CU Technology and Discovery News

Watch: Mapping neural activity to detect brain disorders

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:47:54 +0000

Watch: Mapping neural activity to detect brain disorders Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/25/2025 - 12:47

CUbit Quantum Initiative—Svenja Knappe (��ɫ��Ƶ Mechanical Engineering) is collaborating with scientists from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to advance the use of quantum sensors into real-world health applications. These quantum sensors could aid in more effective diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of brain disorders.

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AI helps spot 1,000 “questionable” journals

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:55:44 +0000

AI helps spot 1,000 “questionable” journals Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:55

Daniel Acuña, a ��ɫ��Ƶ computer scientist and founder of ReviewerZero, led development of an AI tool that analyzed ~15,200 open-access journals and flagged roughly 1,400 as potentially problematic, with over 1,000 confirmed to exhibit questionable publishing practices.

Read the Full Interview

The University of Colorado Connection

ReviewerZero AI, founded by Daniel Acuña (��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science) in 2023, is working with publishers to deploy an artificial intelligence technology suite, including tools to detect plagiarism and statistical inconsistencies, to ensure research integrity in scientific publications. The company won the 2023 Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), receiving a $125,000 grant from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.

View the ReviewerZero Profile

Technology Networks—Daniel Acuña, a ��ɫ��Ƶ computer scientist and founder of ��ɫ��Ƶ startup ReviewerZero, led development of an AI tool that analyzed ~15,200 open-access journals and flagged roughly 1,400 as potentially problematic, with over 1,000 confirmed to exhibit questionable publishing practices.

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Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:08:08 +0000

Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000 Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:08

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

2025 Lab Venture Challenge Showcases

Physical Sciences: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.

Biosciences: Thursday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.

Dairy Arts Center (2590 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302)

Get Tickets

Through LVC, top innovators from ��ɫ��Ƶ, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.

LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university’s commercialization arms and a central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. LVC finalists are working and collaborating with Venture Partners on their path to commercialization.

“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. “All of these teams have promising innovations ready to launch new businesses. LVC is a unique opportunity for those innovators to receive that vital funding, and we’re proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.”

To date, LVC has funded 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.

Members of the entrepreneurial and university communities are invited to attend the LVC Showcases to enjoy good food, network and see which teams will walk away with $125,000 of funding.

This year’s LVC showcases were additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Johnson & Johnson, Holland & Hart LLP, Paralex and Thermo Fisher Scientific

2025 Physical Sciences Finalists

Breakthrough Analog Domain Jamming Suppression for UAVs

Multi-Domain Anti-Jamming Technology (MDAT) provides real-time interference suppression for military UAVs. With 400x size reduction via analog domain processing, MDAT deploys as 6x6-inch, sub-5lb plug-and-play modules for retrofitting tactical drones, ensuring mission continuity in contested RF environments. The team has formed BoldRF LLC to bring their innovation to market.

Laila Marzall (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Zoya Popovic (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Marisha Parikh (��ɫ��Ƶ Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business
Sarah Johns (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist
Stephanie Torres (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Product Strategist.
Gary Dolsen (Fmr: ��ɫ��Ƶ Leeds School of Business), Advisor

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup, Agami Zero, to bring their innovation to market.

Oana Luca (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemistry), PI
Ankur Gupta (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
Hunter Koltunski (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Chemistry), Scientific Lead
Richard Noble (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
Jafar Makrani, Co-Founder and CEO/CPO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Lyle Antieau III, Co-Founder and CTO/COO, LVC Pitch Presenter

Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

SynForce is developing a modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synforce, to bring their innovation to market.

Longji Cui (��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Dishan Chooi (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Sarang Gosavi (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
Karen Crofton (��ɫ��Ƶ College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor

Next-Generation Holographic Materials for AR Displays

A thiol-ene holographic materials platform delivers low-haze, high-refractive-index photopolymers for sharper, more immersive AR displays. This versatile and scalable step-growth method overcomes shrinkage, scattering and supply-chain constraints of existing chain-growth materials for holographic optics.

Christopher Bowman (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter,
Robert McLeod (��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Yunfeng Hu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering)
John Rynk (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Materials Science & Engineering Program)

A Language-Driven Engine to Deploy Robots Like Software

BoBoRobo’s agentic AI engine turns plain English specifications into ready-to-deploy robotics—validated in a digital twin and safety-checked across OEMs. It outputs layout, BOM, install plan and robot-specific code, cutting deployment timelines from six months to ten days and reducing costs by up to 50%. The team has formed a startup, BoBoRobo, to bring their innovation to market.

