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Virginia Catalyst Announces Grant Round 15 Awarded Projects

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it has awarded $2.2 million in grants to four life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These four collaborative projects, involving Virginia research universities and industry partners, were awarded through Virginia Catalyst Grant Round 15 to address major unmet healthcare needs and drive job creation and capital formation in Virginia.

Through this 15th round of funding, Virginia Catalyst has awarded 61 grants totaling $29.7 million, resulting in over $47 million in matching funds and an additional $821 million in follow-on funding to date.

Grant Round 15 awarded projects:

Project: Transforming Asthma Treatment with a New Generation A2B Adenosine Receptor Antagonist

  • Company: Adovate, LLC  (Charlottesville, VA)
  • University collaborators: University of Virginia and Virginia Tech
  • Funding amount: $800,000

Project: Optimization of a Wearable Enteral Feeding System for Commercialization

  • Company: Luminoah, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA)
  • University collaborators: University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Funding amount: $463,000

Project: Pre-clinical Evaluation of an Implant Device for the Regeneration of Severe Osteochondral Defects, Utilizing a Proven Novel Material and 3D Printing

  • Company: Nanochon, Inc. (Washington, DC)
  • University collaborators: Virginia Tech and University of Virginia
  • Funding amount: $445,000

Project: Blocking the S1P Pathway for Chronic Kidney Disease Therapeutics

  • Company: S1P Therapeutics, Inc. (Blacksburg, VA)
  • University collaborators: Virginia Tech and University of Virginia
  • Funding amount: $500,000

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