Arizona Bioscience News: Bio startups win Innovation Challenge; AZ researchers hunt West Nile virus; Tucson’s NuvOx Pharma expanding

December 12, 2019

By Matt Ellsworth

See the 10 startups that won the Fall 2019 Arizona Innovation Challenge / Phoenix Business Journal

Arizona bioscience startups were among the 10 winners of the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Fall 2019 Innovation Challenge and are eligible for up to $150,000 in funding as the companies reach certain milestones.


Arizona researchers turn to mosquito DNA in their hunt for the sources of West Nile virus / Arizona Republic

Researchers from Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute are turning to mosquito DNA to hunt the sources of West Nile virus, which has become a permanent part of Arizona’s ecosystem.


Drug startup expanding to add production line / Arizona Daily Star

NuvOx Pharma, a Tucson startup founded by a University of Arizona radiologist that manufactures patented drug compounds for clinical trials, is breaking ground on an 18,000-square-foot addition to its longtime headquarters near downtown to house a modular clean room manufacturing facility.


Arizona dementia doctor uses virtual reality to help teach empathy to students / KJZZ

An Arizona doctor is using virtual reality to help younger people understand what it’s like to have dementia—and encourage them to pursue careers in the aging and dementia fields.


Here’s where healthcare construction is booming in Arizona / AZ Big Media

Hospitals and outpatient care facilities are being built throughout the Phoenix area by the region’s major hospitals and health systems.
Read more: Hospice group to embark on $25M Phoenix campus


Reassessment of Alzheimer’s drug raises hope—and concerns / Scientific American

Biogen acknowledges it made a mistake back in March when it stopped a pair of trials of an experimental Alzheimer’s drug, as a deep analysis of the data suggests aducanumab did make a difference for patients who took the highest dose for the longest period of time—but only in one of two studies.


My View: Why it’s time to extend the Angel Investment Tax Credit / Phoenix Business Journal (Op-ed)

Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, writes that re-authorization of the Angel Investment Tax Credit program beyond 2021 is necessary to continue the infusion of investment in the startup community.


Sign up to receive Arizona Bioscience News weekly