UA opens new space for biotech companies

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - On Thursday, the University of Arizona officially opened its new biotech-focused business incubator.

The UA Center for Innovation at Oro Valley offers 4,000 square feet for new businesses and startups to develop technologies and programs in the bioscience fields.

Some developments officials expect to see are vaccine therapies, drug discoveries, therapeutics, and biomedical imaging.

University officials said the startups they’ll see in this center are created to solve problems, and there’s no time more filled with problems than 2020.

Thanks to this new space, researchers will have the tools and guidance they need to succeed.

“These biotech companies can’t do this work in their garage. They don’t have access to the many tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, procedures, and physical resources that we have here in the lab,” UACI Executive Director, Eric Smith said.

The first tenant in the new space is TheraCea Pharma.

TheraCea Pharma develops diagnostic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents for the detection of cancer, cardiology, neurology, and infectious diseases.

CEO Dr. Iman Daryaei says he’s ready to get inside and get to work.

“This won’t be the last year that we see a health problem,” Daryaei said. “There will be other problems coming in the future, but having places like this, I think we can prepare solutions for those problems.”

Daryaei believes COVID-19 hasn’t slowed progress in the bioscience fields but has accelerated it.

If you’re interested, the University is always looking to add new startups and community sponsors.

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