Physiology Professor Among UArizona Researchers Pivoting to Tackle COVID-19

Scott Boitano, PhD, professor of physiology, is among 13 teams of UArizona researchers to jump-start projects to fight COVID-19, thanks to seed funding through the BIO5 institute.

The university's BIO5 Institute, which connects hundreds of researchers in different disciplines to address complex challenges, was able to swiftly respond to the pandemic and release a round of seed funding via the Technology and Research Initiative Fund, which will enable researchers to positively impact the health of Arizonans and combat the global pandemic through their efforts  More than $500,000 has been awarded to the teams.

Representing the College of Medicine – Tucson, Dr. Boitano, along with Samuel Campos, associate professor of immunobiology, and Ken Knox, professor of medicine, will investigate the evolution of the virus, studying how the evolutionary adaptation of a key viral structure may have enabled this novel strain to cause rapid worldwide disease.  

Read more about the how the researchers – BIO5 Institute members representing seven UArizona colleges – will use TRIF funds to understand the lifecycle of the novel coronavirus, identify potential treatments and create patient databases to expand understanding of the disease, among other goals.