The University of Arizona BIO5 Institute

Insomnia affects 10% to 15% of the U.S. population, and it’s usually caused by a variety of biological and behavioral factors, says BIO5 member Sairam Parthasarathy.

"For those who are in the ‘very severe’ category, it can be debilitating and incapacitating,” Parthasarathy says. “We see people where it’s crippling, and then there are some where it’s been annoying them for years”

Learn about some of the best ways to treat insomnia and read more about this research:https://bit.ly/4cCrUu4

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Sleep, Circadian and Neuroscience research are studying the effects of circadian rhythm disruption on the lungs.

“We have a master clock in the middle of the brain, but we also have gene clocks in just about every cell in the body,” said BIO5 member Sairam Parthasarathy, “Each type of cell has its own rhythm. This goes for liver cells, brain cells, white blood cells, and on and on. We are starting to better understand the molecular machinery behind all this, which is exciting.”

Read more about this research: https://bit.ly/4cxIk7j

LAST CALL!

Applications for this unique two-semester opportunity are closing soon.

This is an experience that is open to ALL undergraduate majors, and allows you to work one-on-one with a BIO5 staff member on a project of your choice. You must be willing to commit 40 credit hours/semester for 1 credit during fall and spring semesters.

Make sure to get your applications in by AUGUST 30!

Click the link to apply: https://bit.ly/40OGkT1

Part of the mission of the BIO5 Institute is to equip the next generation of researchers and innovators with the skills they need to change the world. In line with this mission, BIO5 offers multiple avenues for students to work within the institute.

University of Arizona economics major Shiv Shukla reflects on how his experience first as a BIO5 Ambassador intern and then a student staff member in Phoenix helped him grow professionally to connect business and science as he pursues a career as a health care administrator.

"The BIO5 Ambassador experience has transformed my mindset with respect to business ventures in healthcare and research. Now, whether I'm presenting on applicative neuroscience or engaging in a casual conversation with an office staff member, I see business as a powerful tool to connect with people and bring their ideas to life."

Learn more about how BIO5 engages students in this Q&A with Shiv: https://bit.ly/3T3kycs

Parkinson’s disease affects an estimated 1 million Americans. University of Arizona neurology professor and BIO5 member Lalitha Madhavan describes how a simple extraction of skin cells can uncover biomarkers that could help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s in their patients.

Listen on AZPM: https://bit.ly/4dTAw0z

Imagine owning a camera so powerful it can take freeze-frame photographs of a moving electron – an object traveling so fast it could circle the Earth many times in a second. Researchers led by BIO5 member Mohammed Hassan at the University of Arizona have developed the world's fastest electron microscope that can do just that.

"This transmission electron microscope is like a very powerful camera in the latest version of smartphones; it allows us to take pictures of things we were not able to see before – like electrons. With this microscope, we hope the scientific community can understand the quantum physics behind how an electron behaves and how an electron moves," said Hassan.

Click here to read more: https://bit.ly/3ZexPmr

Looking for a unique two-semester opportunity? Apply to the 2024-2025 BIO5 Ambassador Internship.

This is an experience that is open to ALL undergraduate majors, and allows you to work one-on-one with a BIO5 staff member on a project of your choice. You must be willing to commit 40 credit hours/semester for 1 credit during fall and spring semesters.

Make sure to get your applications in by AUGUST 30.

Click the link to apply: https://bit.ly/40OGkT1

Want to learn about the research at the BIO5 Institute? 💡

Come to our Research & Innovation Showcase on Tuesday October 8 from 2:30pm – 4:00pm in Thomas W. Keating 103 or on Zoom.

If you are a University of Arizona faculty, staff or student, we want YOU to present your research! Please visit the link in bio and submit your poster title before September 10.

Learn about the projects of our 2024 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows and enjoy some light refreshments as you meet fellow collaborators and discuss posters.

Registration and poster submission information: https://bio5.org/events/research-innovation-showcase-2024

Facing the disease himself and in his brothers led BIO5 member Curtis Thorne to search for a cure.

“The calling to do cancer research had been coming at me strong most of my life, and I had been running the other way,” said Thorne. “And at that moment, I just sort of relented. OK, I can do cancer research. Maybe this is my path, and I need to just accept it.”

Today, Thorne is an associate professor in the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and a member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

Read more about Thorne's journey and work on cancer research: https://bit.ly/4dHan52

Peer into the financial side of science as a University of Arizona undergraduate while earning internship credits! Apply for our BIO5 Ambassadors internship program! 💸

"These experiences at the BIO5 Ambassadors have helped my understanding of the financial side of research where I now work with the Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS), assisting in inventory management and budget analysis. My BIO5 mentor and I have stayed in contact, and he has become a trusted mentor to me during my graduate program at the University of Arizona." - Joe Mirabito (2021 - 2022)

Hear from more of our fantastic alumni and apply to BIO5 Ambassadors before August 30th: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

A University of Arizona startup was recently awarded funding to adapt a canine Valley fever vaccine for humans. Some of the money will be earmarked for the university, which is the leader in Valley fever research.

