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RaeSedo Inc. awarded $3.4M STTR Grant to Develop New Asthma Therapies

RaeSedo Inc., a spin-out of the University of Arizona developing novel therapies for asthma, is pleased to announce the award of a Phase 2 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant awarding $3.4 million over two years to continue developing potential therapeutics. Founded and led by researchers from the University of Arizona, RaeSedo Inc. moves into this next…

Microscopic image of lung tissue from SP-A deficient (SP-A-/-) mice showing airway inflammation and structural changes, highlighting the absence of surfactant protein-A's protective effects against inflammation.

Small Peptide Derivatives Within the Carbohydrate Recognition Domain of SP-A2 Modulate Asthma Outcomes in Mouse Models and Human Cells

Surfactant Protein-A (SP-A) is an innate immune modulator that regulates a variety of pulmonary host defense functions. We have shown that SP-A is dysfunctional in asthma, which could be partly due to genetic heterogeneity. In mouse models and primary bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic participants, we evaluated the functional significance of a particular single nucleotide…

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SSTR awarded to RaeSedo, LLC: Development of surfactant protein A-derived peptidomimetics for the treatment of asthma

Drs. Monica Kraft and Julie Ledford received SSTR funding for a Phase I proposal to develop new, short peptide derivatives and mimetics of the active region of surfactant protein-A (SP-A), a protein that regulates key innate immune functions in the lung, and perform a drug screen that identifies those most active and stable with similar…

Monica Kraft and Julie Ledford hold a prize check after winning the Shark Tank Competition

Drs. Monica Kraft and Julie Ledford Win $10K ‘Shark Tank’ Prize

On Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson hosted a Shark Tank-style competition as part of Research Day, a first-of-its-kind, daylong event for researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences.  Six teams went head-to-head for a $10,000 prize during ‘Shark Tank.’ Contestants pitched their research ideas to a panel of “sharks,” a…

A scientist wearing gloves and a lab coat working with a microscope in a laboratory.

Surfactant Protein-A protects against IL-13-induced inflammation in asthma

The lung surfactant proteins are recognized as critical not only for their role in lowering lung surface tension but also in innate host defense. Reports have shown that some asthmatic patients have decreased levels of one member of this protein family in particular, surfactant protein-A (SP-A). Our studies set out to determine the contribution of…