Pulmonary disease research investigator Louise Hecker, PhD, 
has been named an award winner in the 2019 I-Squared (I²) Awards & Expo to be held Monday, April 1, 4:30-7 p.m., at the University of Arizona Steve Eller Dance Theatre, 737 E. University Blvd., Tucson.
Join your colleagues from across the UA campus and around the commercialization ecosystem for this sixth annual celebration of “Invention” and “Impact” in Tucson and beyond. On this night, Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) honors UA inventors and companies, and those who help bring UA inventions from the lab to the world.
UA President Robert C. Robbins, MD, will take part in the awards presentation to recognize honorees.
Among awards to be presented are: Inventor of the Year, Startup of the Year, Ecosystem Impact, Student Innovator of the Year, Campus Collaborator of the Year and the David N. Allen Award for Leadership and Vision.
The event also serves as a showcase for startup companies, inventions and inventors from the University of Arizona. In the past, this expo has included several innovators and their companies from the UA Department of Medicine, including cardiologist Steve Goldman, MD (Avery Therapeutics Inc.), gastroenterologist Bhaskar Banerjee, MD (Omnicient), and Dr. Hecker (Fibronox).
Dr. Hecker joined the UA faculty in 2014, coming from the University of Alabama – Birmingham and, before that, the University of Michigan. Working closely with colleagues at the UA BIO5 Institute, UA College of Pharmacy and UA Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, she has won several major grants in the past two years toward her work on developing Nox4 small molecule inhibitors to prevent fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Her company, Fibronox licensed the technology from the UA in February.
Dr. Hecker also was a presenter March 7 at TLA’s “Eureka! Recognizing When Research Gives Rise to Invention” forum at the UA BIO5 Institute and competed Feb. 19 in the Shark Tank competition during the UA College of Medicine – Tucson’s Research Day 2019, which served as the inaugural event for the new Health Sciences Innovation Building.
AGENDA:
- 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. – Attendee Check-in, Networking, UA Startup and Inventor Tables Open
- 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks – President Robert C. Robbins, and Awards Presentation
- 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. – Networking, UA Startup and Inventor Tables Open
Beverages and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Tech Launch Arizona is the UA’s commercialization arm, helping transform UA innovations and discoveries into intellectual property, inventions and technology through licensing agreements with private industry to make the world a better place.
ALSO SEE:
“Fibronox Licenses UA-Developed Small Molecule Inhibitor to Treat Life-Threatening Scarring” | Posted Feb. 28, 2019
“Dr. Louise Hecker among 3 Research Panelists at Tech Launch Arizona ‘Eureka’ Luncheon” | Posted Feb. 19, 2019
“Research Day 2019 Crowns DOM Asthma Investigators with Shark Tank Prize” | Posted Feb. 15, 2019
“‘More to the Snore’ — Tucson Lifestyle’s Interview with Dr. Sai Parthasarathy (and Other DOM News Coverage)” | Posted Jan. 4, 2019
“Cure for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Target of UA Research Team with $4.4M DoD Grant” | Posted Sept. 6, 2018
“I-Squared Awards Honor Inventors, Entrepreneurs at 5th Tech Launch Arizona Event” | Posted April 3, 2018