Oragenics Selects Southern Star Research As Clinical Research Organization for ONP-002 Phase IIa Trial

UF Innovate | Accelerate graduate Oragenics, Inc., announced the selection of Southern Star Research as its Clinical Research Organization (CRO) for the upcoming Phase IIa clinical trial of ONP-002, the company’s lead drug candidate for concussion.
UF Researchers Get Closer to Saliva Test for Breast Cancer

UF researchers have improved a potentially transformative handheld device to detect breast cancer in saliva, simplifying the design and confirming its accuracy.
NIH Award Supports New Extracellular Vesicle Loading Platform To Develop Gene Therapy
UF researcher Mei He, Ph.D., has received a $1.3 million award from the National Institutes of Health to support a new extracellular vesicle platform used to develop gene therapy.
Farahmandi Receives 2024–25 Khargonekar Award

Associate Professor and Walden C. Rhines Endowed Professor for Hardware Security Farimah Farahmandi, Ph.D., has received the 2024–25 Pramod P. Khargonekar Award, which recognizes an outstanding junior faculty member undergoing tenure and promotion review this past fall
Study: Gene Therapy May Block HIV Transmission During Breastfeeding

UF researchers have published in Nature a breakthrough gene therapy that delivers broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies at birth, offering long-term protection against breastfeeding transmission with a single dose.
‘Lifesaving’ Ketamine Offers New Hope for PTSD Sufferers

A UF study led by 2024 graduate Shahar Almog, Ph.D., reveals additional mental health benefits of ketamine, further supporting its potential as a treatment for depression and PTSD.
Tech Tuesday: University of Florida Lab Working on Making Robotic Hands More Human-Like
In this week’s Tech Tuesday, UF Innovate highlights Dr. Eric Du and his lab at UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, who are developing robotic hands that can feel and respond like human hands using advanced touch sensors and AI.
UF Doctor Bridges Medicine, Engineering for Human Spaceflight Through VAST Space Experience

UF researcher Peter Alexandrov, M.D., has completed a two-month rotation with VAST, a private space company hoping to soon launch the world’s first commercial space station.
Florida Scientists To Send Seeds to ISS To Study Farming Solutions for Earth’s Harsh Conditions

UF researchers will send four types of UF-bred seeds to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to study farming solutions for harsh conditions on Earth.
Solid Biosciences Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for SGT-501 First-in-Class Gene Therapy for Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT)
Solid Biosciences Inc., which acquired UF startup AavantiBio, announced that it received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for SGT-501, the Company’s novel, AAV-based investigational gene therapy for the treatment of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT).