In The News

An easy-to-use, self-administered blood test that quickly could evaluate a person’s radiation exposure would help triage emergency medical treatment in the event of a radiological or nuclear event. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services long has sought ways to monitor a population’s radiation

Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of Estee Lauder, called Cancer Center founder David Alberts in 2016, asking questions about ovarian cancer treatment. Alberts says Lauder told him a longtime family friend needed help fighting it. Albert's team responded by researching a successful treatment that put the

With support from a grant from the National Institute on Aging, researchers will test a novel intervention that uses near-infrared light to enhance brain function and fight cognitive decline.

Director of the UA Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, UA COM-T professor, and BIO5 member Dr. Marvin Slepian, has introduced a high-tech device that could change the way we help track, treat, and prevent disease. Manufactured by a company in Boston, BioStamp is a skin patch sensor that

A group of UAHS researchers including BIO5 members Drs. Rick Schnellmann, Roberta Brinton, Todd Vanderah, Monica Kraft, Scott Boitano, Andrew Capaldi, Michael Worobey, Louise Hecker, and Julie Ledford participated in the “Discovering New Medicines in Arizona” one-day summit, hosted by the AZ Center for Drug Discovery and the UA Cancer Center. The event sought to highlight key areas of research that seek to treat diseases prevalent in Arizona while establishing collaborations that enable success for future research and discoveries.

Researchers, including UA COM-T Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine professor and BIO5 faculty member Dr. Donata Vercelli, are beginning to explore the various ways that microbes in the soil might protect us and benefit our health. This marks a turning point in soil research, as scientists used to hold the belief that soil is nothing more than a matrix to hold plants and minerals.

People who suffer catastrophic breaks to their long leg bones usually face multiple surgeries, and all too often, amputation. UA COM-T Scientists, led by Orthopedic Surgery professor and BIO5 member Dr. John Szivek, have been working for more than 20 years to improve the treatment protocol by developing

Leading experts including UA Pharmacology and Toxicology assistant professor and BIO5 member Dr. Jun Wang, say understanding how the influenza virus replicates inside the body helps researchers develop a wider range of antiviral drugs. After finding medication resistant mutations within multiple flu viruses, Dr. Wang and other research teams across the globe, are looking to develop new drugs to target them.

Dr. Laura Meredith, rain forest science director for Biosphere 2 and BIO5 member, is one of the leaders of a four-month-long drought study. the aim of the research is to learn about how a hotter, drier future will alter tropical rain forest ecosystems. This European Research Council grant funded study will use Biosphere 2’s unique ability to control model ecosystems to collect data about multiple rain forest climates.

The demand for potable and irrigation water has never been greater, and as such methods are being developed so new plant cultivars, farming technology, and irrigation can draw more out of arable land. UA Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering professor and BIO5 faculty member Dr. Joel Cuello, has developed the Vertical-Hive (V-Hive) Green Box, an indoor vertical modular growth system. The V-Hive reduces water consumption by 80 to 90 percent compared to traditional field farming.

Dr. Irving Kron, a BIO5 member, professor of surgery with the UA College of Medicine - Tucson, and senior associate vice president for UA Health Sciences, has been named the new contact principal investigator (PI) for the UA Health Sciences and Banner Health 'All of Us' research program and precision medicine initiative. In his new role, Dr. Kron will lead the multiple UA and Banner Health established PI leadership teams, which include a team led by fellow BIO5 member Dr. Eric Reiman.

The deadly swollen shoot disease is ravaging cocoa trees across West Africa, where about three-quarters of the world’s cocoa is grown. The disease was identified nearly a century ago, yet scientists, including BIO5 researcher and professor in the UA School of Plant Sciences Dr. Judith Brown, say a cure is years away and early detection methods are only just being introduced. The severity of this devastating disease has been muted, as the Ivory Coast experienced a record cocoa crop year.

A team led by The BIO5 Institute's Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science, received the multi-million dollar grant from the National Institute on Aging. The five-year grant will fund a national multi-site Phase 2 clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of allopregnanalone, or allo, as a treatment for individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s who carry the genetic risk factor for the disease. This award supports the goals of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act.

The use of new technologies and automation raises questions about the impact on the job market and their respective hacking vulnerabilities. Dr. Larry Head, BIO5 faculty member and professor of Systems and Industrial Engineering at UA, discusses the importance of consumers doing research about the safety of autonomous vehicles before using them. 

Scientists lead by The BIO5 Institute's Dr. Michael Worobey at the University of Arizona were able to extract from the tissue a nearly complete genetic sequence of an HIV virus — the oldest nearly full-length genetic code for an HIV-1 virus recovered thus far, and one that supports the theory that the virus that causes AIDS began to transmit among people within the first decade or two of the 20th century.

A new program to support veterans studying in a STEM field is launching at the University of Arizona. Dr. Michael Marty, UA assistant professor of chemistry and member of The BIO5 Institute, started researching veterans participation in STEM fields after retired Lt. Col. James Rohrbough joined Marty's lab as a staff scientist.

The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship recognizes outstanding postdoctoral researchers at the University of Arizona who are engaging in multi-disciplinary research projects aligned with the foci of the BIO5 Institute. These grants are specifically designed to support and enhance the independent research goals of BIO5 postdoctoral researchers, showcase their research at a BIO5 Research Symposium via short talks and/or poster sessions, and to facilitate a “forward thinking” mindset by requiring each fellow to form a three-member mentoring committee.

As his term as interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost comes to a close, BIO5 faculty member and newly appointed Dean Emeritus Dr. Jeff Goldberg, reflects on his 34 years at UA. Dr. Goldberg’s journey at the University will continue as a half-time adviser to the president, working on the campus master plan, and supporting development and mentoring strategies.