Alessandro Roncone (��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Anuj Pasricha (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Computer Science), CTO
Claire Chen (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science), CSO

Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup, Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.

Scott A. Diddams (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
Peter Chang, CTO
Nathan Brooks, Principal Scientist, LVC Pitch Presenter

2025 Biosciences Finalists

Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Leslie Leinwand (��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Thomas Martin (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jack Gugel, CEO
Yuxiao Tan (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder

Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.

Matt Davidson (��ɫ��Ƶ BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jason Burdick (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
Peter Lennarson (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Vaporizable Droplets for Proton Beam Visualization

Vaporizable exoskeletal droplets provide in vivo visualization of beam placement during proton therapy, a rapidly growing treatment approach for cancer. Using this image-guided therapy, clinicians can make real-time adjustments to the treatment, reducing harmful side effects and improving patient outcomes. The team has formed a startup, Radiosensitive VEDs, to bring their innovation to market.

Mark Borden (��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering), PI
William Frantz (Student ��ɫ��Ƶ Biomedical Engineering), LVC Pitch Presenter
Barry Marston, Advisor

Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Jingshi Shen (��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Suzhao Li (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), President, LVC pitch presenter
Charles Dinarello (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Nanorobotic Synthesis of Oligonucleotides

Modern DNA synthesis suffers from low overall yields due to the accumulation of errors for longer strands. The team has designed a nanorobotic synthesis platform which can detect and correct errors during synthesis, enabling ultra-high fidelity synthesis of gene-length DNA for single-cell omics and genomics application. The team has formed a startup, Nanosynth, to bring their innovation to market.

Joshua Johnson (��ɫ��Ƶ ATLAS Institute), CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Mirela Alistar (��ɫ��Ƶ, ATLAS Institute), PI
Curtis Woodard, Advisor

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 20:52:49 +0000

New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/04/2025 - 14:52

��ɫ��Ƶ Today—��ɫ��Ƶ researchers have discovered a new way to make human rabies vaccines that could greatly expand access to immunization across the globe. They have formed a startup company called VitriVax to bring the technology—decades in the making—to market.

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New experimental tool can predict potential wildfires on an hourly basis

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 21:11:33 +0000

New experimental tool can predict potential wildfires on an hourly basis Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/03/2025 - 15:11

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)—CIRES and NOAA scientists have developed the Hourly Wildfire Potential Index (HWP)—an hourly updated assessment of wildfire risk across every nine square kilometers of land. The tool enhances existing weather prediction models by providing more accurate, real-time forecasts of wildfire activity and associated smoke emissions.

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AB Nexus announces 2025 grant awards with an emphasis on quantum-focused research collaborations

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:14:27 +0000

AB Nexus announces 2025 grant awards with an emphasis on quantum-focused research collaborations Daniel Corbin … Fri, 08/15/2025 - 13:14

The AB Nexus program announced its 2025 seed grant awards to four research teams from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the ��ɫ��Ƶ. Collectively, the winning teams will receive $750,000 in funding to advance cutting-edge research that improves human health and well-being.

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LISTEN: How a gecko’s ability to cling to surfaces could help CU scientists make stickier—and better—cancer treatments

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:17:42 +0000

LISTEN: How a gecko’s ability to cling to surfaces could help CU scientists make stickier—and better—cancer treatments Daniel Corbin … Wed, 08/13/2025 - 11:17

KUNC—An innovative cancer therapy inspired by the gripping power of geckos might be on the horizon. Scientists at ��ɫ��Ƶ studied the microscopic structures on gecko toes that allow the tiny reptiles to climb walls and cling to slippery surfaces like windows.

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New quantum physics and AI-powered microchip design software awarded grants

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 22:40:20 +0000

New quantum physics and AI-powered microchip design software awarded grants Daniel Corbin … Wed, 07/23/2025 - 16:40

Explore CU Innovations for Licensing and Partnership

Venture Partners manages a portfolio of over 1,000 technologies from university investigators and manages licensing partnerships with companies of all sizes—from startups to the Fortune 500—to bring these inventions to market.

Explore CU Technologies

Semiconductors—substances that can selectively conduct or block electricity—have been dubbed the “brains of modern electronics.” They form the building blocks of the chips that power electronic devices from laptops to smartphones and tablets to sports watches.

But semiconductors generate heat when they’re working, and they can easily get too hot, which hurts their performance and can damage them. While smaller chips are denser and more efficient at processing, they are harder to keep cool because of their size.

