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CFB BEIR Receives $1.9M SBIR Fast-Track

Avanti Biosciences, Inc. a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company lead by Center for Biotechnology BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence Dr. Gian Luca Araldi, has announced that the National Institute of Aging (NIA) has awarded the Company an SBIR fast-track grant of up to $1,930,000 to support the company’s small molecule treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) over the next 3 years.

The award will enable the preparation and testing of Avanti’s proprietary compounds derivatized from natural catechins, which inhibit DYRK1A, an enzyme that modulates tau phosphorylation. Working with NY Institute for Basic Research and the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the company hopes to attenuate and potentially reverse pathogenesis for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

“This award marks a significant milestone for Avanti Biosciences and an important step for their research into a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease” stated Dr. Clinton Rubin, Director of the New York State Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University. “The Center for Biotechnology is thrilled to see another success for one of the emerging bioscience companies fueling our regional bioecosystem and we proudly support Dr. Araldi’s work as one of our BioEntrepreneurs-in-Residence.”

Dr. Gian Luca Araldi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Avanti, stated, “We are delighted to have been granted this funding from the NIA as it underscores the great need for innovative, effective treatments for this disease, and recognizes the potential benefits that our compounds may provide for patients with AD. The continuous support of Center for Biotechnology and the BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence program has been critical force in the development of our technology and the company as whole.”

More than five million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, irreversible, neurodegenerative disease that destroys memory and other cognitive abilities. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and as the aging population in the country grows, the incidence rate is expected to rise dramatically.

Learn more about Avanti Biosciences: avantibiosciences.com

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                    [post_content] => 

Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

[post_title] => BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bioreach-translational-research-funding-opportunity [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-09-04 11:55:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-09-04 15:55:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=5065 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3373 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2019-09-25 16:43:38 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-09-25 16:43:38 [post_content] => A technology that manipulates microRNAs (miRNAs) developed by Jingfang Ju, PhD, a biochemist and Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and colleagues has shown promise when used as anti-cancer therapeutic. The technology has been licensed to Curamir Therapeutics Inc., Research leading to the development of the miRNA drug platform was funded in part by grants from the Long Island Bioscience Hub, led by the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, under the National Institutes of Health REACH  program, as well as the National Cancer Institute. An incubated company financed by Delos Capital, Curamir will begin developing these drugs for testing with an initial $10 million in financing from Delos Capital. The company was co-founded by Dr. Ju and Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA structure; and Dr. Lan Bo Chen, Professor Emeritus of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Academician of the Academia Sinica of Taiwan. [post_title] => LIBH Supported Technology Licensed to Startup [post_excerpt] => A technology developed by LIBH researcher Dr. Jingfang Ju, has been licensed to Curamir Therapeutics. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => libh-supported-technology-licensed-to-startup [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/who-we-are/long-island-bioscience-hub/ [post_modified] => 2019-09-25 16:43:38 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-09-25 16:43:38 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3373 [menu_order] => 83 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4285 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2023-09-11 12:13:16 [post_date_gmt] => 2023-09-11 16:13:16 [post_content] =>

Join Stony Brook University’s Intellectual Property Partners on Thursday, October 12, from 4:30 pm to 6 pm at the Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University for the panel discussion titled “Bring Your New Technology Innovations to Life Through Prototyping and Manufacturing.”

The event will be hosted by Intellectual Property Partners (IPP), the SBU Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and the Manufacturing and Technology Resource Consortium (MTRC) and will be followed by a networking cocktail reception from 6 pm to 7 pm.

Moderated by Dr. James Hayward, President, CEO and Chairman of Applied DNA Sciences, panelists include:
– Adrian Howansky, PhD, Clinical Medical Physicist, Department of Radiology, Stony Brook University Hospital
– Doreen Swift, Senior Director, Embedded Software Engineering, IPS
– Michael R. Bielski, President, DevTech Partners
– Nariman Boyle, MD, Director, Ophthalmic Plastic Orbit and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University
– Paul Schwartz, Director, Advanced Propulsion Technologies

This event is free and open to Stony Brook University attendees. Space is limited and registration is required. Register here to secure your spot.

For more information visit: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/ipp/Events/Manufacturing.php

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity

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LIBH Supported Technology Licensed to Startup

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“Bring Your New Technology Innovations to Life Through Prototyping and Manufacturing” 10/12/23

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Alda Center Workshop for SBU Researchers

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