Tech Launch Arizona names Sara Sheikhlary Student Innovator of the Year
Sara Sheikhlary receives the Student Innovator of the Year distinction for her development of the herbal-based drug Herbostriodine, which protects the body against cancer-causing radioactive elements.
On September 25, 2024, Tech Launch Arizona hosted its 2024 I-Squared Awards and Expo, which honors the university’s top inventors and startups, along with those people and organizations throughout the innovation ecosystem that support the commercialization of U of A inventions.
The Student Innovator of the Year award is reserved for a student who has shown excellence in commercialization and intellectual property, with a focus on entrepreneurship. This year’s honoree, Sara Sheikhlary, is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with minor in pharmaceutical science.
While current radiation therapies can be effective for treating cancer, they also have many negative side effects, one of which is actually – and ironically – causing cancer. Shekhlary developed an herbal-based, extended-release drug called Herbostroiodine that protects the body against cancer-causing radioactive elements.
“This award means a lot to me because it motivates me to research more, to be a better scientist, to invent and become a better inventor,” she said.
Dive deeper into Sheikhlary's development of Herbostriodine.