Vic Keller Becomes New Optym CEO
UF startup Optym, a privately-held world leader in new-generation optimization software solutions, has appointed Dallas-based Vic Keller as chief executive officer. Ravi Ahuja, Ph.D., founder of Optym and a professor at the University of Florida, has been appointed to chief science officer. For over 20 years, Keller has established, grown and operationally optimized national and […]
Walking Shark Are the Most Recently Evolved Shark on Earth
To some people, a walking shark may be their worst nightmare. Often imagining a 20-foot monster with razor-sharp teeth, they would be baffled to see that the species within Hemiscyllium are small (up to 42 inches or 107 centimeters in total length but average 28 in or 70cm) and that not much is known about […]
UF Neurologist Explains in The Conversation Ozzy Osbourne’s Parkinson’s Disease
University of Florida neurologist, Dr. Michael Okun explains Ozzy Osbourne’s type of Parkinson’s disease, the condition and evolving treatments in The Conversation. For many, hearing the word “Parkinson’s” conjures an image of tremors. But Parkinson’s disease, brought about by the loss of nerve and other brain cells, is actually an incredibly complex movement disorder that […]
Seeking a New Pest Solution, UF Scientists Study Fruit Fly’s Gut Bacteria
In the home, they seem to appear out of nowhere. A piece of fruit is placed on the kitchen counter, and suddenly there’s a fruit fly. But the bug commonly referred to as a fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, may more accurately be called a vinegar fly, with an appetite for rotting fruits. Instead, it’s a […]
TAO Connect Adds Alcohol Prevention and Sexual Education Programs to Its Existing University Behavioral Health Services
UF startup and UF Innovate | The Hub alum TAO Connect, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, announced the addition of two training programs to its online platform: the Alcohol Literacy Challenge (ALC) and the Dimensions Learning sexual education program. The evidence-based programs are now available to both […]
AGTC Announces Agenda for R&D Day on January 28, 2020 in New York
UF startup and UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech alum Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC), a biotechnology company conducting human clinical trials of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, announced that it will host an R&D Day beginning at 7:30 am ET on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, in New York. […]
University of Florida Health Researchers Find “Switch” That Lets Common, Cancer-Causing Virus Replicate
Many viruses are master manipulators, hijacking cellular functions to propagate, spread and avoid elimination by their hosts’ immune system. Now, University of Florida researcher Sumita Bhaduri-McIntosh, M.D., Ph.D., has discovered how the common, cancer-causing Epstein-Barr virus does just that by using a complex of proteins to emerge from a dormant state and begin replicating. The […]
Admiral Offers Free CCPA Solution for Local Media Consortium (LMC) Members
As part of an ongoing partnership with the Local Media Consortium, UF Innovate | The Hub resident company Admiral, a pioneering innovator in AdBlock recovery and digital subscriptions, is offering free use of its CCPA management tool in 2020 for all 90 LMC publishers and their 3,300+ sites. An update to its Privacy & Consent […]
UF Health Researchers on Team Studying Possible Viral Link With Type 1 Diabetes
A prolonged infection by a common virus might sometimes trigger the immune system attack on the pancreas that ultimately leads to Type 1 diabetes. The finding from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young, or TEDDY, study was recently published in the journal Nature Medicine by a team of scientists that includes Desmond Schatz, […]
Jeff Vinik, San Francisco Investors Up Their Stakes in Peerfit
UF startup Peerfit, a Tampa-based digital health company, has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Virgo Investment Group, a San Francisco-based investment firm. Vinik and Virgo, who had each led previously funding rounds for Peerfit, were joined by other existing shareholders in the latest round, […]