Multiple BIO5 members have played integral roles in this process, including John Galgiani, Marc Orbach, and Lisa Shubitz.

"There is really no reason, based on the biology, that the canine vaccine candidate couldn't also be developed to protect humans, and that is a very exciting possibility," said Galgiani.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4dLPg1o

Interested in networking more with University of Arizona researchers? Apply for our BIO5 Ambassadors internship program! 🧪

"Through this internship, I was also given the opportunity to interact with the business office and the variety of researchers that work onsite at BIO5. As a molecular and cellular biology major, it was insightful and valuable to hear about the many areas of science that were available to me. This experience also allowed me to work in one of the BIO5 members' labs, Frank Duca, studying metabolic disease. Through the network of BIO5 and my acquired skills, I am inspired to pursue a PhD in research." - Drew Seiser (2022 - 2023)

Hear from more of our fantastic alumni and apply to BIO5 Ambassadors before August 30th: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

Congrats to BIO5 member Michael D.L. Johnson on his second year as the Keating Family BIO5 Professor!

Last year, Johnson was the inaugural recipient of the Keating Family Endowed Professor for Interdisciplinary Research at the BIO5 Institute. Because of his interdisciplinary biosciences research excellence, collegiality, spirit of mentorship and engagement, and strong communication skills, BIO5 Institute director Jennifer Kehlet Barton renewed his distinguished professorship for an additional year, from July 2024 – July 2025.

Funds from the distinguished professorship can be used to explore new research areas, purchase equipment, and support students and staff. Johnson elected to use the funds this past year for the latter. He hired a research professional to focus on laboratory management and training for incoming scientists.

“I wanted someone to specifically help me with building and disseminating the scientific culture of my lab,” said Johnson. “This position allows me to create an infrastructure of knowledge and training to better onboard individuals.”

Johnson hired Meredythe Durckel, a graduate from the applied biosciences program. She previously worked in the lab during her professional science master's at the U of A.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3XaIgpC

Celebrate World Photography Day with BIO5!

Here's a few shots from around the Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building.

Want to make a difference in science and business as a University of Arizona undergraduate student? Check out our BIO5 Ambassadors program! ✌️

"As a BIO5 Ambassador, I met with stakeholders to discuss and address various projects. This ultimately sparked my interest in the field of public health, as it allowed me to advocate for the needs of a population on a large scale. This propelled my future research at the Johns Hopkins Center of Health Equity while I completed my master's in public health at the Dartmouth Institute." - Alexis Carbine (2017-2018)

Learn more about our alumni and apply before August 30: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

Check out our newest Science Talks podcast the features two recent University of Arizona alumni who found skills and a support system as BIO5 student workers!

Paulina Garza (left) and Drew Seiser (right) worked as Public Affairs student assistants at the BIO5 Institute and co-facilitated the BIO5 Ambassadors program.

Garza graduated in May 2024 with a degree in management information systems and works in technology consulting. "I’ve met so many people through BIO5. I have much more experience I was able to put on my resume, and the opportunity I have post-grad is because of what I learned at BIO5, both hard and soft skills," said Garza.

Seiser also graduated in May 2024 with her BS in cell and molecular biology and aims to pursue a PhD. "I think BIO5 has taught me a lot of professional skills. It gave me the network to have been able to find something like that influenced the next steps that I took," said Seiser.

Listen and read the full interview: https://bit.ly/3Aqj0ma

Hey University of Arizona students, want to connect with the Arizona community through outreach? If your an undergraduate, consider applying for our BIO5 Ambassadors internship program! 👋

"My time with the BIO5 Ambassadors programs broadened my sense of community within the University of Arizona and Southern Arizona. Within BIO5, I met research faculty and business staff who I can look to for guidance and support during medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson." - Will Peterson (2022 - 2023)

Meet a few of our alumni and apply to BIO5 Ambassadors before August 30th: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

Between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, Tech Launch Arizona had a record number of 307 new inventions. The office launched nine startups, executed 75 licenses and options, filed 367 patents, and had 78 patents issued.

Three BIO5 members were involved in the invention of new startups: Michael Grandner with Hypeknowledge, Daniel Latt with Ancerix, and Jeffrey Pyun with Rivixl.

Read more about these exciting new inventions and startups: https://bit.ly/3ymAVtv

Stay connected with BIO5! In our monthly newsletter, we share original stories, upcoming event details, and behind-the-scenes for researchers, students and the community.

