Want to spend a summer working for a UArizona startup? Through a new internship offered through Tech Launch Arizona, students do just that, gaining real-world entrepreneurial experiences while contributing their skills to fast-moving, high-tech teams. 

The Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority honored optical sciences professor Jim Schwiegerling with two awards: Inventor of the Year on October 6 in Tucson at the Southern AZ Tech + Business Expo, and Innovator of the Year - Academia on October 13 at the Governor's Celebration of Innovation in Phoenix. 

Tech Launch Arizona has kicked off a new UArizona program to recognize inventors who are named on issued patents. “The goal is to recognize the contributions of each inventor,” said TLA Assistant Vice President Doug Hockstad, “as well as elevate the visibility of patents and the impact of commercialization throughout our campus community.” 

On September 28, 2021, Tech Launch Arizona hosted its eighth annual I-Squared Awards and Expo event. Along with honoring the top inventors and entrepreneurs dedicated to commercializing UArizona inventions, the evening included an expo of innovations and startups hosted by entrepreneurial, innovative UArizona teams. 

Born in Cumaná, Venezuela, Edmundo “Eddie” Hernandez came to the United States when he was four years old. Today, he has joined TLA as our latest Entrepreneurial Fellow, working with startup teams to help them move towards a successful launch. 

University of Arizona researchers have developed a new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease designed to restore cognitive function in early-stage patients. The therapy, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science, is now proceeding through a Phase 2b clinical trial and has been licensed to startup NeuTherapeutics, Inc. 

From July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, the university achieved a record 124 license agreements, launched 17 new companies, and grew the number of inventions disclosed and patents filed.

A new study, published in the journal Cell Reports, found that the stiffness of the breast tumor microenvironment can cause changes to cancer cells that make them more aggressively spread to bone. The concept of a “mechanical memory” or “MeCo score” that describes this aggressiveness has driven the foundation of startup MeCo Diagnostics, LLC. 

Graduate student Trevor Lohr, who is studying for his master’s in finance, is the latest addition to the Tech Launch Arizona team. As an Entrepreneurial Fellow, he lends his expertise to helping budding startups in the health sciences space get their footing and prepare for entry into the market.