Events

Presented by Carolyn Bertozzi, Nobel laureate, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and Radiology (by courtesy) at Stanford University, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Complex sugars, which scientists call glycans, cover the surfaces of all living cells, where they serve as a molecular barcode that reports on the health status of the cell. Cancer cells are known to undergo changes in the structures and abundances of certain glycans, most prominently those that include a sugar-building block called sialic acid. Consequently, cancer cells have more sialic acids on their surface than healthy, normal cells. We discovered that this dense thicket of sialic acids allows cancer cells to escape recognition by our immune system, which allows the cancer to grow and spread. This finding motivated us to develop a new kind of cancer immune therapy that functions as a “lawnmower,” cutting the disease sugars off cancer cells so that the immune system can recognize them as diseased and kill them.

The Arntzen Grand Challenges Lecture series is inspired by Charles (Charlie) Arntzen, founding director of the ASU Biodesign Institute.

Dr. Arntzen is internationally recognized for his novel applied research on the development of genetic strategies for using plants to manufacture pharmaceuticals and produce cost-effective vaccines or drugs to save lives around the world, especially in developing nations.

About ASU Biodesign Institute:

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University delivers the future of nature-inspired scientific innovation today for the betterment of human health, community safety and global sustainability. Its transdisciplinary scientists are united in discovering bold solutions that directly benefit the health of our ecosystem. From individuals, to communities, to the planet, we focus on benefiting the overall health of life by turning our discoveries into technologies that are resilient, adaptive and deployable now and into the future.

Connect with ASU Biodesign:
Visit Biodesign’s website: https://biodesign.asu.edu/
Follow ASU Biodesign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUBiodesign/
Follow ASU Biodesign on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asubiodesign/

Connect with ASU Biodesign on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asu-biodesign-institute/

For the culmination of the ASU Biodesign Institute’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the Arntzen Grand Challenges Lecture presented a panel of our founding leaders, including namesake Charles Arntzen, Kathleen Matt, and George Poste. The discussion, moderated by Joshua LaBaer, the institute's current executive director, offered insights into the institute's beginnings. Discussion included the initial support and funding from Arizona tax dollars and how the building was designed to foster a culture of interdisciplinary research.

About ASU Biodesign Institute:

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University delivers the future of nature-inspired scientific innovation today for the betterment of human health, community safety and global sustainability. Its transdisciplinary scientists are united in discovering bold solutions that directly benefit the health of our ecosystem. From individuals, to communities, to the planet, we focus on benefiting the overall health of life by turning our discoveries into technologies that are resilient, adaptive and deployable now and into the future.

Connect with ASU Biodesign:
Visit Biodesign’s website: https://biodesign.asu.edu/
Follow ASU Biodesign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUBiodesign/
Follow ASU Biodesign on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asubiodesign/
Connect with ASU Biodesign on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asu-biodesign-institute/

2023 Arntzen Grand Challenges speaker: Colin F. Camerer, CalTech
How does aversion to loss and our emotional response to losing explain aspects of consumer purchases, stock trading and sports? New evidence fuels an optimistic view in which measurements of brain activity can improve understanding of the biology that underlies economics.

With record heat waves and drought, we are experiencing not “the new normal,” but rather an ever-increasing stress and deterioration of our planet. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are at the highest concentration found in the atmosphere for at least 2 million years, and our average temperature on earth is the warmest in at least 2,000 years. Learn about the changes that have occurred on Earth with special emphasis on the atmosphere, biosphere and oceans.

Jerald Schnoor’s research interests include phytoremediation, water sustainability and climate change. He is professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Occupational and Environmental Health; Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering; co-director, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, at The University of Iowa.

The Arntzen Grand Challenges Lecture series is inspired by Charles Arntzen, founding director of the ASU Biodesign Institute. This lecture took place at the Walton Center for Planetary Health Auditorium at Arizona State University on Nov. 1. @Biodesign Institute

Presented by Zachary S. Rogers, PhD, Assistant Professor, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Colorado State University. Recorded on Nov. 2, 2021.

For years, global supply chains expanded and became increasingly complex in a quest to make shipping goods and services around the globe cheaper and faster. COVID-19 threw these finely tuned systems into tail-spin, making it difficult to find everything from toilet paper to pickup trucks. This disruption was not the first, nor will it be the last – but it has led to new ways of thinking that may lead to significant changes in the coming decades. There will be great change, but also great opportunity for innovation and connection. Zachary Rogers will share what's next and how it will impact your life, availability of everyday goods, personal data and the world economy.

The Arntzen Grand Challenges Lecture series is inspired by Dr. Charles (Charlie) Arntzen, Founding Director of the ASU Biodesign Institute. Dr. Arntzen is internationally recognized for his novel applied research on the development of genetic strategies for using plants to manufacture pharmaceuticals and produce cost-effective vaccines or drugs to save lives around the world, especially in developing nations.

The Biodesign Institute at ASU delivers the future of nature-inspired scientific innovation today for the betterment of human health, community safety and global sustainability.