Arizona Bioscience News: New ASU Biodesign building finished; UA licenses possible Alzheimer’s drugs; AZ students advance to int’l science fair

April 26, 2018

By brianpowell

Construction finishes on ASU Biodesign Institute Building C / AZ Big Media

Construction was completed on Arizona State University’s $120 million Biodesign Institute Building C, a 188,000-square-foot research facility that will add needed laboratory space and house the world’s first compact X-ray free-electron laser when it officially opens in September. Read also: What we saw at the Biodesign Institute’s latest media day

UA licenses possible Alzheimer’s drugs in busy week for biotechnology / Arizona Daily Star

The University of Arizona has licensed compounds to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s to Iluminos Therapeutics, a startup founded by faculty from UA and Arizona State University, who developed the drugs in a collaboration that also involved the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

How Grand Canyon University is quietly growing its STEM program / Phoenix Business Journal

At a time when Grand Canyon University is preparing to revert back to nonprofit status — which means faculty will be able to tap into federal research funding — the university is growing its STEM programs.

Catalyst: Turning a killer virus into a cure for cancer / Arizona PBS

This episode shows researchers at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute exploring new ways viruses can be used to help treat serious diseases.

A dozen Arizona students advance to International Science and Engineering Fair / Arizona Daily Star

A dozen Arizona students who took top honors in the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Fair, which drew 6,807 students from across the state, are advancing to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Flinn Foundation CEO sees huge growth in Arizona’s bioscience sector / Phoenix Business Journal

Tammy McLeod, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation, answers questions about the current state of Arizona’s bioscience sector and identifies Arizona’s biggest selling points for attracting bioscience companies.

Genes could determine workouts of the future: ASU and TGen study / State Press

The future of exercise could be customized based on your genes, according to a study by Arizona State University and Translational Genomics Research Institute researchers, who used RNA sequencing to examine thousands of unique RNA molecules.

UA student heads to DC to showcase research on opioid alternatives / Tucson News Now

Lindsey Chew, a University of Arizona senior, was the only Arizona student chosen for the Posters on the Hill trip to Washington D.C. where she presented research on non-opioid pain-relief drugs.

UA study examines how brain rewires itself to cope with rare dementia / KJZZ

A team of researchers at University of Arizona and the University of Toronto have published a study of a rare dementia called primary progressive aphasia, or PPA, which linked improved patient outcomes to the brain’s capacity to “recruit” other areas of the brain to make up for their deficits.