Zenflow, Inc. Wins Direct to Phase II Grant with NIDDK

InteliSpark client Zenflow, Inc. has won a $636,601 contract with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for the Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, " Spring System for Permanent Relief of Urinary Obstruction Related to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia”.

 Urinary retention, frequency, and urgency related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) represent an unmet clinical need for many millions of men in the US. Medications can be expensive, have side effects like loss of libido, and prove ineffective in 30-43% of patients. Surgery is effective, but can result in post-operative pain and carries a high risk of permanent sexual side effects such as retrograde ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. A number of shortcomings have prevented minimally invasive attempts from attaining widespread adoption. Mechanical devices have failed due to difficult placement, migration, and encrustation caused by urine exposure, whereas energy therapies have failed to achieve durable results.

 Zenflow has developed the Spring System to provide a superior minimally invasive and permanent solution for men who experience inadequate relief or side effects from drugs, but decline to undergo invasive surgical procedures such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Unlike other minimally invasive attempts, the Spring nitinol implant is delivered through a flexible cystoscope in an easy, ten-minute office procedure that does not damage tissue. With uniquely low COGS of less than $200, the Spring will also substantially reduce costs to the healthcare system substantially over all existing treatment options.

After refining the placement procedure in early studies, we have verified that the Spring implant can be placed accurately and reliably by a trained urologist.

ACIS Wins Phase II Grant with NIGMS

InteliSpark client ACIS, LLC has won a $670,777 contract with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, "Novel Single Cell Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Cell Heterogeneity by Noninvasive Probing of Molecular Composition of Specific Organelles in Individual Cells”.

ACIS, LLC proposes a conceptually novel cellular heterogeneity assay, based on confocal Raman spectrometry and Biomolecular Component Analysis (BCA). The goal of Phase II is to implement a BCA toolbox in a commercial confocal micro- Raman instrument for quantitative assessment of cellular heterogeneity and potential quantitative classification of cellular states based on macromolecular compositions in specific organelles, a single cell assay developed during the Phase I, Phase II focuses on bringing this new device to the market.

 This project is motivated by the fact, that there is no currently any commercial tool, which provides direct probing of local biomolecular concentration in live cells. At the same time, this tool is extremely valuable for solving a number of problems, which require determination of quantitative markers for different cellular states (i) in diseased cell population (cancer-non-cancer, different cancer stages etc), (ii) during cell-drug interaction, and (iii) in the intracellular processes (apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, etc).

The outcome of this project will be a commercial confocal micro-Raman system with an implemented BCA toolbox, along with customized software for quantitative assessment of cellular heterogeneity, which can be used for a broad range of biomedical applications in many sectors such as clinical labs, Biomedical cellular Research labs, Pharmaceutical industries, National Cancer Institutes, etc.

Widetronix, Inc. Wins Phase II Grant with NHLBI

InteliSpark client Widetronix, Inc. has won a $773,585 contract with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, " High Energy Density, Long Life, Betavoltaic Power Cells for Pacemakers and Other Implantable Devices”.

Pacemakers are small devices that help control abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmia, which can lead to serious, life-threatening conditions, including organ damage, cardiac arrest, and death. Indeed, pacemakers are a highly important treatment option for cardiac arrhythmia with 1,002,664 implanted in 2009, including 225,567 in the U.S, growing at an annual rate of 55.6%. Given the aging population and increased likelihood of arrhythmia as a person ages, the number of implants is expected to increase in the future.

There are two main limitations associated with the majority of currently marketed pacemakers, both of which are tied to the battery: usable lifetime and device volume. Typical pacemakers need to be replaced every 5 to 7 years due to the specified lifetime of their electro-chemical batteries, meaning 20% of pacemaker implantations are replacement devices and 76% of those replacements are battery related. This constraint results in significant cost, up to $80,000/per implant in the U.S., as well as health risks and inconvenience for the patient. Pacemaker volume is also an important issue for patients and physicians. Current batteries constitute over 50% of the volume of a conventional model. While pacemaker size has reduced over time, the current footprint remains visible under the skin, and hence, less than ideal from a quality of life perspective.

The goal of this research project is to develop a next generation battery for pacemakers and other medical implants through the development of novel textured silicon carbide (SiC) betavoltaics that will provide a more compact and long-lived power source for next-generation implantsThe development under the Phase II will focus on pushing the texturing of the SiC device toward its material limit, etching deeper into the SiC while narrowing the features, thereby allowing the betavoltaic to take full advantage of the extra surface area gained through the texturing process. The goal is to increase the active area density by 6x (from 2.43 cm2/cm2 to 14.58 cm2/cm2), resulting in an energy density that surpasses existing pacemaker batteries (5.8 kJ/cc) and moves us closer to our medical implant partners desired goal.

Zymtronix Catalytic Systems, Inc. Wins Phase I Grant with USDA NIFA

InteliSpark client Zymtronix Catalytic Systems, Inc. has won a $100,000 contract with the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture for the Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, “A Seed-Coating Mixed Enzyme Formula for the Control of Fungal and Bacterial Pathogens”.

