Spotlight Innovation Inc., a West Des Moines bioscience firm, today announced that it has obtained an exclusive, worldwide license from Indiana University Research and Technology Corp. to commercialize STL-182, an orally available small molecule that may have therapeutic potential for treating spinal muscular atrophy. SMA is a disorder that is a leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. Synthesis and early preclinical testing were accomplished through a research collaboration between two Indiana University professors with support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Spotlight Innovation, which in August announced a partnership with Florida State University to research Zika virus treatments, focuses on providing value-added development for research leading to rapid new drug approval.