Students in the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences program placed second at the UAB EXPO based on their work with graduate Biotechnology student findings.

The Biotechnology program students demonstrated that IPX-750, a dopamine glycoconjugate, causes disaggregation of α-synuclein, the process that leads to the formation of Lewy bodies in Parkinson’s disease. This finding was used as the basis of an efficacy study in primates on the ability of this drug to reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

The data from this efficacy study was analyzed by five undergraduate students from the Biomedical Sciences program and presented as "IPX-750, a Dopamine Glycoconjugate, Attenuates Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease in Primates." Poster authors, mentored by Biotech Program Director Tino Unlap and Laboratory Director Debbie McCombs were Christopher Burton, Isabella Mazzei, Hayley Nichols, Jamie Shatz and Gregory Williams.