Contents

The following technologies are the newest among University of Florida technologies handpicked for companies meeting with UF Innovate staff at BIO International 2024.

ONCOLOGY
IMMUNOTHERAPY
METABOLIC DISEASES
RNA THERAPEUTICS
AUTOIMMUNE
GENE & CELL THERAPY
GENE REGULATION/EDITING
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE
PAIN, INFLAMMATION
AGING, SARCOPENIA, FIBROSIS
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
MEDICAL DEVICES
AG BIOTECH
VETERINARY
MICROBIOME
AI/DIGITAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES
STARTUP SHOWCASE
ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY

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ONCOLOGY

CRBN-Recruiting Bcl-xL/Bcl-2 Dual Degraders
T18863, T19119

• Novel PROTACs designed to reduce platelet toxicity
• Potency increased 10x from previous generation

METTL3/METTL14 Degraders
T19172

• The bifunctional molecules are optimized to bind both METTL3/METTL14 and a ubiquitin E3 ligase (e.g., VHL and CRBN), recruiting the E3 ligase to the vicinity of METTL3/METTL14 for polyubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation.
• PROV filed 1-2024

Bifunctional TEAD Degraders
T19168

• A series of bifunctional TEAD Degraders (PROTACs)
• PROV filed 1-2024

YAP-TEAD – Covalent Inhibitors Targeting Lipid Binding Pocket of TEAD
T18983

• YAP and TEAD2 are prognostic factors for hepatocellular carcinoma
• Two chemical scaffolds; lead compound identified
• Xenograft data (Huh7)

PRMT5 Inhibitors Targeting MTAP Deleted Cancers
T19011, T19077

• PRMT5 symmetrically di-methylates arginine residues and is overexpressed in tumors
• PRMT5 inhibition is effective in MTAP deleted cancers due to increased MTA concentrations, which sensitize the MTAP -/- cells to inhibition
• PRMT5 inhibitors need to work cooperatively with MTA
• Two targets identified with triple negative breast cancer

HDAC8 Degraders
T19287

• Selective PROTAC degraders of histone deacetylase 8, not dependent on co-factors for enzymatic activity

Gatorbulin Analogues
T19208

• Analogues of a natural product that affect tubulin polymerization and have anti-proliferative activity
• Better solubility than paclitaxel

Bebi Therapeutics Company – See Startup Showcase

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IMMUNOTHERAPY

Using Lair 1 Blockade for Cancer Immunotherapy (As Mono or Combination Therapy)
T18291

• Method of treating checkpoint inhibitor blockade therapy resistant cancer, such as GBM, with an anti-LAIR-1 antibody
• LAIR-1 is strongly associated with negative immune checkpoints in GBM
• Administration of anti-LAIR-1 antibody reversed myeloid-derived suppressor cell mediated T-cell suppression in vivo
• Anti-LAIR-1 antibody treatment in a PD-1 blockage-resistant GBM mouse model, showed positive outcomes both alone and in combination with CAR-T therapy. Including synergistic effects with anti-LAIR-1 and CAR-T therapy, reduced tumor growth and increased survival time

Bacterial Vesicle (BV) for Ex Vivo Priming of NK Cells for Use in Adoptive Transfer and As In Situ Vaccination (ISV)
T19013

• Bacterial extracellular vesicles from gram-negative bacteria are introduced to NK cells to activate them for use in chemotherapy

Fibroblast Growth Factor 7 Peptide (FGF7-P)
T18168

• Blocks cyclophosphamide inducing apoptosis in urothelial tissue in cancer patients
• Repairs cyclophosphamide damaged urothelial tissue
• Equal strength as full length FGF7
• Longer shelf life compared to full length FGF7
• Cheaper to synthesize than full length FGF7

Disease-Specific Antibodies

• S-T00345: “Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Multiple Myeloma Cell Surface Antigens”
• S-T00363: “Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Acute Myeloid Leukemia Antigens”
• S-T00319: “Singlec-6 Antibodies, Derivatives Molecules and Related Uses”
• S-T00191: ROR2 antibody compositions

