The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), now known as Virginia Catalyst, has awarded a total of $2.7 million to six life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with nearly $5.7 million in matching funds from partner companies are designed to support bioscience research in the Commonwealth and spur local economic development.
Virginia Catalyst is funded by the colleges and universities of Virginia’s higher education system as well as the General Assembly.
The program awards grant funding to private companies that have collaborative work underway with one or more of Virginia’s colleges and universities. Student researchers can then use the work to build practical skills in the high-demand area of bioscience research.
So far, Virginia Catalyst has awarded $15.7 million in grant funding over 8 application rounds.
Projects funded in this round include:
Project Focus: Biofabrication of Regenerative Musculoskeletal Therapeutics
- Company: Embody, LLC (Norfolk, VA)
- University collaborators: Old Dominion University and University of Virginia
- Funding amount: $800,000
- Matching funds: $2,400,000 will be provided by Embody, LLC
Project Focus: Preventing Catheter Associated Infections
- Company: WynnVision LLC (Richmond, VA)
- University collaborators: Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia
- Funding amount: $510,000
- Matching funds: $1,491,266 will be leveraged from a National Institutes of Health SBIR Phase II grant
Project Focus: Safe Mitochondrial Uncouplers for the Treatment of Human Disease
- Company: Continuum Biosciences, Inc. (Blacksburg, VA)
- University collaborators: Virginia Tech and University of Virginia
- Funding amount: $400,000
- Matching funds: $800,000 will be provided by Continuum Biosciences, Inc.
Project Focus: MRR: A Major New Chiral Analysis Technique for Drug Discovery, Development and Process Control
- Company: BrightSpec, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA)
- University collaborators: Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and University of Virginia
- Funding amount: $400,000
- Matching funds: $400,000 will be provided by BrightSpec, Inc.
Project Focus: Novel Anti-inflammatory Drug with Strong Neuroprotective Properties for Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Company: Serpin Pharma (Manassas, VA)
- University collaborators: Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University
- Funding amount: $350,000
- Matching funds: $350,000 will be provided by Serpin Pharma
Project Focus: Tissue Preparations for Therapeutic Use in Cardiovascular Applications
- Company: LifeNet Health (Virginia Beach, VA)
- University collaborators: Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School
- Funding amount: $250,000
- Matching funds: $250,000 will be provided by LifeNet Health
