SwRI, Trinity University to synthesize novel compound to mitigate effects of stroke, heart attack

Grant funding will support research to prevent tissue, organ damage

2025-12-10

(Press-News.org) SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will improve a prodrug, a compound activated in the body, to mitigate tissue and organ damage associated with heart attacks, strokes and traumatic injuries. These conditions cause a lack of blood flow, but treatment to reverse blockages can also lead to lasting damage.

A project collaboratively funded by SwRI and Trinity will address both the initial lack of blood (ischemia) and the rush of blood that follows treatment (reperfusion) referred to as ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI).

“The moment oxygen comes flooding back into your cells during reperfusion, the surrounding tissue is inundated with reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide. That oxidative stress can cause permanent cellular and tissue damage,” said Dr. Christina Cooley, associate professor with the Department of Chemistry at Trinity University.

Cooley discovered AA 147, a compound that activates specialized proteins to protect against reactive oxygen species and ensure a healthy protein response.

SwRI will work with Trinity to iterate and synthesize a new borinic acid prodrug to prevent IRI using precursors developed at Trinity. Unlike traditional pharmaceuticals, prodrugs are biologically inert until they are converted inside the body into an active therapeutic compound.

“Protein misfolding during cellular stress is a key driver of tissue damage in IRI, so the new prodrug will target that,” said Dr. Christopher Dorsey, a senior research scientist at SwRI who will use his pharmaceutical expertise to synthesize the new borinic formulation. “Once we figure out the synthesis route, we will train Trinity students to carry out our new technique. That’s the exciting part of this collaboration, the opportunity to give back and pass along what we learn to a team of future scientists.”

The SwRI and Trinity researchers will work together to improve release mechanisms for the latest prodrug iteration that will maximize its therapeutic effect with the goal of protecting patients at risk for IRI. After the prodrug is synthesized, Cooley will work with Trinity students to conduct stability testing and other lab evaluations to gather the foundational data needed for future live studies and clinical trials.

This project was funded through the inaugural Trinity-SwRI Research Collaboration Grant Program established in 2025 to encourage the advancement of medical and biomedical research through collaboration. Trinity University and SwRI contributed $250,000 toward three unique biomedical research projects this year.

"Trinity University is thrilled to be collaborating with SwRI, and we look forward to exciting results from this collaboration," said Dr. David Ribble, dean of the D. R. Semmes School of Science.

“We are proud to launch this new focused grant program to grow Trinity and SwRI collaborations, provide opportunities for Trinity students and advance medical breakthroughs that may one day improve and even save lives,” said Dr. Joe McDonough, vice president of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division at SwRI.

To learn more, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/biomedical-health/pharmaceutical-development or https://www.swri.org/markets/chemistry-materials/chemistry-chemical-engineering/microencapsulation.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Novel endocrine therapy giredestrant improves disease-free survival over standard of care for patients with early-stage breast cancer in phase III lidERA trial

2025-12-10

SAN ANTONIO – The investigational, oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) giredestrant given as an adjuvant therapy showed significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) compared with the current standard-of-care endocrine therapy in patients with early-stage, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to the results of the phase III IidERA trial presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025. “For patients with HR-positive breast cancer—which accounts for about 70% of breast cancer ...

Gen Z views world as "scary place" with growing cynicism about ability to create change

2025-12-10

Washington, D.C. December 10, 2025 – Gen Z views the world as a scary place, according to new research presented at the 2025 Society for Risk Analysis Conference. In ongoing research that began in Fall 2022, Gabriel Rubin, Ph.D. a justice studies professor at Montclair State University, has now conducted 104 long-form interviews with Gen Z young people in the Northeast United States about their views on politics, risk and protest—expanding on his initial findings from the study, Gen Z Risk Perceptions: ...

Biosensor performance doubled – New applications possible

2025-12-10

• Measurement accuracy of oxidase biosensors for glucose, lactate, and creatinine increased from about 50 to 99 percent • Oxygen previously caused inaccuracies; the new method removes oxygen • Researchers see potential applications ranging from personalized medicine to agriculture Biosensors are helping people with chronic conditions worldwide live better lives. However, their measurement accuracy has often been relatively low, limiting the range of possible applications. ...

Leveraging incomplete remote sensing for forest inventory

2025-12-10

Researchers have harnessed a new statistical technique that allows forest managers to use incomplete satellite imagery for precise forest inventories, bypassing the need for complex and often uncertain data repair processes. The method, known as a "hybrid estimator," is particularly valuable for leveraging decades of archived data from the aging Landsat 7 satellite, which has been collecting images with systematic gaps since 2003. The study, published in Forest Ecosystems, addresses a critical challenge in forestry and climate science. Remote sensing is vital for large-scale ...

Key chemical in dark chocolate may slow down ageing

2025-12-10

A chemical found in dark chocolate could slow the rate of biological ageing. Research from King’s College London has found that the chemical theobromine, a common plant compound that comes from cocoa, could have anti-ageing properties. The study, published today in Aging, compared levels of theobromine in people’s blood, with blood-based markers of biological ageing. Biological age markers indicate how old your body seems based on its health and function, as opposed to the years you have lived. These markers ...

New 15-minute hepatitis C test paves the way for same-day treatment

2025-12-10

Chronic hepatitis C infection affects an estimated 50 million people globally, causes approximately 242,000 deaths per year mostly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer Same-day results will help kickstart treatment for infection, which is curable with medication Johns Hopkins scientists independently confirmed test’s 100% agreement when compared to commercial platforms CHICAGO --- Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the fastest test yet for diagnosing hepatitis C virus (HCV). The highly accurate diagnostic delivers results to patients in just 15 minutes — up to 75% faster than other rapid HCV tests. This ...

Uranus and Neptune might be rock giants

2025-12-10

The planets in the Solar System are typically divided into three categories based on their composition: the four terrestrial rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), followed by the two gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), and finally two ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). According to the work carried by the UZH scientific team, Uranus and Neptune might actually be more rocky than icy. The new study does not claim the two blue planets to be one or the other type, water- or rock- rich, it rather challenges that ...

Magnetically actuated soft electrodes for multisite bioelectrical monitoring of ex vivo tissues

2025-12-10

Ex vivo cultured organoids, tissue slices, and isolated organs are essential models for studying disease mechanisms and evaluating drug responses. Real-time, multisite electrophysiological monitoring is critical for capturing their dynamic behavior. However, conventional microelectrode arrays are limited in dynamic environments due to rigid structures, fixed electrode layouts, and cable constraints. Advances in soft, stretchable electronics offer solutions, but most devices lack active repositioning capabilities. “Magnetically actuated soft robots ...

FAU engineers decode dementia type using AI and EEG brainwave analysis

2025-12-10

Dementia is a group of disorders that gradually impair memory, thinking and daily functioning. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affects about 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older in 2025. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), while rarer, is the second most common cause of early-onset dementia, often striking people in their 40s to 60s. Although both diseases damage the brain, they do so in distinct ways. AD primarily affects memory and spatial awareness, while FTD targets regions responsible for behavior, personality and language. Because their symptoms can overlap, it often leads to misdiagnosis. ...

Carrier-free peptide–daunorubicin–small interfering RNA nanoassembly for targeted therapy of acute myeloid leukemia

2025-12-10

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignancy characterized by the clonal proliferation of myeloid hematopoietic progenitor or stem cells, primarily affecting adults with a relatively high incidence and poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of only 25% to 40%. Although the “7 + 3” induction chemotherapy regimen remains the standard treatment for AML, its nonselective cytotoxic mechanism often results in severe myelosuppression and organ toxicity, thus limiting long-term efficacy. AML exhibits considerable ...

Older age, chronic kidney disease and cerebrovascular disease linked with increased risk for paralysis and death after West Nile virus infection

Liquid metal modified hexagonal boron nitride flakes for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and thermal management

Failure mechanisms in PEM water electrolyzers

Study captures how cancer cells hide from brain immune cells, shows that removing their “don’t eat me” signals stops their escape

Persistent antibiotic resistance of cholera-causing bacteria in Africa revealed from a multinational workshop for strengthening disease surveillance