This project seeks to improve food security through the development of a novel crop disease management tool. Modern agriculture relies on the heavy use of pesticides to control plant diseases and protect crops from significant losses, and many of the most important disease control products are quickly losing efficacy due to resistance development.

Consequences of pesticide use include potentially negative effects on human health and the environment and selection for pesticide resistance, and the increased use of pesticides since 1960 has not resulted in a significant decrease in crop losses. Novel crop protection solutions will ensure crops are protected against diseases amid global trade and a changing climate which threaten to introduce or increase the severity of diseases in areas where they were previously insignificant. More sustainable practices are needed to protect arable lands from deterioration against the backdrop of intensive agricultural production as well as to protect effective pesticides from becoming obsolete through the selection of resistant pests and pathogens.

 This novel method will reduce reliance on existing agrochemicals like fungicides and antibiotics, thereby decreasing the likelihood of resistance development while simultaneously providing an alternative, effective method for managing a broad spectrum of major crop diseases. The ultimate goal is to introduce a novel disease management product into the agricultural market which will reduce losses due to disease, increase profitability for seedling producers and farmers, reduce the occurrence of pesticide resistance, and reduce reliance on synthetic agricultural chemicals.

INNOVEIN, INC Wins Phase I Grant with NSF

InteliSpark client Innovein, Inc has won a $225,000 contract with the National Science Foundation for the Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, "Venous Valve Prosthesis as a Cure for Chronic Venous Insufficiency.”

Innovein develops a prosthetic valve technology aimed for patients that suffer from chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). They developed a novel prosthetic valve to treat underperforming veins by targeting the underlying cause of the disease. As people begin to age, valves in their veins of their legs can begin to function poorly, causing blood to build up in the ankles due to gravity. This starts a chain reaction in the body that leads to pain and/or swelling of the feet, skin discoloration and open wounds by the ankles.

Since there are not any approved venous valves in the market, treatment for CVI is limited to wound care and skin grafts. These restricted options of treatment can be costly for non-healing venous stasis ulcers. Innovein’s proposed technology will work to treat CVI while alleviating complications that are related to prior attempts at valve prostheses, including valve breakdown and formation of blood clots. Given the tremendous costs associated with valve prostheses attempts, Innovein’s approach will leverage with being minimally invasive and offering up to a 40% reduction in the cost of care within the first year of treatment.

Innovein’s objectives are to build the device, compare iterations on the bench and validate the technology in animals. This lays the foundation for future clinical trials and the end goal of usage in the broader population. The proposed project will allow for further research and validation of safety and function of the described approach and progress to commercialization.

SAMPLE6 TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Wins Grant from NIAID

InteliSpark client Sample6 Technologies was awarded $764,355 for the Phase I portion of their project, Enrichment-Free Salmonella Detection for Food Safety, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Sample6 has developed a new technology, based on the proprietary Bioillumination PlatformTM, which uses a novel synthetic engineering approach to leverage the natural specificity of bacteriophage to detect the presence of specific bacterial species.

Every year over one million people become ill due to foodborne Salmonella infections. Salmonella is the leading cause for foodborne illness hospitalizations (23,000 cases; 35%) and deaths (450 cases; 28%). Salmonella has an enormous impact on the economy, causing $3.7 billion in costs in the United States each year; 90% of this burden ($3.3 million) is due to deaths. The primary mode of Salmonella infection is through food, mainly raw or undercooked meat, raw eggs and unwashed vegetables.

Current detection methods for Salmonella are slow to provide actionable results, making it difficult to take the necessary steps in controlling the pathogen. Sample6 DETECT/S system contains engineered bacteriophages, which can identify Salmonella spp. to induce production of luminescent enzymes, upon infection of the target cells, which effectively illuminates Salmonella. This signal can be measured with the Sample6 Luminometer and represents the world's first enrichment-free pathogen diagnostic system. Sample6 has previously established feasibility that the DETECT/S assay can be adapted for finished product testing to detect Salmonella directly on food products that are prone to contamination.

For the Direct-to- Phase II project, the proposal is to complete the development of our technology to detect Salmonella on additional foods to achieve validation as laid out in AOAC guidelines. We will expand the testing to include 400 Salmonella isolates belonging to clinically relevant serotypes, and complete assay development for 20 food matrices representing all commercially relevant categories, including low-moisture foods. Finally, develop non-replicating phage technology for BioIllumination Platform to further increase our reach in the market, both domestically and internationally.

FAS HOLDINGS GROUP wins Phase I NSF SBIR Grant

InteliSpark client FAS Holdings Group has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant worth $225,000. The grant is for the SBIR Phase I project, "Scalable fabrication of stable perovskite solar panels using slot-die coating technique"

FAS Holdings Group is revolutionizing the United States’ solar cell market with a low cost, high efficiency approach. This development is of high national interest due to solar power’s broad potential to support U.S. priorities such as; economic growth, job creation and even climate change. Furthermore, solar energy costs are still high and there are technological innovations that are needed to lower the costs while increasing efficiency.

