Prof. Sandra Loesgen wins the inaugural Gator Angel Wing Award

Prof. Sandra Loesgen, in collaboration with Prof. James Strother (UF Biology), propose to develop our analgesic leads into preclinical drug candidates (Bunnell et al, Behavior Brain Research, 2025, 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115526). “We have discovered a new fungal-derived alkaloid named atheliapyrrolidine that acts as an agonist for the human serotonin receptor (5-HT2A) with nanomolar activity (US Patent App. 63460514). This agonist has potential for the treatment of multiple psychotic disorders, including chronic pain, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, Autism, and PTSD. We plan to test its toxicity and early pharmacokinetics and dynamics in vitro, and the funds will enable ADME and PK/PD studies in vivo in rodents. Additionally, in early discovery stages, we have identified synthetic benzothiazine scaffolds that exhibit potent analgesic activity in our zebrafish model, here the patent application and early preclinical assessment are proposed.”

Gator Angel Wing Awards are possible through the generous support of Dr. Nicholas Conti (PhD in Chemistry with Bill Jones, UF, 1987) and Amy Fox Conti to recognize, promote, and incentivize faculty who are entrepreneurially minded, and support their efforts to bring innovative research ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. The award funds research to enable an angel round of financing of a start-up company.

Gator Angel Wing awardees receive $15,000 in the first year and can be renewed for a second year.