News
2025
Nora Schwartz recently represented our department at the GSBS Research Expo at UTMB, where she presented her research poster to students, faculty, and peers from across the institution. Her participation highlights the continued dedication of our team to advancing academic scholarship and contributing to ongoing research initiatives at UTMB.
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Our collaborative R01 grant has officially been funded, marking an exciting milestone for our team. This project brings together the expertise of Hua Liu, PhD, Maria Adelaide Micci, PhD, and Bartosz Szczesny, PhD, whose combined efforts and scientific leadership were instrumental in securing this competitive award. This funding will support innovative research initiatives and further strengthen our collaborative impact within the scientific community.
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We successfully completed our final presentation for the NSF I-Corps award, marking an important milestone in our project’s development. This presentation showcased the progress our team has made throughout the program, including customer discovery insights, market validation, and the refined value proposition for our innovation. Participating in the NSF I-Corps program has strengthened our entrepreneurial approach and positioned us for the next phase of growth and potential commercialization.
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A UTMB research team has been accepted into the prestigious NSF National I-Corps program for their innovative technology designed to rapidly detect and measure tissue and organ injury, with a major focus on improving traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis. Their platform analyzes extracellular vesicles in liquid biopsy samples to provide a more accurate and reliable assessment of injury severity, offering a promising alternative to traditional imaging and neurological exams, which can miss mild TBI cases.
The NSF I-Corps program helps researchers move their discoveries toward commercialization through intensive customer discovery, industry mentorship, and real-world market validation. Team lead Dr. Bartosz Szczesny says the program will be instrumental in refining the technology and preparing it for patient use. The tool has significant commercial potential, not only for TBI but also across the growing $20+ billion liquid biopsy market.
Currently in pre-clinical testing, the team will use I-Corps support to advance toward clinical validation and development of a point-of-care device. The project is backed by UTMB leadership and includes collaborators Dr. Michela Marcatti, Dr. Arun Balakumaran, and patent co-inventors Dr. Massoud Motamedi and Dr. Stefan Bossman.
For more details, please reference the full UTMB article here.
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2024
Christina Payne presented her research poster at the GSBS Research Expo at UTMB, an event that brings together trainees and researchers to showcase ongoing scientific work across the institution. Her presentation highlighted the quality and impact of her research while representing our department at this annual academic showcase.
Christina Payne presented her research poster at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., one of the largest and most prestigious gatherings of neuroscientists from around the world. Her participation highlights the strong research efforts within our department and provides valuable visibility for her work.
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Zifeng (Tony) Tang successfully completed his final PhD defense, marking a significant milestone in his academic and research journey. This achievement reflects years of dedication, scientific curiosity, and impactful work within the field. Dr. Bartosz Szczesny, who guided and supported Tony throughout his doctoral training, is also featured in the photo, celebrating this important accomplishment alongside him.