UTSA and Bristol Myers Squibb Partner on Pharmaceutical AdvancementsUTSA and Bristol Myers Squibb Partner on Pharmaceutical Advancements

The University of Texas - San Antonio received $615,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation, which will fund the research through 2027.

Kristen Kazarian, Managing Editor

October 29, 2024

2 Min Read
The goal of the partnership project is to discover and develop new catalysts that can control chemical reactivity
The goal of the partnership project is to discover and develop new catalysts that can control chemical reactivity in a class of compounds that are highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.gorodenkoff/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

The University of Texas - San Antonio received a grant that will foster a partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), an industry leader in pharmaceutical development. The partnership will assist BMS with its work to discover new chemical reactions that will aid in the development of novel pharmaceutical manufacturing routes that are more efficient and better for the environment.

UTSA was awarded $615,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program. The award will fund the research through 2027.

The NSF created GOALI to provide supplemental funding that fosters collaborations between academic institutions and industry partners to accelerate new discoveries that would be challenging for either partner to achieve independently. GOALI awards undergo a rigorous review process and are highly competitive. This is the second GOALI award for UTSA.

Doug Frantz, the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Endowed Chair of Chemistry and principal investigator on the project, will partner with BMS on the award. Frantz has worked alongside the pharmaceutical company to publish several peer-reviewed articles over the past six years.

“The highly successful collaboration my research group already has with BMS was the perfect opportunity to submit a GOALI proposal to the NSF to further catalyze our future success,” said Frantz.

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The goal of this project is to discover and develop new catalysts that can control chemical reactivity in a class of compounds that are highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. BMS will utilize its high-throughput experimentation (HTE) capabilities that enable scientists to conduct thousands of reactions per week to identify new catalysts that can be refined in the Frantz Laboratory.

This program will provide a unique training environment for UTSA students in Frantz’s research group, who will have the opportunity to work directly with BMS scientists and gain professional career experience with a leading pharmaceutical firm.

About the Author

Kristen Kazarian

Managing Editor

Kristen Kazarian has been a writer and editor for more than three decades. She has worked at several consumer magazines and B2B publications in the fields of food and beverage, packaging, processing, women's interest, local news, health and nutrition, fashion and beauty, automotive, and IT.

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