Sanghamitra Neogi, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, is exploring ways to protect semiconductors and microchips from heat damage. She specializes in nanoscale semiconductors, which are so tiny their parts are measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter).

��ɫ��Ƶ Today—Sanghamitra Neogi, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, is exploring ways to protect semiconductors and microchips from heat damage. She specializes in nanoscale semiconductors, which are so tiny their parts are measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter).

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New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 21:08:11 +0000

New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes Daniel Corbin … Mon, 07/21/2025 - 15:08

��ɫ��Ƶ Today—��ɫ��Ƶ scientists have taken a cue from geckos to develop a material able to stick to tumors inside the body, pumping out chemotherapy drugs for days. The technology, developed with doctors at CU Anschutz, is described in the journal Advanced Materials.

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��ɫ��Ƶ awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:15:58 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects Daniel Corbin … Mon, 07/14/2025 - 12:15

Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ has announced the first recipients of a new translational funding program designed to advance promising, early-stage therapeutics with strong commercial potential. The program provides up to $50,000 per project to help ��ɫ��Ƶ researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.

“��ɫ��Ƶ is a world-class destination for bioscience research,” said Hannah Nelson, associate director of licensing at Venture Partners, “and our innovative faculty have created a robust pipeline of novel drugs and therapeutic targets.”

Many promising therapeutic projects reach a stage where they no longer qualify for basic research funding but are still too early for translational grants or private investment. This funding gap can stall progress.

But what is "commercialization?"

The path to commercialization—also known as "research translation" or "tech transfer"—can be challenging, so Venture Partners unites industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors to help researchers, inventors and creators at the University of Colorado bring their groundbreaking discoveries into the marketplace.

Explore the Path to Commercialization

This funding program is designed to bridge that gap by supporting commercially promising drug development efforts. The awarded projects ultimately aim to develop FDA-approved drugs and have a clear path to commercialization, having validated their development approach through customer discovery interviews.

“This funding supports a critical stage in drug development,” said Justin Stitzlein, venture analyst at Venture Partners. “Our goal is to give these teams the support they need to generate compelling data and position themselves for the next stage of development. We believe this kind of early support can unlock significant long-term impact.”

Awardees

Orally Available Obesity Therapeutic

Led by Distinguished Professor Leslie Leinwand (BioFrontiers Institute, ��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), with PhD student Jack Gugel and postdoctoral researchers Thomas Martin and Yuxiao Tan, the team is developing an orally available obesity drug that suppresses appetite without affecting gastric emptying or causing muscle loss. Their compound offers a differentiated mechanism from current GLP-1 agonists such as Wegovy/Ozempic, aiming to improve tolerability and adherence.

Efflux Pump Inhibitor Discovery Platform

Professor Corrie Detweiler (��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and her team are developing novel small-molecule inhibitors that restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Using a host-informed, high-throughput assay platform that better reflects infection conditions, they aim to identify efflux pump inhibitors to treat patients with infections that do not respond to traditional antibiotics alone.

What can we do together?

Disclose and protect your innovation

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Find a mentor to advance your innovation

Get funding for your innovation

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore our startups portfolio

Explore our technology portfolio

Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ has announced the first recipients of a new translational funding program designed to advance promising, early-stage therapeutics with strong commercial potential. The program provides up to $50,000 per project to help ��ɫ��Ƶ researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.

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CU Technology and Discovery News

Watch: Mapping neural activity to detect brain disorders

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AI helps spot 1,000 “questionable” journals

The University of Colorado Connection

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Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000

2025 Lab Venture Challenge Showcases

2025 Physical Sciences Finalists

Breakthrough Analog Domain Jamming Suppression for UAVs

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H2 Production

Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

Next-Generation Holographic Materials for AR Displays

A Language-Driven Engine to Deploy Robots Like Software

Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

2025 Biosciences Finalists

Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

Vaporizable Droplets for Proton Beam Visualization

Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Nanorobotic Synthesis of Oligonucleotides

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New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access

Off

New experimental tool can predict potential wildfires on an hourly basis

Off

AB Nexus announces 2025 grant awards with an emphasis on quantum-focused research collaborations

Off

LISTEN: How a gecko’s ability to cling to surfaces could help CU scientists make stickier—and better—cancer treatments

Off

New quantum physics and AI-powered microchip design software awarded grants

Off

New cancer therapy clings to tumors, with inspiration from gecko toes

Off

��ɫ��Ƶ awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects

But what is "commercialization?"

Awardees

Orally Available Obesity Therapeutic

Efflux Pump Inhibitor Discovery Platform

What can we do together?

Off

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production