Improved Salmonella Vectored Therapies for Treatment of Cancer
T18755

• Salmonella has the ability to regress tumors because of its natural toxicity and can also be used as a vector to deliver other anti-cancer molecules including cytotoxic agents
• Created a genetically modified Salmonella cell that encodes a gene product to target a specific cancer cell and a second gene product that kills the target cell following internalization
• Demonstrated POC with a mouse model of bladder cancer

Genetically Encoded Safety Switch for Transplanted Stem Cell-Derived Cells
T19429

• A safety switch to remove unwanted cells
• Engineers a stem cell or T cell with a surface protein (CAR antigen or other cell surface reporter/molecule) so that the cell can be switched off in the case of cancer or viral infection

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METABOLIC DISEASES

Combinatorial Genetic Engineering Approach for Targeted Immune Protection of Stem Cell-Derived Beta Cells by CAR Tregs For Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
T19177

• Immune suppression via engineered hPSC stem cells
• Demonstrated for T1D
• Can be used for immune suppression of any stem-cell-derived tissues

Polycaprolactone Nanocapsules as a Tailorable Drug Delivery Platform to Specifically Targeted Human Pancreatic Beta Cells
T19224

• Nanocapsules can be fine-tuned for drug release time scales of hours to months
• Novel formulation that allows facile and interchangeable attachment of surface molecules, including antibodies and peptides
• Ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs for controlled release
• Provides a novel mechanism to target the islet beta cell for delivery of therapeutics

Novel Synthetic ERR Agonists II
T19201

• High affinity ERR Agonists
• Effective in models of heart failure, metabolic disease, and cognitive dysfunction
  

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RNA THERAPEUTICS

A Small Molecule Targeting Oncogenic Pre-miR-21 and Their Use in the Treatment of Cancers
S-T00007

• Design of small molecules that inhibit pre-cursor to oncogenic micro RNA-21 (pre-miR-2)
• Inhibitor with a novel mode of action (MOA) – cleavage of the transcript
• The compound inhibits breast cancer metastasis to lung

Targeted Degradation of the Oncogenic microRNA 17–92 Cluster by Structure-Targeting Ligands
S-T00008

• A specific dimer  to target three miRNAs in the cluster, miR-17, miR-18a, and miR-20a, to inhibit their biogenesis
• Direct cleavage by  recruiting an endogenous nuclease, or a ribonuclease targeting chimera (RIBOTAC)
• The compound selectively reduced levels  in  polycystic kidney disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer

Conversion of a Biologically Silent miRNA Binding Small Molecule to an miRNA Degrader
S-T00010

• Drugging of RNA via antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small molecules
• Efficacy limitations on the efficiency of ASO binding
• Biologically silent binding small molecule-mRNA have been conjugated with an RNase activator to degrade the RNA motif and negate its bioactivity

Targeted RNA Degradation Allows Precision Repurposing of Protein-Targeted Small Molecule Medicine to RNA
S-T00009

• Repurposing of medicines has potential to accelerate treatments to patients
• RNA is considered nearly impossible to target directly with small molecules
• Dovitinib,  targets receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and  binds to a functional site in the oncogenic microRNA precursor, pre-miR-21, inhibiting its processing
• A RIBOTAC of Dovitinib shifted the selectivity to pre-miR-21 by 2500-fold
• Targeted degradation affected the progression of  metastasis of breast cancer and Alport syndrome, a genetically defined disease of the kidney

Defining Small Molecule Fragment Binding Transcriptome-Wide
S-T00337

• A ribonuclease targeting chimera (RIBOTAC) to degrade QSOX1-mediated phenotypes in cancer cells such as triple negative breast cancer

miRNA Switches for RNA-Triggered Control of RNA Interference
T18989

• A group of Orthogonal RNA Interference induced by Trigger RNA (ORIENTR) that can be switched on by cognate RNA triggers to induce RNAi in human cells
• ORIENTR devices act as signal transducers between input RNA trigger and output microRNA (miRNA) to induce RNAi

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AUTOIMMUNE

Use of Synthetic Mucus to Reduce Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
T19304

• Improving gut barrier function and reducing intestinal permeability
• Administer ultra-high molecular weight polymers as synthetic mucus to reduce microbes contact with epithelium

Dissociated Glucocorticoids With Improved Effects in Skeletal Muscle
S-T00253

• Two novel glucocorticoids with reduced side effects
• Used to treat various inflammatory and autoimmune conditions effectively
• One of the compounds shows promise in treating cachexia

REV-ERB Agonists
S-T00293, S-T00322

• Treatment of TH17-mediated autoimmune and inflammatory disorders
• MS, psoriasis, IBD
• In vivo testing in EAE and psoriasis models
• Pre-clinical candidate selection

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GENE & CELL THERAPY

Modified Arrestin-1 to Enhance Photoreceptor Survival in Retinal Disease
T17972

• Modified Arrestin-1 delivered to retina with AAV
• Modified Arrestin-1 binds enolcase-1 without reducing inhibitory effect of enolase-1, an advantage over native protein
• Slows retinal degeneration, slows loss of photoreceptor ERG function, improves photoreceptor survival
• Murine model of retinitis pigmentosa

A Novel Therapeutic for the Treatment of Lewy Body Diseases (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s)
T16961

• Adoptive cellular therapy vaccine
• Activates immune system to reduce misfolded proteins
• Early-stage use prevents development of severe disease
• No auto-immune response

Personalized Slow-Cycling Tumor RNA-Based Nanoparticle Vaccine to Treat Cancer
T17154

• For the treatment of resistant cancers
• Universal vaccine for various tumors
• Engaging the patient’s immune system
• Overcoming intra-tumoral and systemic immune suppression

Re-Establishing Immune Tolerance Using for Multiple Sclerosis
T15158

• Re-establishes immune tolerance, reducing need for long-term therapies and increasing patient comfort and ease of treatment
• Enables the patient’s own immune system to generate the unique immune regulatory T-Cells specifically needed, permitting a universally applicable treatment
• AAV gene therapy to have the body make the specific regulatory T-cells needed to regulate immune tolerance
• MS Mouse movie

Micro-Utrophin/Dystrophin Chimeric Constructs
T18610

• DMD AAV gene therapy
• Different mutations and deletions in dystrophin can cause a patient to have an immune response against expressed micro-dystrophin
• These dystrophin chimeras are designed to avoid neoantigen presentation for a wide range of known dystrophin mutations, reducing potential immune response

AAV Capsid Variants for Gene Therapy
T17862

• Novel AAV variants that alter the tropisms and improve the transduction efficiency
• Targeting of skeletal and cardiac muscle over liver
• Transfection efficiency improved; lower dose required
• NHP study beginning soon

Countering Obesity in Companion Animals and People with Gene Therapy
T18452

• Combines administration of GDF15 and a myostatin inhibitor, treating obesity while preventing loss of muscle mass
• Mice lose adipose tissue while maintaining lean mass, making it a potential therapy for companion animals and humans
• Different vectors can serve as delivery vehicles, including adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors

Compositions, Methods and Expertise in Designing and Improving Capsid Variants Targeting Specific Therapeutic Targets

• Methods of capsid design and directed evolution
• Capsid libraries to AAV3B and AAV5
• Immune Evasion Capsid variants for AAV3B, AAV9, and AAVrh.10
• Capsid variant technologies that targeting human glioblastoma cells and improve cellular transduction

Engineering AAV Vectors With Improved CNS Targeting
T18503

• AAV capsids expressing protein that attaches to neuronal cell adhesion molecule-bound proteins
• In vitro data available for AAV1 serotype; technology applicable to other serotypes

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GENE REGULATION/EDITING

Portfolio of Technologies: Novel Compositions and Improvements to CRISPR/Cas12 Systems

• Ability to detect small molecules and proteins
• Sensitivity of nucleic acid detection
• PAMless detection of nucleic acids
• RNA detection without reverse transcription, thermal stability and new functions
• Novel isothermal  Cas12 based amplificaiton methods  that allow for one-pot point of care applications, including diagnosis of cancer and infectious disease

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INFECTIOUS DISEASE

DHCR7 Gene Inhibition as a Treatment for Sepsis
T18929; T19264

• Improving poor outcome of sepsis patients and identifying HYPO sepsis patients
• DHCR7 gene downregulation gives complete reversal of sepsis
• Novel therapeutic to treat sepsis

Phage Therapy With a Unique Cocktail of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lytic Phages
T19036

• Selected five novel lytic phages to use in a combination to treat multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa infections
• For treatment of nosocomial pneumonia, urinary tract and wound infections

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CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE

Bacterial Strains as Probiotics to Prevent Neurodevelopmental Disorders
T19297

• Equol-producing bacteria
• Autism spectrum disorder up to 19 years old
• Infant gut microbiome associated with later-diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders

Circular Bifunctional Aptamers With Enhanced Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) Penetration for Tauopathy Therapy and Imaging Diagnostics
T17795

• Enhance in vivo BBB penetration for improved therapy

Injectable Thermally Gelling Hydrogel Formulations of Decellularized Porcine Peripheral Nerves
T19044

• Provides biologically and clinically relevant scaffold and signals for nerve survival and regeneration
• Many porcine products have been approved for human use by the FDA
• Promotes Schwann cell survival in inflammatory model system
• May be combined with other treatments

Novel Synthetic ERR Agonists II
T19201

• High affinity ERR Agonists
• Effective in models of heart failure, metabolic disease, and cognitive dysfunction

Metabolically Stable Sigma Receptor Ligands
T18513

• Sigma receptors are highly expressed in CNS and targets for psychostimulant
• Antagonist sigma receptor compounds with long-lasting analgesic effect
• Metabolic stability, binding affinity, in vivo studies

ALS Therapeutic
S-T00385

• ~40 analogues made and under evaluation
• Increases mitochondrial function, length, and number

Novel Mouse Model to Study Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Related Diseases (Huntington, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s)
S-T00358

• Transgenic mouse model using nano luciferase
• BDNF  diseases can be studied using this model
• High throughput in vitro screening assay with transgenic BDNF cells for drug selection

Microbe-Free Capsular Polysaccharide as a Formulation for Drug Delivery Into the Central Nervous System
T19014

• Glucorunoxylomannan is used to make the blood-brain barrier temporarily permeable for drug delivery

Treatment of Repeat Expansion Protein Associated Diseases (ALS, FLD, Friedreich’s Ataxia)
T18652

• Small Molecule Inhibitors to treat neurological diseases (motor neuron disease)
• Small Molecule Inhibitors to treat diseases with repeat-associated non-AUG proteins (RAN proteins)

Novel Synthetic ERR Agonists II
T19201

• High affinity ERR Agonists
• Effective in models of heart failure, metabolic disease, and cognitive dysfunction

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PAIN, INFLAMMATION

Kappa and Mu Opioid Agonists and Antagonists
S-T00362, S-T00376, S-T00364, S-T00141, S-T00134, S-T00190

• Kappa opioid agonists for pain, itch, and anxiety without side effects (sedation, dysphoria, diuresis. In vivo testing of target. DMPK studies ongoing. (S-T00362) and a new class (PROV filed 10-2023) with EC50, EMAX in 2-3 assays, microsomal stability stu
• Novel selective MOR agonists, MOR antagonists, KOR agonists, and KOR antagonists based on natural product GB18. In vivo work ongoing. PCT filed 1-2023. (S-T00364)
• KOR Effectors (S-T00141) and MOR agonists (S-T00134, S-T00190)

New Steroidal Alkaloid-Based Therapeutics for Chronic Pain
T19410

• Osteoarthritis steroidal compounds
• Nine-step synthesis allowed for flexible synthesis of analogues
• In vivo evaluation of compounds

Small Molecule Modulators of Orphan Receptor Complex for Powerful Anti-Opioid Activity and Methods Related to Opioids Therapeutics
S-T00002, S-T00003

• Augmentation of opioid-induced analgesia with substantially reduced dependency
• Lack of withdrawal upon cessation of chronic morphine administration

Nanobody Targeting an Orphan Receptor for Anti-Depressive Therapeutic Benefits
S-T00355

• Targeting major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Novel class of anti-depressants
• Powerful anti-depressant effect in in vivo studies
• Non-invasive delivery route

Novel Morphine Framework Derivatives
T19340

• Analogues of morphine that are µ-receptor partial agonists
• Retain analgesic effect without side-effects seen with morphine

Metabolically Stable Sigma Receptor Ligands
T18513

• Sigma receptors are highly expressed in CNS and targets for psychostimulant
• Antagonist sigma receptor compounds with long-lasting analgesic effect
• Metabolic stability, binding affinity, in vivo studies

G-Protein Biased Opioid Receptor Agonists
T18939

• Reduced beta-arrestin recruitment
• G-protein biased analgesics have fewer side effects such as respiratory depression and addiction found in opioids such as fentanyl and morphine

Novel Compounds To Treat Neuropathic and Inflammatory Pain
T18479

• Novel silent agonists of alpha9 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR)
• Effective as non-opioid analgesics

Identification of a Shorter and More Effective Form of Surface Layer Protein a (SlpA) of Lactobacillus acidophilus Against Inflammatory Disorders
T18984

• SlpA of L. acidophilus has a potent anti-inflammatory effect and is being developed to treat IBD, IBS, UC and Crohn’s disease
• Fragments of SlpA have greater anti-inflammatory activity than the full-length protein
• POC demonstrated in mouse model of colitis

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AGING, SARCOPENIA, FIBROSIS

REV-ERB Antagonists
T18990

• Lead compounds increase lean mass, improve muscle function, improve muscle pathology, and reduce fibrosis in dystrophic muscle
• Novel structure with three leads
• Potencies in 10nM range, good preliminary PK
• CTX mouse model

Natural Product Combinations REV-ERB Ligands
T19200

• Exercise mimetic
• Reduce fat in muscle tissue

Non-Caloric Carbohydrates To Improve Cognition
T19153

• Specialized carbohydrates that enhance neuronal connectivity and plasticity by influencing neurotransmitter synthesis
• Modulate ECM components, resulting in improved cellular communication, reduced inflammation, and restoration of the BBB

AquaLung Company – See Startup Showcase

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CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Novel Synthetic ERR Agonists II
T19201

• High-affinity ERR Agonists
• Effective in models of heart failure, metabolic disease, and cognitive dysfunction

Enhancers of the Particulate Guanylyl Cyclase Receptor A
T18844, T18930

• Indications in hypertension
• Small molecule enhancers of pGC-A that are positive allosteric modulators
• SAR performed and lead identified

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MEDICAL DEVICES

Novel Biosensor Detection of Breast Cancer Staging in Saliva Biomarkers
T19144

• Saliva biosensors for detecting breast cancer
• Multiple biomarkers for improved accuracy and sensitivity
• Disposable test strip
• Point of care

Patient Alignment in Radiation Oncology
T18852

• Patient hologram
• Repeat patient alignment for radiotherapy
• Compatible with Microsoft’s Hololens
• Compatible with ceiling-mounted patient tracking sensors

Breast Reconstruction: Improved Tissue Expanders for Radiotherapy
T18378

• Breast reconstruction tissue expanders have high-density magnets (high Z factor) for injection port localization
• Magnets interfere with radiation therapy
• Novel expander with low Z factor
• Improve radiotherapy for women with expanders

Septal Myectomy Retractor
T18351

• Hyperplasia of heart ventricular septum
• Resection of overgrown septum muscle tissue using a scalpel
• Limited visibility, high risk
• Novel retractor allows clear visual access and protects surrounding tissue

Method, Apparatus, and System for Facet Fusion
T18634

• A device, method and system for reliable spinal fusion that requires less-invasive surgery than current treatment methods

Adaptive Olfactory Measure of Threshold (ArOMa-T)
T18438

• A rapid, simple, and inexpensive odor detection threshold test
• Used to determine anosmia and hyposmia and help with early diagnosis disease conditions associated with loss of smell (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, MS)

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AG BIOTECH

Improved Genetic Transformation by Improving De-Novo Shoot Regeneration in Adult Plants and During In-Vitro Tissue Culture
T18582

• Manipulation of the developmental regulator PLT5 greatly improves transformation efficiency in a wide variety of plants
• Useful for gene editing

DNA Free Gene Editing Through Transient Suppression of POLQ Gene in Plants
T18693

• Inclusion of specific developmental regulators in an expression vector, and applied by injection of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, promotes calli formation and regeneration of transformed shoots – dramatically improves shoot regeneration and transformation ef
• Facilitates genetic engineering of plant species/cultivars that have proven challenging to manipulate

Molecular Breeding Methods and Compositions for Anthracnose and Phytophthora Crown Rot Resistance in Strawberry
T18879

• Identified the alleleic gene variant that confers resistance in strawberries to the fungal pathogen that causes anthracnose fruit rot and anthracnose root necrosis
• This discovery enables strawberry breeders to use either gene editing or marker-assisted selection to generate varieties resistant to these economically damaging diseases

Insect Toxin Delivery Mediated by a Begomovirus Coat Protein
T18608

• Using the coat protein of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) to deliver insect-specific peptide toxins
• Demonstrated to deliver Hv1am to whiteflies – a group of insects not controlled by current in plant protectants

Materials and Methods for Masking Bitterness
T18840

• Effective masking bitterness from quinine
• Nature compound in spice

Compositions and Methods for Manipulating Genes Controlling Stem Length in Solanaceae
T18366

• Additional brachytic gene homologs that are used to generate tomato varieties with compact growth habit

Methods and Compositions for Producing Self-Amplifying RNA for Gene Silencing in Plants
T18782

• Self-amplifying RNA uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to amplify both itself and a subgenomic region encoding a synthetic chimera within plant cells. The chimera encodes host RNA sequences from one or more plant or insect vector target genes that forms
• Greatly reduces the quantity of dsRNA required for siRNA treatment

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VETERINARY

Edwardsiella Piscicida: A Vaccine Delivery Platform for Multiple Fish Pathogens
T17144, T18882

• A vaccine vector based on a bacterial pathogen that infects a wide variety of fresh and saltwater fish species
• Enables delivery of vaccines to mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (e.g., by immersion)
• Can be used to deliver both subunit as well as DNA vaccines

Protective Immunity Enhanced Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (PIESV) Vector Systems
T17928

• Enhanced Salmonella vaccine vectors for both antigen and DNA vaccine delivery with enhanced recruitment of innate immunity and maximal induction of protective acquired immunity
• This vector system has been developed, tested and refined over 30 years and can be used to vaccine (via mucosal surfaces) against a wide variety of bird and animal diseases

Live Self-Destructing Attenuated Adjuvant Salmonella (AAS) Strains to Maximize Innate Immunity
T17580, T18269, T18152

• A universal adjuvant strain that can be easily delivered to mucosal surfaces (orally, or nasally) to stimulate innate immunity and induce low level protective immunity
• In one example, chicks can be immunized in ovo to protect them from wide variety of bacterial and viral pathogens
• Replace use of growth enhancing antibiotics in the feed

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Vaccine
T14290, T15559, T17227

• Developing and testing a vaccine that protects cats from all subtypes of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
• Evolutionarily conserved epitopes between the FIV subtypes, as well as HIV, have been identified which are used in a multi-antigenic peptide and an adjuvant that induces a T-cell response

FCoVs and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Diagnostics
T18728

• A vaccine for dogs and cats to generate sterilizing immunity against canine and feline coronaviruses (CoVs)
• Prevents shedding of virus particles and spread of disease; dogs and cats do not develop serious symptoms

Invasion Protein G as a Salmonella Vaccine and Diagnostic Marker
T18281

• A subunit vaccine for poultry that controls Salmonella colonization of laying hens
• Antibodies against the same protein can be used as a diagnostic for Salmonella in eggs

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MICROBIOME

Precision Medicine: Targeting the Human Gut Microbiota With Bacteriophages as a Management Strategy for Neurodegenerative Diseases
T19197

• protein folding homeostasis upon intestinal colonization
• bacteria disrupt the protein-folding environment and contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases by inducing toxic protein aggregation
• employ bacteriophages to remove the detrimental bacteria from the host gut

Microbiota Gene Manipulation Through Exosome-Mediated siRNA
T18221

• Method of using siRNA to knockdown target gene expression in bacterial cells
• siRNA sequences and processing machinery are delivered to prokaryotic cells using mammalian extracellular vesicles
• Knockdown of both endogenous and exogenous genes has been demonstrated in vitro

Tailoring Probiotic Strains to Human Genotype for Increased Probiotic Efficacy
T18780, T19190

• The protective HLA haplotype of a subject affects the efficacy of probiotics
• Methods for predicting probiotic efficacy for disease conditions such as UC, IBS and Crohn’s disease based on HLA haplotyping

Lactobacillus Johnsonii N6.2 Alleviates Diabetes Type 2 Symptoms
T18986

• These strains delay the onset of T2D and reduce the severity or progression of T2D
• Capsule delivery method protects bacteria for release at the duodenum. Other formulations available
• Significant decrease in fasting glucose, AUC, kidney nephropathy, and insulitis in a mouse model
• Strains show efficacy in T1D

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AI/DIGITAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES

3D Bio-Printed Functional Liver Tissue Model for Toxicological Investigations
T18504

• Liver tissue model comprises a mixture of liver, hepatocyte cells, endothelial cells, extracellular matrix material, and a micro gel medium made from liver-specific culture
• Accurate model and functionality comparable to a human liver, accurately predicting the toxicity of drug compounds, lowering the cost and increasing the pace of drug development
• Tissue models are produced with a level of reproducibility, allowing for the development of standardized testing methods
• The model differentiates the good compounds from the bad ones, avoiding false implications of good drugs and can potentially be used for drug metabolism studies, identifying disease markers, assessing gene therapy vectors, screenings, and more

Portfolio of AI technologies for Medical Applications

• Diagnosis and prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease based on retinal features
• Medical imaging (including CT) denoising that provides high quality images in less time and lower radiation exposure for patients; Five independent patent families

AI Driven Food/Beverage Product Development
T19148

• Food product development
• An all-in-one solution that could shorten the time of the food product development
• Decrease the cost of product development and focus on future market/consumer trends
• Copyrighted software

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STARTUP SHOWCASE

Bebi Therapeutics

• Developing derivatives of a small molecule isolated from bacterial consortia from non-small cell lung cancer patients that causes immune checkpoint inhibitor non-responders to become responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies
• Non-confidential slide deck available upon request
• Seeking seed funding

AquaLung

• ALT-100 mAb inhibits inflammation and fibrosis
• Phase 2 clinical study (Acute Respiratory Distress)
• IND (Q4 2024) for lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension

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ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY

Take your team’s productivity and expertise to the next level

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry graduate program offers an online master’s degree and graduate certificate with a concentration in pharmaceutical chemistry.

Who is it for?

This program is offered to working professionals with an undergraduate degree and hands-on experience to deepen their knowledge in preclinical drug development.

We collaborate with industry partners to offer a relevant, flexible, and high-quality course of study. Aside from our core required courses and electives, we offer tailored course content specifically applicable to your employee’s needs.

Concurrent MBA option

Alongside our M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry program, we offer a concurrent M.S./MBA program with Stetson University – ideal for cultivating potential leaders in your organization.

Core required courses

The core required courses in the program provide an overview of the entire preclinical drug development process, including in silico, in vitro, and in vivo drug development up until submission of an IND.

• Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry 1 & 2
• Pharmaceutical Analysis 2
• Laboratory Quality Assurance & Control
• Special Topics in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (final exam)

Your employees can take advantage of rolling admissions and affordable tuition; no GRE/GMAT is required. Learn more at pharmchem.cop.ufl.edu.

Contact:

Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D., FCP
Assistant Dean of Lifelong Learning
UF Department of Medicinal Chemistry
grundman@ufl.edu

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