News

Virginia Catalyst announces Grant Round 16 awarded projects!

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it has awarded $3.18 million in grants to four life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded through Grant Round 16.

“Powerful collaborations between Virginia’s research universities and industry is resulting in major breakthroughs in medical diagnostics, devices, and drug discovery” said Mike Grisham, CEO of Virginia Catalyst. “It’s also generating significant

Through this 16th round of funding, Virginia Catalyst has awarded 65 grants totaling nearly $33 million, resulting in over $50 million in matching funds and over $600 million in follow-on funding to date.

Grant Round 16 awarded projects:

Project:  Readmission Risk Assessment through Physiological and Behavioral Health Monitoring using

VitalStream Wireless Platform

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

Project:  Optimization and Commercialization of PRECYSE as a Novel Quality Control Solution for Next Generation Sequencing

  • Company: Evizia, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA)
  • Funding amount: $800,000
  • University collaborators: Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia

Project:  Developing an exercise-mimetic to treat diabetes

  • Company: MGMedicine, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA)
  • University collaborators: University of Virginia and Virginia Tech
  • Funding amount: $780,000

Project:  First-in-Class Bifunctional Cytokine to Target Tissue Resident Tregs for the Treatment of Idiopathic Nephropathy and other Autoimmune Diseases

  • Company: SlateBio, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA)
  • University collaborators: University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Funding amount: $800,000

 

Recent News

06/17/2025

Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative (LSWC) Officially Launches to Strengthen Talent Pipelines Across the U.S.

The Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative (LSWC), a newly launched national nonprofit initiative, formally announced its debut today at the 2025 BIO International Convention. Formerly known as the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI), the LSWC brings together more than 50 state and regional life sciences associations and workforce leaders to scale industry-led solutions to talent

06/02/2025

Virginia Tech researchers find promise in a new peptide drug to combat a deadly brain cancer

A lab-designed molecule developed and extensively studied by scientists with Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC could represent a breakthrough in slowing tumor recurrence in glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. In a study published May 16 in Cell Death and Disease, researchers identified a previously unknown trait of cancer cells that

05/28/2025

Brandy Salmon named Virginia Tech’s first vice president for innovation and partnerships

Brandy Salmon, who since 2017 has led Virginia Tech teams focused on connecting the university with corporations, foundations, and alumni worldwide has been named the university’s first vice president for innovation and partnerships. “True collaboration between higher education, government, and industry is essential for success in today’s evolving landscape,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands.