The BioVentures Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Marie Burdine discusses her team's development of a novel drug designed to reduce delayed graft function, a complication that affects about 30% of kidney transplant recipients. DGF occurs when donor kidneys are damaged during transport and fail to function immediately after transplantation, increasing the risk of rejection and prolonged hospitalization. Using a pig transpl...

In this episode of the BioVentures Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Kevin W. Sexton (surgeon, scientist, and former BioVentures president) to explore his journey from clinical practice to successful health tech innovation. Dr. Sexton shares how early exposure to entrepreneurship and key mentorship moments led him to develop predictive healthcare software later acquired by a Fortune 500 company and re...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Erica Malone and doctoral nursing student Blakely Coppock to discuss their innovative nerve block training model developed at UAMS. Designed to bridge the gap between low-fidelity simulators and real patient care, their 3D-printed, ultrasound compatible arm provides immediate visual feedback when a nerve block is performed correctly. They share the story behin...

In this episode of the BioVentures Podcast, we sit down with Michael Geranen, Technology Manager at BioVentures, to explore how industry partnerships help transform academic healthcare innovations into real-world patient solutions. The conversation covers the role of technology transfer offices, what industry partners look for in university inventions, common pitfalls to avoid, and how early discl...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. John Arthur about his team’s development of a rapid urine test that can predict severe acute kidney injury much earlier than current methods. By identifying a more accurate biomarker, this technology could help doctors intervene sooner, guide dialysis decisions, and even make future drug trials more feasible.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Zach Waldrop about his Arkansas Health Ventures Accelerator (ARHVA) project developing genetically engineered probiotics to treat gastrointestinal diseases. His team modifies a safe yeast strain, Saccharomyces boulardii , to display antibodies that neutralize bacterial toxins, offering a potential alternative to antibiotics. Early lab tests show the engineered yea...

Meet Tristan Saunders , healthcare professional andinnovator whose unique path from rural Arkansas to the U.S. Air Force to respiratory therapy has inspired a wave of practical healthcare innovations. Saunders shares his unconventional journey from rural Arkansas to military service and into respiratory therapy, describing how his technical training and unique way of thinking (shaped in part by dy...

On this episode of the BioVentures Podcast , we sit down with Adria Abella Villafranca, founder of hDrop Technologies. Adria shares the story of how his experiences as a college tennis player inspired him to create a wearable device that tracks real-time sweat analytics, helping athletes and workers in the heat better understand their hydration needs. From the first prototype to building a viable...

In this follow-up episode of the BioVentures Podcast, Dr. John Sherrill explores what happens after intellectual property (IP) is disclosed and protected. Dr. Sherrill breaks down the commercialization journey—from marketing patented technologies and identifying licensees to navigating license types and supporting faculty-led startups. He shares real-world insight into option agreements, exclusive...

Dr. Amy Hester, chairwoman and CEO of HD Nursing, shares insights on commercialization, market positioning, and entrepreneurship. She emphasizes the importance of solving a real pain point and understanding customer needs through different programs. She discusses the strategic value of partnerships and financial sacrifices and warns against unnecessary dilution of ownership through early funding.

In this episode of the BioVentures podcast, Dr. John Sherrill, Senior Licensing Associate at BioVentures, discusses the basics of technology transfer, intellectual property, and commercialization at UAMS. He explains how inventions—ranging from drugs and devices to software and curricula—can move from the lab to the marketplace, with patents playing a key role in protecting and enabling commercial...

Dr. Amy Hester, Chairwoman and CEO of HD Nursing, shares the story of how her work as a nurse and administrator at UAMS led to the creation of a highly effective fall prevention program. As regulatory and financial pressures around fall-related injuries increased, the program expanded hospital-wide, significantly reducing injury rates. With encouragement from BioVentures and the UAMS Patent and Co...

In this episode, Dr. Robert Griffin, Professor of Radiation Oncology at UAMS and Vice President for Small Business Concerns and Faculty Affairs at BioVentures, discusses strategies for securing funding for small businesses, the importance of research commercialization, and the role of non-dilutive funding. Non-dilutive funding, which includes grants and select angel investments, enables early-stag...

Dr. Laura James, a Professor of Pediatrics at UAMS and Director of the Translational Research Institute, co-founded Acetaminophen Toxicity Diagnostics (ATD) alongside Dr. Jack Henson and Dean Roberts. ATD emerged from their research on acetaminophen-induced liver injury, leading to the development of a novel assay that detects acetaminophen protein adducts in blood. Unlike traditional ALT/AST live...

This is our third and final episode showcasing members of this year’s AR Health Ventures Accelerator (ARHVA) program. Dr. Gyan Sahukhal sits down with us to discuss tackling staph infections and the challenges of treatment due to biofilm. His therapeutic approach targets regulators of biofilm formation and reduces complications from these types of infections. This is a major public health issue, o...

This episode focuses on Dexter Caffey, a member of the BioVenture’s Arkansas Collaborative for Technological and Innovative Venture Equality (ACTIVE) program. Dexter shares his entrepreneurial journey and the inspiration behind Smart Eye Technology, a biometric security platform focused on continuous facial recognition to protect sensitive data. His entrepreneurial path began at a young age, selli...

The latest episode of the BioVentures podcast is the second part of the expose on the AR Health Ventures Therapeutic Accelerator (ARHVA) program. Our guest, Dr. Mitch McGill, an associate professor at UAMS, focuses his research on improving liver injury detection in clinical trials, specifically by developing new biomarkers to complement or replace alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a commonly used b...

In this episode of the BioVentures Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Samir Jenkins, an AR Health Ventures Accelerator program (ARHVA) awardee. ARHVA is a new funding program aimed at supporting the commercialization of promising research projects at UAMS. Dr. Jenkins is focused on developing radiation-activated liposomes for targeted chemotherapy delivery, specifically using cisplatin. This approach a...

Our first episode! Dr. Stefanie Kennon-McGill, Senior Program Manager for BioVentures and Dmitri Scott, Program Manager for the Arkansas Collaborative for Technological and Innovative Venture Equality (ACTIVE) sit down to discuss this new collaborative and its overall goal of assisting health entrepreneurs who are socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. View transcript here: https://b...