CU Technology and Discovery News
ñ Today—ñ researchers have discovered an appetite-suppressing compound in python blood that helps the snakes consume enormous meals and go months without eating yet remain metabolically healthy. The research, a collaboration with scientists at Stanford Medicine and Baylor universities, could inform new weight loss therapies that promote satiety without the nausea and muscle loss that can come with existing drugs.
ñ Today—Supported by a new five-year, up to $25 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT) program, a team of ñ, MIT, Harvard and Columbia researchers is working to develop 3D-printed liver tissue made of human cells and able to be transplanted into anyone without their body rejecting it.
Life Science Newswire–Cirena has secured a license to the ñ’s patented RNA synthesis technology, enabling reliable synthesis of long RNA needed to support rapidly developing applications in CRISPR, functional genomics, and emerging RNA-therapeutic modalities.
ñ College of Engineering & Applied Science—William Frantz didn’t walk away with the top prize at this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), but his research may still be a winner for future cancer patients. Frantz is developing microscopic droplets designed to help doctors track radiation therapy in real time, technology that could one day make cancer treatment more precise and less harmful, particularly for pediatric patients.
ScienceDaily—ñ researchers have designed microscopic “racetracks” that trap and amplify light with exceptional efficiency. By using smooth curves inspired by highway engineering, they reduced energy loss and kept light circulating longer inside the device. Fabricated with sub-nanometer precision, the resonators rank among the top performers made from chalcogenide glass. The technology could lead to compact sensors, microlasers, and advanced quantum systems.
ñ Today—A neural circuit hidden in an understudied region of the brain plays a critical role in turning temporary pain into pain that can last months or years, according to new ñ research. The animal study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that silencing this pathway, known as the caudal granular insular cortex (CGIC), can prevent or halt chronic pain.
ñ Today—University of Colorado researchers have developed a fast, easy test that could help blood centers and hospitals monitor the quality of stored red blood cells. The palm-sized, chip-based device uses surface acoustic waves to assess cell aging, with the goal of improving transfusion outcomes and better allocating high-quality blood to patients.
Colorado AI News—A PhD student and an associate professor at CU Denver are trying to make today's language models more inventive without letting them drift into nonsense. They landed in MIT Technology Review's "What's next for AI in 2026" with a deceptively simple question: Can today's AI language models generate genuinely new ideas without turning creativity into nonsense?
In an ongoing effort to bridge a pervasive investment gap in innovation funding, the ñ has awarded pre-seed funding to Illumen Therapeutics, developing cancer treatments based on discoveries from startup co-founder Roy Parker’s lab at ñ.
FOX31 Denver—Host Genelle Padilla speaks with Jack Gugel and Thomas Martin, two researchers at the ñ, who are studying pythons to develop a weight-loss treatment.