List is tentative, and subject to change at any time.
Universities
Cincinnati Children's
Small molecule chaperones restore acid-β-glucosidase activity
Gaucher disease (GD) is an inherited disorder where the body does not make enough glucocerebrosidase (GCase), an enzyme that breaks down fatty chemicals in the body.
Serine protease inhibitors treats eosinophilic esophagitis
A critical component of normal esophageal function is a protective epithelial barrier that prevents damage to the underlying tissue due to outside environment exposure such as foreign antigens and microorganisms.
New approach enhances vaccination
Vaccines must elicit immune responses of a sufficient magnitude and quality to prevent or treat disease. While existing vaccine technologies are capable of achieving this goal for many diseases, these strategies have thus far proven inadequate against global threats like HIV and cancer.
Universities
Colorado State University
New cell therapy battles bacterial infections
For patients and doctors battling resistant infections, Validus Cellular Therapeutics is developing VCT-001, a novel preclinical stage anti-infective therapy unlike current small molecule antibiotics, which are susceptible to resistance and are limited accessing infections.
Clinical trials show promise for Innocell cancer vaccine
PhotonPharma’s Innocell involves sampling a patient’s tumor cells, inactivating them so that they are unable to replicate, then administering them back to the patient.
Universities
Indiana University
Vasculonics develops new therapy for acute kidney and chronic diabetic kidney disease with clinical candidates
Vasculonics is an Indiana-based biotech formed out of technology licensed from Indiana University.
New compound inhibits pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the highest mortalities of all malignancies, with aggressive biology, resistance to therapeutic agents, and a mere 5-year survival of 8-9%.
New approach has potential to cure pulmonary arterial hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) affects 200, 000 people annually and there is no cure for this condition. Researchers at Indiana University and University of Illinois at Chicago, have identified a potential drug for curing PAH.
Universities
Kansas State University
New vaccine approach targets ETEC-related diarrhea
Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a structure-based multiepitope fusion antigen (MEFA) technology for vaccines against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria.
Universities
Mayo Clinic
Small molecule Wnt modulators to treat Alzheimer’s
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a small molecule modulator for use in treating and preventing a variety of Wnt-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic and ischemic brain injury, as well as bone loss disorders.
New approach improves CAR T cancer therapies
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a novel regimen by which oncolytic virotherapy can be used as a potent immunological adjuvant to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy against solid tumors.
MSC CARs engineered with a CAR enhances immunosuppression
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs), have been used in cell therapy for treatment of various inflammatory conditions. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) engineered MSCs have the potential to create an MSCs with higher immunosuppression activity and in-vivo persistence.
Universities
Medical College of Wisconsin
Engineered bacterial strain eliminates drug resistance in GI tract
Medical College of Wisconsin inventors have developed a novel biotherapeutic for eliminating antibiotic-resistant enterococci from the GI tract.
New mitochondria-targeted therapeutics will help lung, other cancers
Medical College of Wisconsin inventors have developed novel small molecule therapeutics that will help treat small cell lung cancer, among other cancers.
Universities
Ohio State University
TTK kinase inhibitor to treat hematological malignancies
The TTK kinase is critical for proper function of the spindle assembly checkpoint, and its upregulation is associated with poor clinical outcomes in a variety of cancer types.
DHODH inhibitors to treat hematological malignancies
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a key enzyme in the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway.
Therapeutic cancer vaccine platform is customizable
B cells are primarily known for their robust adaptive immune response through antibody production; however, they are often overlooked among the body’s professional antigen-presenting cell (APC) populations.
Universities
Purdue University
Therapeutic targets metastatic prostate cancer
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a targeted therapeutic option for treating metastatic prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States.
Selective GRK5 inhibitors can treat heart failure, breast cancer
Researchers at Purdue University have developed selective small molecule inhibitors of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) for preventing heart failure and treating breast cancer.
