Biogen and Alcyone Therapeutics Announce License and Collaboration Agreement To Evaluate a Novel Device To Improve Patient Experience and Access to Neurological Aso Therapies
Biogen Inc. and Alcyone Therapeutics have entered into a license and collaboration agreement to develop Alcyone’s ThecaFlex DRxTM System, an implantable medical device intended for subcutaneous delivery of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies into the intrathecal space. Through this agreement, Biogen aims to leverage the ThecaFlex DRxTM System with a goal of improving the patient treatment experience and accessibility for a broader population of people suffering from neurological disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
New College of Engineering Graduate Is on a Mission To Break Barriers to Space Travel for People With Disabilities
Ever since Eric Shear was a child, he has looked up to the sky, watching the stars and wondering “what’s out there.”
With a curious brain wired for space exploration and degrees in physics, planetary science and, as of Friday, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida, it seems natural that Shear pursues his lifelong dream to travel into space.
There’s only one problem. Shear was born profoundly deaf, meaning he can only hear random sounds — like a dog’s loud bark or a jet engine — that are at least 80 decibels, and that bars him from flying to space with NASA or any other space agency, for now.
“My ultimate goal is to be an astronaut,” Shear said, “but if I can’t journey into space, I want to be involved from the ground and develop life-support technologies that assist those who do fly.”
From Fighting Shoplifting to Pioneering Gene Therapies, the Startups in This Accelerator Are on the Front Lines of “Super Creativity”

The startups within UF Innovate, as well as the accelerator itself, are vivid examples of what creativity and innovation expert James Taylor, based in Scotland, describes as SuperCreativity—a phenomenon that many business leaders are trying to foster in today’s fast-changing business environment. It is a concept that goes beyond creativity or innovation alone.
UF AI Center To Push Boundaries of Ag Research

AI will create a fourth agricultural revolution, achieving huge gains in farm productivity the way the introduction of tractors, synthetic fertilizers and genetics did in previous eras. The speed and success of that revolution depends on how well land-grant university innovators.
The groundwork for the revolution has been laid by more than a century of UF/IFAS establishing credibility through its citrus science. Working with a UF/IFAS faculty member comes with assurance that growers’ data will be protected.
TearClear Announces Positive Topline Results From Clear Phase 3 Study for the Treatment of Glaucoma

TearClear, an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company that transforms trusted drugs into branded best-in-class therapies, announced that the company’s will file a NDA with the FDA on their lead product. This product will offer patients the first and only means of delivering preservative-free doses of latanoprost from conventional multi-dose bottles.
Food Advertised as ‘Scallops’ in Some Instances Are Totally Different Fish, Inside Edition Investigation Finds

an Inside Edition investigative report, with the help of UF startup and UF Innovate | Accelerate graduate Applied Food Technologies, found samples of seafood advertised to be “scallops” at restaurants across the United States to be anything but.
Concept Companies and Lacerta Therapeutics Form a Strategic Partnership Around Facilities Expansion and Financing
Concept Companies, a national commercial real estate developer with a specialty across multiple asset classes including science and technology, and Lacerta Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the AAV gene therapy space, today announced a strategic collaboration providing Lacerta with access to financing to support expansion of operations and new facilities. The financing is being provided via Agility Venture Capital, the funding arm of Concept Companies.
Lacerta and Prevail, a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Lilly, Sign Agreement To Develop Novel AAV Capsids for CNS Disorders
Lacerta Therapeutics, a leader in the development of adeno-associated virus (AAV) technologies for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, announced a new AAV capsid licensing and research collaboration agreement with Prevail Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company. The collaboration will focus on the discovery and development of novel AAV capsids for CNS diseases.
UF Accelerate Residents Announced As Finalists for the 12th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies To Watch
UF Accelerate | Sid Martin Biotech resident Neobiosis, and UF Accelerate | The Hub resident Quottly, have been selected as finalists for this year’s annual GrowFL Florida companies to watch.
Admiral Named One of the Fastest Growing Companies in U.S.
The UF Innovate | Accelerate resident client Admiral also ranked as Top 100 (75) of Marketing and Advertising companies, Top 100 (90) from the state of Florida, and the #1 fastest growing company from its hometown of Gainesville, FL