the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program from the U.S. Small Business Administration to support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses. For more information, contact Rebecca Norman at 501.683.7700 or visit the to register for a classroom or webinar training event: (). About the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration through a partnership with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business and other institutions of higher education. The center assists startups, existing businesses, expanding businesses, and innovation-based businesses statewide. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock