News - UF Innovate

24-Year-Old Researches Treatment for Her Own Crippling Disease: ‘I’m in a Race Against Time’

Shandra Trantham has Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a rare genetic disease that is slowly robbing her of the ability to walk and talk, and can also affect her heart. FA is caused by an inability in the body to make frataxin, a protein that is necessary for normal cell function. To date, there is no cure and no approved treatments — but she's working on one. She's a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate in genetics and genomics at the University of Florida Powell Gene Therapy Center. Trantham works in a lab where gene therapy for FA is being fine-tuned.

Patients Who Recover From Severe COVID-19 Still Have Significant Risk of Death, UF Study Finds

Patients who have recovered from severe COVID-19 have more than twice the mortality risk within the year following their illness than people who have not...

COVID-19 Spread Undetected in U.S., Europe Earlier Than Believed, Study Shows, Offering Lessons for Future Outbreaks, Including Transmission of Omicron Variant

Local COVID-19 transmission was underway in California, New York, Florida, and Texas well before the first reported U.S. case in Washington state on Jan. 20, 2020, according to a new study published in Nature, which indicates the virus spread much earlier and faster in the United States and Europe than previously thought.

Oragenics Announces Positive COVID-19 Challenge Study Results Evaluating Multiple Formulations of its SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Candidate

UF startup and Sid Martin Biotech alumni company Oragenics, Inc. announced the results from its study to evaluate the immunogenicity and viral load reduction impact of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in a hamster challenge study. The study provided preclinical data for formulations designed for both intranasal and intramuscular administration.

UF Center for Coastal Solutions Awarded Multi-Institution Grant To Study Harmful Algal Blooms

University of Florida Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) Associate Director David Kaplan, Ph.D., and a team of CCS-affiliated scientists and engineers from UF, the University of South Florida, North Carolina State University and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation have received $2.3 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how water and nutrients flowing from Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River watershed interact with tides, currents, and waves at the coast to affect coastal water quality.

UF Research: Mesh Covers Protect Citrus Trees From Psyllids That Transmit Greening Disease

New UF research shows that citrus trees grown under individual protective covers (IPCs) show no signs of the greening disease. Specifically, scientists found that psyllids cannot penetrate the bags (IPCs) under which the trees are growing because the diameter of their openings is smaller than the insects.

‘Diabetes Epidemic Will Continue’ Until Focus Shifts to Prevention

A new study indicates there are “missed opportunities” for diabetes prevention in the U.S., UF researchers wrote in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Read the Fine Print: Who Owns and Controls Farm Data?

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, data derived from farms might be more valuable than the growers of the crop produce. That’s because farmers can make money from their data when companies use it for other purposes, says a University of Florida scientist.

CDTI Enters in SATLANTIS’ Capital, in a 16.5 Million Round of Investment

With the entry of CDTI (the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology) in its capital, UF startup and UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub resident SATLANTIS has closed its second-round investment to which Enagás, Sepi, Orza and Axis-Ico are also incorporated, for a cumulative total of 16.5 million euros.

Why Hundreds of Retail Thefts Are Going Unreported in Bay Area

Dr. Read Hayes, a research scientist and criminologist at the University of Florida, conducted a study on retail crime. He said in many cases, especially in urban centers, stores don’t contact authorities because there are simply too many thefts for police to respond to every time.

UF News