Residents of the sunniest state – Arizona – are no strangers to ample sunshine. While sun exposure is beneficial to our wellbeing, it’s also a major cause of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the U.S. At least 5 million people in our country are treated for skin cancer annually, resulting in more than $8 billion in medical expenses. Physician-scientist Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski is a professor of medicine and Director of the Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Oncology Program at the UArizona Skin Cancer Institute. Dr. Curiel-Lewandrowski is also the interim chief of the Division of Dermatology, member of both the BIO5 Institute and UArizona Cancer Center, and Program Director for the Dermatology Residency Program. Her research and innovative approaches to solution-based translational science addresses important clinical gaps in skin cancer prevention and early detection.

Some of science’s most difficult challenges like solving world hunger and curing disease involve more than just traditional science fields such as plant and cell biology. Data science brings together computational, statistical, and mathematical techniques to expand our knowledge from big datasets collected from the bench, field or computer. Handling these large datasets can pose a challenge, especially to researchers who might not be familiar with or have the infrastructure to handle big data. Nirav Merchant is the co-principal investigator for CyVerse and Director of the UArizona Data Science Institute. Nirav is an expert in developing computational platforms and enabling technologies towards improving research productivity and collaboration for interdisciplinary teams and virtual organizations.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both the U.S. and world. To lessen this large disease burden, researchers are actively investigating why and how people develop heart disease. Cardiovascular researcher Dr. Jared Churko takes a single-cell approach to studying the mechanisms of heart disease. Dr. Churko is an assistant professor of cellular and molecular medicine, physiological sciences, genetics, and biomedical engineering, as well as BIO5 member and Director of the iPSC Core.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability for individuals under age 44 with an estimated 1.7 million cases occurring in the U.S. every year, and concussion is dubbed a silent epidemic. TBI dismantles circuits in the brain, leading to short and long-term cognitive dysfunction. Dr. Kaveh Laksari utilizes biomechanics to study the underlying processes of TBI and model the injury to aid in prevention and accurate diagnosis. Dr. Laksari is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, aerospace-mechanical engineering, and neuroscience, as well as a BIO5 member.

Breathing, sleeping, and good health go hand in hand. People with lung diseases and allergies often have problems getting a quality, healthy night’s sleep which in turn can lead to further health challenges. Physician-scientist Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy is a BIO5 member who works at the intersection of chronic illness and sleep. Dr. Parthasarathy is a professor of medicine and clinical translational sciences at the University of Arizona, as well as the College of Medicine’s Division Chief of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He’s also the medical director of the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson Center for Sleep Disorders and director of the UA Health Sciences Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences.

Sustainable agriculture is quickly becoming the wave of the future as we find ways to feed a world of 10 billion by 2050. Our BIO5 researchers are developing novel solutions that enable the production of more food with less use of resources. Using the framework of sustainable agriculture, Dr. Joel Cuello is looking up for answers in the form of vertical farming. Dr. Cuello is a professor of agricultural-biosystems engineering, applied biosciences, and arid lands resources sciences, as well as a BIO5 member.

Certain diseases like Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure are known to alter the link between brain activity and blood flow changes in the brain, leading to improper blood flow delivery to brain cells. This eventually leads to the death of brain cells and cognitive decline. Dr. Paulo Pires, assistant professor of physiology and surgery and BIO5 member, studies how blood flow to the brain changes between healthy and disease states, with an eye on possible therapies that can improve blood flow to mitigate disease.

Treatment for patients with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma may include a bone marrow transplant to replace unhealthy tissue to increase odds of recovery and survival. Transplants can be lifesaving but are complex and challenging, especially for children. Physician-scientist Dr. Emmanuel Katsanis not only performs transplantation, but also actively researches tumor and transplant immunology. Dr. Katsanis is a professor of pediatrics, medicine, immunology, and cancer biology, and is a BIO5 member. He discusses his three decades of expertise in the lab and clinic as the Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Arizona, as well as directing his own research lab.

From smart watches to pacemakers, technology is essential in helping us lead happy, healthier lives. Because this tech can be bulky and a little intimidating at times, creating inconspicuous devices that carry a big impact is at the forefront of tomorrow's life-changing innovations. Dr. Philipp Gutruf, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and BIO5 member, specializes in creating new kinds of wearable and implantable devices that seamlessly integrate with living systems to ultimately change the landscapes of health diagnostics and neuroscience.

Biomarkers are measurable substances inside our bodies that give scientists and medical professionals a hint that we might have a certain disease, like cancer or Alzheimer’s, or have been exposed to a toxic chemical. Biomarkers are typically measured in blood samples or biopsies, which can range from a minimally invasive sample taken from the skin or a more invasive sample from within the body. Dr. Judith Su, the director of the University of Arizona’s Little Sensor Lab, is looking to change the way we detect biomarkers with her tiny, non-invasive optical sensors. Dr. Su is an assistant professor of optical sciences and biomedical engineering, assistant research scientist in chemistry and biochemistry, and BIO5 member.