Tissue biopsies may save lives, but the procedures can be painful and even dangerous. To lower the need for these procedures and to better monitor cancer reoccurrence, UA inventors Drs. Bernard Futscher and Lukas Vrba combined the latest discoveries in epigenetics with new methods in informatics to create a new breed of “liquid biopsy” – a blood test for screening, detecting and monitoring cancer.
Working with Tech Launch Arizona, they have launched a startup, DesertDx, to bring the invention to doctors and their patients.
Join us for lunch and a discussion with the UA/DesertDx team, including Drs. Futshher and Vrba and CEO Dr. Mark Nelson. Hear about their story and their challenges, and learn what it takes to take ideas from the lab to the world for maximum impact. For more on their efforts and the involvement of UA College of Medicine faculty 
Drs. Linda Garland, Sam Kim and Daruka Mahadevan (pictured left), click here.
We will also hear from Marie Wesselhoft, TLA Mentor-in-Residence and life sciences entrepreneur, about how she mentored this entrepreneurial faculty team.
Kaitlyn Norman-Powers, TLA Licensing Manager for UA Health Sciences, will moderate our discussion.
Who should attend?
While this talk will be geared toward faculty, researchers, graduate students and staff, all are welcome.
BIO5 Room 103
