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Tag: UALR

Dr. Alex Biris’ research inspires (and confounds) Arkansas columnist

Posted on by Jeremy Harper

You don’t have to be an ARA Fellow to appreciate Dr. Alex Biris’ work with nanomaterial-based bone regeneration. The fascinating research conducted at UA Little Rock is impressive dinner-table discussion. After all, whose eyes wouldn’t widen at the thought of healing broken bones with nanoscaled materials bearing bone-mimicking characteristics?

However, in a recent Democrat-Gazette article, noted columnist Rex Nelson admits his grasp of the tech is somewhat beyond his reach:

I don’t pretend to be smart enough to understand what it is that Biris is doing.

Indeed! Dr. Biris, Chief Scientist of the UA Little Rock Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences (CINS), explores the science of nanostructures that can be used to alter the properties of other substances at the atomic level. Such microscopic pursuits can have big commercial value, as Mr. Nelson soon discovers:

I do know enough to realize that this is exactly the kind of research that could move the central Arkansas economy forward once it’s monetized. As one UALR administrator told me: “Though the goal of the research is treatment for human injuries, the long Food & Drug Administration road to commercialization is shorter for animals than for human subjects. There’s potentially a big market for animals such as thoroughbred horses, prize breeding stock and beloved pets. The scaffold has enabled better healing of broken bones in some experiments than in any previous therapies. It’s exciting stuff. And it’s happening right here in Little Rock.”

And it’s happening right here in Little Rock. Research is a catalyst for economic growth in Arkansas, one that Mr. Nelson understands is undervalued in the Natural State. You can read more about Mr. Nelson’s discovery of research’s role in the future of Arkansas’ economy here, The Ol’ College Try.

 

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ARA president Jerry Adams sits down with Roby Brock and Talk Business

Posted on by Jeremy Harper

Arkansas Research Alliance was founded in 2008, and according to president Jerry Adams, the mandate for the hardworking agency has evolved over the decade.  “Originally I thought I’d be sitting in the tech licensing office for our five research universities, watching intellectual property go across,” mused Jerry Adams, speaking with Roby Brock and Talk Business, “but it’s turned into us being much more focused on talent recruitment, recognition and retention.

While “intellectual property” is still a focal point, ARA has become a major conduit between Arkansas’ research campuses, the state’s science community and economic decision makers. During the interview, Mr. Adams highlighted some of the compelling research conducted in Arkansas, which includes advancements in bacteria-resistant artificial bone from Dr. Alex Biris (UA Little Rock) and Dr. Mark Smeltzer (UAMS), developing electric energy solutions from Dr. Alan Mantooth (University of Arkansas) and efforts to genetically strengthen rice against global warming from Dr. Argelia Lorence (Arkansas State).

“There’s a lot of collaboration, a lot of unique innovation, going on between the state universities,” said Mr. Adams, who also touches on ARA’s unique relationship with the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the ARA Academy.

“I think the Academy is how we’re going to be identified going forward,” said Mr. Adams. Watch the interview in its entirety here.

 

 

If you would like to contact this core facility, please fill out the "Facility Contact Form" on the right of this page. This contact method helps ARA measure the success of the CFE in connecting potential collaborators and will flow directly to the core director’s email inbox.

Breakthrough: 3 Ways Liquid Biopsy Can Revolutionize Treatment for Lung Cancer

Posted on by Jeremy Harper

Each year, 215,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer. The epidemic is especially burdensome to Arkansas with death rates far higher than the national average. A lung biopsy – an invasive procedure needed to diagnose lung cancer – is both uncomfortable, risky for the patient, and expensive. But promising research conducted by in-state institutions is changing the game.

Through a partnership between UAMS, UA Little Rock, UAPB, UA, Arkansas Research Alliance, and the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), a new technique is being developed for diagnosing lung cancer – liquid biopsy. Unlike traditional biopsies, liquid biopsy is non-invasive, performed through a routine blood draw.

How does this pioneering medical research impact Arkansas? We’ll give you three reasons.

  1. A significant cut in medical costs. Nearly 2,800 Arkansans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. The average cost of a traditional lung biopsy is $3,700. A liquid biopsy, which is not a surgical procedure that requires anesthesia, is far less expensive.
  2. Treatment (and outcomes) will improve. Liquid biopsies grant caregivers the unique ability to regularly monitor a patient’s response to therapy. In addition, disease recurrence is detected much sooner by a liquid biopsy versus conventional medical imaging.
  3. Arkansas receives an economic shot in the arm. The state is just scratching the surface of medical innovation and drug discovery, a multi-billion dollar industry. Innovations like liquid biopsy position Arkansas as an emerging med-tech hot spot.

Arkansas Research Alliance collaborates closely with in-state research institutions like UAMS, NCTR and the state’s other research universities so that science is allowed to flourish. Supporting research like liquid biopsy is crucial to Arkansas’ economy, reputation and health.

If you would like to contact this core facility, please fill out the "Facility Contact Form" on the right of this page. This contact method helps ARA measure the success of the CFE in connecting potential collaborators and will flow directly to the core director’s email inbox.