Twenty-four scientists at UCLA have been named recipients of awards from the 2021 UCLA Innovation Fund Biomedical Competitors.
These awards, up to $150,000 per project, assist early stage analysis that lead to commercialization routines, which commonly are not supported by basic research grants. As a outcome, scientists can build their systems to a level in which the possibilities of good results are greatly greater. All awarded initiatives acquire consultations from an outside the house field and trader adviser panel, which presents specialized and industrial responses that is important to engineering advancement.
The UCLA Innovation Fund was established in 2016 by the UCLA Know-how Enhancement Group, in conjunction with the David Geffen College of Drugs at UCLA, UCLA College’s divisions of physical sciences and lifetime sciences, the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, the UCLA School of Dentistry and UCLA Wellness.
The applicants’ initiatives were evaluated on their novelty, importance and potential general public profit, as effectively as the position of the intellectual property and other factors relating to the projects’ technological feasibility and commercial potential.
The two tracks in the 2021 cycle have been therapeutics and health care technologies.
The award recipients for the therapeutics keep track of:
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- Peter Clark, assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology Robert Damoiseaux, professor of molecular and health-related pharmacology Dr. Richard Finn, professor of drugs in the division of hematology/oncology Harvey Herschman, distinguished research professor, molecular and medical pharmacology and Varghese John, professor of neurology and the principal investigator at the Drug Discovery Lab at UCLA were acknowledged for their get the job done creating a hexokinase 2 inhibitor to deal with hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Arpana Gupta, adjunct assistant professor in the division of digestive illnesses Dr. Tien Dong assistant scientific professor of medication Dr. Jonathan Jacobs assistant professor-in-residence in the division of digestive ailments and Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medication, physiology and psychiatry had been awarded funding for their treatment method fighting weight problems and food stuff habit by harnessing the mind-intestine axis.
- Dr. Dinesh Rao, affiliate professor, pathology and laboratory drugs Robert Damoiseaux, professor of molecular and clinical pharmacology and Neil Garg, distinguished professor in chemistry and biochemistry, received funds for their small molecule approach focusing on RNA binding proteins in most cancers cells.



The award recipients for the medical engineering keep track of:
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- The team lead by Dr. Renea Sturm, pediatric urologist and assistant professor of urology, joined by George Aninwene II, Peyton Tebon and Ali Khademhosseini, former professor of bioengineering, invented a novel machine for urologic tissue restore.
- R. Michael van Dam and his staff of Jason Jones and Ksenia Lisova created a machine which permits for on-demand from customers manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals.
- The group of Glen Meyerowitz, Dr. Igor Barjaktarevic, Dr. Obi Emeruwa and Onike Williams invented a novel gadget which permits custom made ventilation of each lung for patients with acute lung harm.
- Jeff Chiang, assistant adjunct professor and leader of the computational medicine technology main labored with Dr. Srinivas Sadda to advance a diagnostic which detects macular degeneration in its early levels while intervention is nevertheless possible.




The UCLA Innovation Fund is presently accepting 2022 applications. Click right here for more information and facts.
