Dr. Sadasivan Vidyasagar, Associate Professor at University of Florida, and entrinsic bioscience CEO Stephen Gatto, Receive University of Florida’s ‘Invention of the Year 2020’ Award
UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech resident client entrinsic bioscience (EBS), a company pioneering a next-generation protein modulation technology, announced that its co-founder, Dr. Sadasivan (Sagar) Vidyasagar, an associate professor at the University of Florida, and entrinsic bioscience’s CEO, Stephen Gatto, received the “Invention of the Year 2020” Award from UF Innovate | Tech Licensing for their novel amino-acid technology that targets Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), the major cause of death in COVID-19 patients. The annual award recognizes groundbreaking inventions that are poised to make valuable impacts on society.
“During ARDS pathogenesis, which is one of the major causes of death in COVID-19 patients, the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) function is impaired, leading to lung inflammation and fluid accumulation. Current available treatment options are limited to ventilators, which can cause irreversible damage to the epithelial barrier, further impairing ENaC function and increasing fluid accumulation,” said Dr. Vidyasagar.