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SPARK | REACH Colorado

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University Quick Links

Meet our SPARK Fellows

SPARK Cohort 6

Dr. Park

Daewon Park, PhD

Microbicidal Polymer Spray
Dr. Duncan

Luke Duncan, MS, MBA

Microbicidal Polymer Spray
Cristin Welle

Cristin Welle, PhD

Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Treat Multiple Sclerosis
Adam Green

Adam Green, MD

Development of a Device for Intact Pill Delivery to Patients Unable to Swallow
Steve Lammers

Steven Lammers, PhD

Development of a Device for Intact Pill Delivery to Patients Unable to Swallow
Vikas Patel

Vikas Patel, MD

Advanced Cervical Fixation
Brian Herrmann

Brian Herrmann, MD

Efficient Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
Norman Friedman

Norman Friedman, MD

Efficient Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
Mark Rentschler

Mark Rentschler, PhD, PE

Efficient Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
evalina-burger-van-der-walt-md

Evalina Burger-Van Der Walt, MD

Novelty Cages Accommodating Individual Endplate Architecture
Dr. Ma

Ji Ma, PhD

Novelty Cages Accommodating Individual Endplate Architecture
Dr. Yu

Liping Yu, MD

A Simple Multiplex Assay to Screening Multiple Autoimmune Diseases Simultaneously in Children

SPARK Cohort 5

aaron-michels_500

Aaron Michels, MD

Vaccine for Type 1 Diabetes
peter-gottlieb_500

Peter Gottlieb, MD

Vaccine for Type 1 Diabetes
ken_maclean_500

Ken Maclean, PhD

Formate Treatment of Cystathionine Beta Synthase Deficient Homocystinuria
Richard Tobin

Richard Tobin, PhD

Therapeutic Potential of Targeting MCL1 to Improve Cancer Therapies

Yiqun Shellman, PhD

Therapeutic Potential of Targeting MCL1 to Improve Cancer Therapies
Eduardo_Davila_500

Eduardo Davila, PhD

Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy Switch

Maria Nagel, MD

Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists as Antiviral Agents against Herpes Simplex Viruses
andrew-bubak

Andrew Bubak, PhD

Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists as Antiviral Agents against Herpes Simplex Viruses
zhirui_wang_500

Zhirui Wang, PhD

CCR4 Immunotoxin for Cancer Immunotherapy via Treg Depletion

Sujatha Venkataraman, PhD

Novel Therapeutic Antibody against a Fatal Brain Tumor in Children

Rajeev Vibhakar, MD, PhD, MPH/MSPH

Novel Therapeutic Antibody against a Fatal Brain Tumor in Children
Jim_Lambert_500

Jim Lambert, PhD

Novel Small Molecules as Breakthrough Therapy for Melanoma
David_Westerly_500

David Westerly, PhD

Radioactive Foil Therapy for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
quentin-diot-500

Quentin Diot, PhD

Radioactive Foil Therapy for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

Cohort 4

Traci Lyons, PhD

Diagnostic and Therapy for Breast Cancer
borges_500

Virginia Borges, MD

Diagnostic and Therapy for Breast Cancer

Omer Mei-Dan, MD

Arthroscopic Instruments to Support New Surgical Methods in Hip Arthroscopy
jacob_segil_500

Jacob Segil, PhD

Arthroscopic Instruments to Support New Surgical Methods in Hip Arthroscopy

Ram Nagaraj, PhD

Gene Therapy for Glaucoma
Pantcheva Photo_500

Mina Pantcheva, MD

Gene Therapy for Glaucoma

Joshua Thurman, MD

Non-Invasive Detection of Tissue Inflammation Using Molecular Imaging
michael-wempe_500

Michael Wempe, PhD

A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
nordeen_steve_500

Steven Nordeen, PhD

A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause

Cohort 3

An ultra-compact CT scanner for point-of-care imaging

Visit Dr. Altunbas's website.

LPL activators as novel therapeutics for neurological conditions

Team Members

  • Kimberley Bruce, PhD - learn more
  • Philip Reigan, PhD - learn more

 

Multifunctional Nanoclusters for Detection and Treatment of Bladder Cancer

Team Members

  • Thomas Flaig, MD - learn more
  • Jared Brown, PhD - visit website
  • Won Park, PhD - visit website

 

Methods for understanding functional heterogeneity among single cells

Team Members

  • Jay Hesselberth, PhD - visit website
  • Mandy Richer, PhD

iSense: A First-in-Class Therapy for Insufficient Pupil Dilation

Learn more about Dr. Ifantides here. 

Novel inhibitors of trimethylamine lyase for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Team Members

  • Kristi Kuhn, MD - learn more
  • Sabrina Fetchner, PhD - learn more

 

 

Repositioning neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonists as antiviral agents against human herpesviruses

Team Members

  • Maria Nagel, PhD - learn more
  • Andrew Bubak, PhD - learn more

 

Oral Biofilm Disruption and Selective Inhibition of S. mutans Biofilms

Learn more about Dr. Nair's research here. 

IL2-CCR4 Bispecific Immunotoxin Targeting Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Learn more about Dr. Wang's research here.

Cohort 2

First In-Class Therapeutic for Neuro-Protection After Ischemia

Team Members

  • Ulli Bayer, PhD - learn more
  • Steven Coultrap - learn more

Targeting the Six1-Eya Complex to Inhibit Metastasis

Team Members

  • Heide Ford, PhD - visit website
  • Rui Zhao, PhD - visit website
  • Kristine Fischenich, PhD - learn more

Novel Drug Delivery System to Eradicate Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection

Team Members

  • Marsha Guess, MD - learn more
  • Devatha Nair, PhD - visit website
  • Michael Schurr, PhD - learn more
  • Dmitri Simberg, PhD - visit website
  • Kathleen Connell, MD - learn more

 

Therapeutically Targeting of Ctbp-Mediated Transcription in Traumatic Brain Injury

Learn more about Dr. Huang's research here.

Development of Antimicrobial Peptides to Treat Gram-Negative Infections

Team Members

  • Robert Hodges, PhD - learn more
  • Colin Mant, PhD - learn more
  • Lajos Gera, PhD

VasaFast - Central Arteries and Vein Access Tool

Team Members

  • Juan-Pablo Idrovo, MD - learn more
  • Andrew Scallon, MS - learn more

Drugs That Reverse Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition for the Treatment 
of Metastatic Cancers

Learn more about Dr. LaBarbera's work here. 

Targeting Myofibrillar Deacetylases to Treat Heart Failure

Team Members

  • Tim McKinsey, PhD - visit website
  • Ying-Hsi Lin, PhD - learn more
  • Kathleen Woulfe, PhD - learn more
  • Maria Cavasin, PhD - learn more
  • Keith Koch, PhD - learn more

A Functional Assay for Synthetic Cannabinoid Detection

Team Members

  • Andrew Monte, MD - visit website
  • Robert Scheinman, PhD - learn more

The Button Huggie - Securement Method for Gastrostomy Button

Team Members

  • Steven Moulton, MD - learn more
  • Tyler Mironuck

Bioresorbable 3-D Printed Personalized Implant for Cartilage Regeneration in Pediatric Growth Plate Injuries

Team Members

  • Karin Payne, PhD - visit website
  • Nancy Hadler Miller, MD, MS - visit website 
  • Stephanie Bryant, PhD - learn more
  • Virginia Ferguson, PhD - learn more

Targeting AMPK in Glioblastoma

Learn more about Dr. Reigan's work here.

ESCAPE (External Stereotactic Cranial Access Port for Evacuation)

Team Members

  • Joshua Seinfeld, MD - learn more 
  • Zach Folzenlogen, MD - learn more

Heart Regeneration by Conversion of Non-Myocytes Into Functional Cardiomyocytes

Team Members

  • Kunhua Song, PhD - visit website
  • Peter Buttrick, MD - learn more
  • Yuanbiao Zhao, PhD - learn more

 

Generation of Engraftable Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Team Members

  • Michael Verneris, MD - visit website
  • Sunny Shim, PhD

Cohort 1

Novel Cages Accommodating Individual Endplate Architecture

Team Members

  • Evalina Burger, MD - visit website
  • Vikas Patel, MD - learn more
  • Andriy Noshchenko - learn more
  • Todd Baldini, MS - learn more
  • Ji Ma, PhD (UVA) - learn more

Stem cell-derived 3D retinal transplant to treat dry AMD

Learn more about Dr. Canto-Soler's work here.

tPA-Challenged™ Viscoelastometric Hemostatic Assay

Team Members

  • Michael Chapman, MD - learn more
  • Hunter B Moore, MD - learn more

DT-EGF to treat bladder cancer

Learn more about Dr. Glode here.

This technology was spun out into Aurora Oncology. Visit the website here.

Inhibitors of sugar (fructose) metabolism for non alcoholic liver fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Team Members

  • Richard Johnson, MD - learn more
  • Miguel Lanaspa-Garcia, PhD -learn more
  • Michael Wempe, PhD - learn more

Phosfilter –Managing Blood Phosphates for Hemodialysis Patients

Team Members

  • Melanie Joy, PhD - visit website
  • Marian McCord, PhD (NC State) - learn more

Small molecule Therapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Team Members

  • James Lambert, PhD - learn more
  • Steven Nordeen, PhD - learn more
  • Hamid Gari
  • Scott Lucia, MD - learn more
  • Ann Thor, MD - learn more
  • Rahul Ray, MD (Boston University) - learn more

This technology was spun out into Vona Oncology.

HNKlear: A Saliva-Based Molecular Test for Head and Neck Cancer

Team Members

  • Shi-Long Lu, MD, PhD - learn more

Apical Cuff Implant Tool (ACIT) for Left Ventricular Assist Device

Learn more about Dr. Mitchell here.

Intraocular Device to Potentiate Retinal Stem Cell Transplant in Macular Degeneration

Learn more about Dr. Olson here.

Biologic for Cataract Inhibition

Team Members

  • Mark Petrash, PhD - learn more
  • Xiao-Jing Wang, PhD - learn more

Surrogate Molecular Assessment of Response to TB Treatment 

Team Members

  • Nicholas Walter, MD - learn more
  • Martin Voskuil, PhD - learn more
  • Gregory Robertson, PhD (CSU) - learn more
  • Sarah Born, PhD - learn more

Autologous CD117+ Progenitor Cell Therapy for Solid Organ Transplantation

Team Members

  • Mary Zamora, MD - learn more
  • Robert Plenter
  • Todd Grazia, MD

 

CU Innovations

CU Anschutz

Anschutz Health Sciences Building

1890 N Revere Ct

Suite 6202

Mail Stop F411

Aurora, CO 80045


303-724-6653

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