Perovskite solar cell efficiency have spiked to over 22% in just five years of research, which competes with CdTe and Si-based solar panels. Perovskite inks are made from Earth-abundant, inexpensive precursors and can be printed on plastic foils. Printing on plastic foils significantly reduces their manufacturing and installation costs. Before commercialization of this technology, stability and feasibility of reliable, scalable manufacturing of large-area panels have to be established. This project seeks to connect the dots and develop manufacturing technology that can contend in terms of cost and performance across the board with solar panels and even conventional fossil fuel-based energy sources.

In addition to the previously mentioned objectives, FAS is aiming to manufacture perovskite photovoltaic devices using an industry-proven slot die coating method. Most research lab perovskite solar cell devices are fabricated via spin casting and have a device area of less than 1 sq. cm Even with impressive progress, its commercial viable scalability and reliability have not been demonstrated yet. Through the course of the project, a proven technology for a large-scale area processing and robust high-yield manufacturing will be used, slot -die coating. The slot die coating and air stable p-i-n devices architecture to manufacture perovskite solar panel with a target power conversion efficiency of 20%. The operational lifetime of more than 10,000 hours, power-to-weight ratio of 1 kW/kg and target manufacturing cost of less than $0.3/W equals a more than 40% reduction in costs when compared to industry leading photovoltaic technologies.

InteliSpark is now an approved SBIR/STTR service provider for Pennsylvania's Innovation Partnership

We are excited to announce that InteliSpark has recently become an approved SBIR/STTR service provider for Pennsylvania's Innovation Partnership.  The Innovation Partnership is a consortium of economic development and business assistance organizations located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Their goal is to help early-stage technology companies in Pennsylvania secure federal funding opportunities.

The Innovation Partnership Preferred Provider (PP) Listing is offered as a courtesy to IPart, SBIR/STTR and federal funding assistance clients who are seeking the help of experienced grant-writing professionals. The listing gives a brief description of the products and services which might be offered by the provider to clients as well as their technology focus/federal agency experience or specialization areas.

Pre-Proposal Assistance Program

Financial Support for Grant Preparation in the form ofawards of up to $3,000 for Phase I SBIR/STTR proposal preparation and up to $10,000 for Phase II

DexMat Wins Phase II NASA Contract

InteliSpark client Dexmat has won a $750k contract with NASA for the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, "Lightweight CNT Shielded Cables for Space Applications."

DexMat manufactures high performance products made from Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) for a new generation of consumer and commercial applications. They developed a novel CNT deposition process for directly applying CNTs onto dielectric materials to produce an electrically conductive EMI shield. By placing a premium on the quality of raw CNTs, DexMat has created a product with increased potential to reduce cable weight while minimizing insertion losses when incorporated into wire.

Lightweight CNT shielded cables would provide a significant cost-effectiveness by reducing weight in space applications. DexMat technology offers a significant weight reduction, up to 80%, in these wires resulting in a noteworthy cost savings for launched vehicles. Given the tremendous costs associated with satellite launches, the NASA will see significant savings from our CNT-based wire.

After showing successful integration into the aviation manufacturing industry, DexMat plans to expand CNTs into the textile, sensors and medical devices, electronics, energy storage and structural industries. CNTs offer significant improvements to existing technologies in these industries and could outperform current state-of-the-art products on the market.

WntRx wins Phase I NIH STTR grant

InteliSpark client WntRx has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant worth $225,000 funded by the National Cancer Institute. The grant is for the STTR project, "Investigation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates of a Novel Target." This will enable WntRx to compete for a NIH Phase II STTR award.

WntRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. is building on the promise of Wnt signaling by applying its unique capabilities to discover and develop non-toxic, selective drugs for the treatment of patients with critical unmet medical needs. The company focuses on the development of novel, safe, selective, oncogenic specific inhibitors of Wnt signaling active in the treatment of cancer.

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that are covalently linked to cell-killing drugs and have emerged as a major modality in anti-cancer treatment. As antibody engineering and linker-payload optimization are becoming mature, the discovery and development of new ADCs is increasingly dependent on the identification and validation of new targets that are suitable to this approach.

 LGR4 (leucine-rich repeat containing, G protein-coupled receptor 4) is a seven transmembrane domain receptor that is highly upregulated expression in the majority of solid tumors, including colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancers. LGR4 functions as a receptor of the R-spondin group of stem cell factors to potentiate Wnt signaling.

WntRX has generated and characterized a panel of highly potent and specific mAbs against native LGR4. Preliminary data showed that LGR4 mAbs conjugated with a potent cytotoxin were able to inhibit the growth of several cancer cell lines with high LGR4 expression in vitro and tumor xenografts in vivo. Here we propose to determine the potency, efficacy, and therapeutic window of anti-LGR4 ADCs in xenograft models of patient-derived tumors to establish proof-of-principle for the use of LGR4-targeded ADCs for the treatment of LGR4-high tumors. These results and conclusions may, for the first time, validate LGR4 as a novel target for the development of ADC-based therapeutics that has the potential to treat a large population of cancer patients.