Human chimeric antigen receptor neutrophils to treat cancer
Researchers at Purdue University have developed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) neutrophils for the targeted treatment of cancer.
Universities
University of Colorado-Boulder
Prevent, alleviate side effects of radiation or radiotherapy
Using C. elegans as an animal model to study radiation-induced bystander effects (RIBE), researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have identified a highly conserved cysteine protease, cathepsin B, as the first RIBE factor.
Novel selective HDAC6 inhibitors show promise for cancer and beyond
The researchers of the University of Colorado developed a series of hydroxamic acid derivatives as HDAC6 selective inhibitors.
Universities
University of Iowa
Non-viral formulation delivers lubricin genes
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis weakens the regulation of lubricin gene and increases shear stress within the joints.
BMP-2 RNA enhances bone regeneration
Inventors at the University of Iowa have developed an RNA-based therapeutic that can be used in medical and dental applications.
Universities
University of Kansas
Novel antiviral therapeutics target SARS-CoV-2 infections
Remdesivir is currently the only FDA-approved drug for treating COVID-19. While remdesivir improves recovery time, it does not significantly reduce death rates in hospitalized adults. Researchers at the University of Kansas have produced novel antivirals that shows promise as a COVID-19 treatment.
RNA-binding protein inhibitors slow tumor growth in metastatic cancers
Despite recent therapeutic advances in cancer treatment, metastatic cancer remains the primary cause of cancer deaths.
Unique cadherin peptides enhance brain delivery of therapeutic molecules, antibodies
Therapeutic proteins have been used to successfully treat a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
Universities
University of Kentucky
Novel mPGES-1 inhibitor targets pain, inflammatory diseases
It has been proposed that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), known as the principal proinflammatory prostaglandin, is implicated in pain response and also plays a role in inflammatory diseases.
Universities
University of Minnesota
Humanized antibodies to treat diabetes, range of tissue injuries
SerpinB13 is a protease inhibitor linked to autoimmune inflammation and Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Agmatine-based pain treatment avoids opioid addiction
The search for better analgesics has focused on non-addictive alternatives. Agmatine, the decarboxylated product of arginine, is a potential candidate for novel therapeutics.
Universities
University of Missouri
Dual-biomarker targeting agent helps diagnose, treat prostate cancer
A dual diagnostic and therapeutic compound binds GRPr and PSMA with high specificity and sensitivity.
Gene therapy improved with new AAV hybrid vector system
Novel dual- and tri-AAV hybrid vector systems increase the upper size limit of gene constructs from <5kb to <15kb.
Novel antibiotics target beta-lactamase
Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed novel inhibitors of beta-lactamase, a bacterial enzyme that provides resistance to β-lactam antibiotics.
Universities
University of Nebraska Medical Center
ProGel delivers meds for long-term local effect
ProGel is a platform technology with a diverse spectrum of drug payloads, such as steroids, statins, antioxidants, opioids, chemotherapeutics, and hormones. Ensign Pharmaceutical’s initial product focuses on managing osteoarthritis pain, incorporating a potent steroid, dexamethasone, into the formulation.
Universities
University of South Dakota
New approach improves drug delivery for dental applications
Microparticles based on hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate, or calcium citrate and cross-linked gels loaded with a drug such as eugenol or arginine are able to occlude dentinal tubules and release on-demand a cargo drug to the oral cavity and to the pulp of the tooth, providing both desensitizing, antibacterial or any other effect depending on the drug cargo.
Universities
University of Wisconsin
Nanoparticles deliver bioactive molecules
A new hybrid nanocapsule uses a silica, metal and organic framework designed to deliver protein, nucleic acid or hydrophilic drugs.
Paclitaxel prodrug enhances anticancer efficacy
A new formulation of paclitaxel fuses the drug to an oligo-lactic acid (oLA) encapsulated in a PEG-PLA micelle.
New treatment for Status Epilepticus ‘starves’ problematic neurons
This technology uses 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) as a novel treatment for Status Epilepticus (SE).