Research Initiatives

Bioengineering Consortium (BEC)

Honed by billions of years of evolution, the molecular mechanisms driving the processes of life are highly complex yet resistant to perturbations. Studying these mechanisms with engineering principles in mind, scientists can learn from the intricate mechanisms nature has evolved to perform the most complicated and challenging tasks involved in "running an organism." This research generates fundamentally new concepts and understanding, from the molecular and cellular level up to tissues and organ systems.

Drug Discovery Initiative (DDI)

A major bottleneck in the development of effective drugs is the identification of new candidate compounds to be clinically evaluated. BIO5 is positioned to provide biopharmaceutical companies in Arizona and beyond with innovative drug candidates. BIO5 is capitalizing on its highly innovative basic biology and genetics programs to provide drug targets for potential disease treatments. BIO5's medicinal chemistry faculty combines academic and pharmaceutical industry expertise in drug discovery.

Genome Structure and Function Consortium (GSFC)

The new technologies of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics have begun to generate knowledge that will revolutionize healthcare and agriculture. Deciphering genomes and determining the functions of tens of thousands of genes are tasks that scientists can only tackle by joining forces in multidisciplinary and often multinational teams. The results are fed into large public databases on genome sequences, gene expression patterns (at the RNA and protein levels), and metabolism.

Quantitative Biology Consortium (QBC)

The Quantitative Biology Consortium at the University of Arizona is a campus-wide interdisciplinary effort, in which the tools of mathematics, physics, computation and statistics are used in combination with biological approaches to understand the fundamental principles of life and their implications for human health and disease.

Translational Research in Agriculture and Medicine (TRAM)

Typically academic centers do very basic research on model organisms, while industrial partners are unable to devote the resources and incur the risks associated with translating such research to commercially relevant crops or breeds. Even if the academic research is on the targeted organism, such as humans or important crop plants, significant development must occur before a laboratory innovation can become commercially viable. BIO5 works with academic and commercial partners to identify high potential projects and form collaborations among scientists in basic and applied research.

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