Sign up for the The BIO5 Connection: https://bit.ly/4c3Spcb

In a new review paper, Janko Nikolich, senior author and BIO5 member, along with researchers from the Universities of Arizona, Oxford, and Leeds, analyzed dozens of studies on long COVID. They examined the number and range of people affected, the underlying mechanisms of the disease, the symptoms patients develop, and current and future treatments.

“Long COVID is a devastating disease with a profound human toll and socioeconomic impact,” said Nikolich. “By studying it in detail, we hope to both understand the mechanisms and to find targets for therapy against this, but potentially also other infection-associated complex chronic conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.”

Read more about this study: https://bit.ly/4fzO1nT

The Arizona Board of Regents is pleased to announce the 23rd president of The University of Arizona – Dr. Suresh Garimella.

Learn more about the appointment: ow.ly/UTZZ50SUQiS

Passionate about science and business? Apply for our BIO5 Ambassadors internship program! ☀️

"My ambassadorship at BIO5 propelled me forward by exposing me to new opportunities at the intersection of business and scientific innovation and gave me the confidence to pursue a career that would enable me to engage with both worlds. The leadership experience I gained as a part of the program helped me secure a job managing a medical clinic in Chicago, IL upon graduating." - Emma Wallace (2018-2019)

Read more about our alumni and apply to BIO5 Ambassadors before August 30th: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

New research led by BIO5 member Frank Duca, associate professor at the University of Arizona School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences suggests that consuming foods rich in beta-glucan, a type of fiber found in oats and barley, can reduce body weight and obesity.

"We know that fiber is important and beneficial; the problem is that there are so many different types of fiber," Duca said. "We wanted to know what kind of fiber would be most beneficial for weight loss and improvements in glucose homeostasis so that we can inform the community, the consumer and then also inform the agricultural industry."

Read more about this study: https://bit.ly/3WzctNl

There currently is no effective therapy for coronary artery disease — a precursor to ischemia and myocardial infarction (heart attack) — but through her research, BIO5 member Shirin Doroudgar an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, seeks to change that.

Doroudgar was recently awarded a $3.7 million grant — to be distributed over five years — by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support her research.

Read more in the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix story: https://bit.ly/3StF0mb

BIO5 members Fernando Martinez, Stefano Guerra, and Tara Carr are leading a decades-long study at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center that is improving lung health through research.

“We’ve collected data as some of them developed asthma, and we are still collecting data as some of them are now showing signs of COPD,” Martinez said. “The Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study has contributed so much of what the scientific community knows about asthma. The importance of early-life influences is confirmed over and over again.”

Read more about the study: https://bit.ly/4c5b9HS

BIO5 member Frank von Hippel in the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health oversees a threespine stickleback fish lab that he believes will create new research collaborations and opportunities to improve human health.

“Sticklebacks are just an incredibly well-studied fish,” said von Hippel. “We know more about the stickleback than any other fish in the world. This wealth of knowledge makes the stickleback a robust model for various research applications, including evolutionary biology, behavioral studies and ecotoxicology.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3WnQmti

Attention The University of Arizona undergrads! Apply for our BIO5 Ambassadors internship program and unlock endless opportunities at the nexus of science and business.

"The BIO5 Ambassador program opened my eyes to the intersection of business and science and that love grew into a passion — with the addition of business. I am now a senior market research analyst in the healthcare field where I get to work on projects centered on life saving medications (science) with health system operations and processes (business)." -Jorey Cohen (2019 - 2020)

Read more alumni stories and apply before August 30th: https://bit.ly/3WHRsBp

Congratulations to BIO5 member Roberta Diaz Brinton who was inducted as a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors during the organization’s annual conference!

“I was honored to be nominated by Tech Launch Arizona in recognition of my work and my commitment to foster innovation and mentor the next generation of brilliant inventors. The University of Arizona is a top-tier research institution with a bold innovative spirit that fosters the kind of creative thinking and collaboration that yields these high-impact innovations,” said Brinton.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3W7Njp0

To celebrate today, check out research from earlier this year focused on how microbes in the soil feel the stress of a hotter, drier future.

Lead by 2020 BIO5 postdoctoral fellow Linnea Honeker with BIO5 members Laura Meredith and Malak Tfaily, this study is just one part of a larger project that brought researchers from all over the world to Biosphere 2 to conduct a controlled drought experiment.

"These results bring us one step closer to understanding how droughts, which are expected to increase in frequency and duration, can impact microbial carbon cycling in the soil, which, in turn, can have large-scale impacts on ecosystem services and even atmospheric processes," Honeker said.

Read the story to learn more.

Soils in drought stress leak more volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere Microbes do a lot under the soil surface that can't be seen with the naked eye, but even tiny soil microbes are feeling the stress of hotter and drier conditions. These microbes release more volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere in response to drought stress, a new study conducted at the Bi...