The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022-23 SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund Program.

Five recipients were selected for internal funding through the program. They include researchers from UConn and UConn Health.

SPARK supports innovative proof-of-concept studies seeking to translate research discoveries into products, processes, and other commercial applications. The program’s primary goal is advancing primary faculty inventions toward the market, where they can have a positive impact for UConn, society, and Connecticut’s economy.

The 2022-23 awardees competed for funding in a highly selective process. Congratulations to the following:

Laijun Lai, UConn, Department of Allied Health Sciences
Targeting TAPBPL in antitumor immune therapy

Raman Bahal, UConn, Department of Pharmaceutical Science
Liver- and Kidney-targeted delivery of next generation miRNA inhibitors using carbohydrate-based conjugates

Eugene Pinkhassik, UConn, Department of Chemistry
Integration of palladium-catalyzed reactions in continuous manufacturing

Ali Tamayol, UConn Health, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Engineering a Handheld One-step Foaming and Printing Device for the Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries

Luyi Sun, UConn, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
High Performance Nanocoatings for Packaging Applications

For more information about SPARK, visit the program website.
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