BIO5 Institute showcases research impact at Fuel Wonder Phoenix

The University of Arizona BIO5 Institute participated in  Fuel Wonder Phoenix, an event designed to highlight the university’s excellence, impact, and innovation.   

Through our interactive booth, From Inspiration to Innovation: The BIO5 Journey, we showcased the transformative power of bioscience research and workforce development. 

A highlight of the booth was the attendance of two BIO5’s KEYS Research Internship alumni, Maria Sunisha Sunil (KEYS '24) and Adam Bedeir (KEYS ‘23). Both students presented their KEYS research posters and shared how their internship experience continues to shape their academic and professional journeys in science. 

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Attendees also explored device prototypes developed by BIO5 researchers in collaboration with the  BIO5 Biomedical Device Prototyping Service, including BIO5 director Jennifer Barton's falloposcope, a groundbreaking imaging device for early ovarian cancer detection. 

Adding to the immersive experience, BIO5 member Shirin Doroudgar, assistant professor of internal medicine at the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix, engaged visitors with her research on heart health. “It was an incredible experience,” she said.  

Doroudgar brought lab-grown human heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes, which were derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs are special cells that are reprogrammed from adult cells—like skin or blood cells—back into a stem cell-like state, allowing them to develop into different types of human cells, including heart cells. 

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Using a microscope, attendees could see these heart cells beating in real-time, just like they would in a living heart. 

She displayed models of the human heart to illustrate different conditions, including a healthy heart, a heart attack, and the progression to heart failure and brought cardiomyocytes that had experienced a "heart attack in a dish," which mimics the effects of oxygen and nutrient loss on the heart. 

This is one of the key disease models Doroudgar studies in her lab to understand how heart cells respond to stress and regulate heart function. 

“Our research focuses on how heart cells maintain balance in their proteins—known as protein homeostasis—because keeping proteins in good shape is essential for heart health,” Doroudgar said. “To illustrate this, I showed a 3D computer-generated animation of how proteins misfold when cells experience low oxygen and energy levels, like during a heart attack. Understanding these cellular responses could help lead to new treatments for heart disease.” 

During the event program, Barton took the stage to introduce the BIO5 "Wonder Station," emphasizing the institute’s role in advancing research and workforce development. Her remarks followed those of  Tomas Díaz de la Rubia, University of Arizona senior vice president for research, who set the stage for the evening by highlighting the university’s broad research impact. 

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Through our presence at Fuel Wonder Phoenix, the BIO5 Institute reinforced its commitment to fostering innovation, engaging the community, and inspiring the next generation of scientists, in part thanks to philanthropic funding.