National Institutes of Health (NIH) Archives

Virtuoso Surgical adds $1.8M in grant funding to support surgical robot

[Image from Virtuoso Surgical]Virtuoso Surgical announced that it received a $1.8 million NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.

Nashville-based Virtuoso Surgical will receive the grant over the next two years. The funds support its robotic surgery system that utilizes a new scale of robotic tools and maneuvers in endoscopic surgery.

Virtuoso designed its system with two robotically controlled, needle-sized manipulators working from the tip of a rigid endoscope. That endoscope comes in at less than half the diameter of a U.S. dime. The scope is smaller than current endoscope hardware, the company says, and the manipulators are 1mm in diameter. It also features a camera, tissue grasper, retractor, tissue snare, laser aiming manipulator and electrosurgical tools.

The system previously demonstrated feasibility in animal, cadaver and tissue model studies. Virtuoso Surgical featured in our list of 16 companies you need to know in the space.

…

Satio wins $3.5M contract to develop at-home transdermal drug delivery device

The SatioRx transdermal drug delivery device. [Image from the company’s website]Satio announced that a National Institutes for Health agency awarded it a $3.5 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract.

Awarded by the NIH’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the contract helps the company develop SatioRx. This drug delivery device, compact and inexpensive, features disposable microneedle components for precise delivery. It remotely enables the delivery of a precise, metered dose of any liquid drug approved for transdermal delivery.

Under the contract, Boston-based Satio expects to leverage design features from its other patch-based devices. It also plans to utilize feasibility data from its manually operated transdermal delivery devices. Combining these, the company intends to develop a next-generation, remotely controllable device.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delive…

NIH to locate ARPA-H’s Catalyst Hub in Massachusetts

An agency within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tabbed Massachusetts as the host of its Investor Catalyst Hub.

The federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) selected Massachusetts as the hub. It supports ARPA-H’s mission to foster collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. The agency aims to accelerate innovative ideas that transform healthcare.

In a press briefing, ARPA-H Director Dr. Renee Wegrzyn announced the selection of Massachusetts. This formally launched ARPANET-H, a nationwide health innovation network comprised of three hubs across the U.S. ARPA-H chose Hadley, Massachusetts-based VentureWell to run and manage the Massachusetts-based hub. It will focus on helping the agency navigate the business and regulatory landscape and provide resources to bring ideas to market.

“This is a huge win for Massachusetts and an opportunity to bring economic development while strengthening our role as a nati…

NIH funds Illinois Tech project using machine learning to fully automate insulin delivery

[Image courtesy of Illinois Tech]Researchers at Illinois Tech received $1.2 million from the NIH to develop a machine learning system for an artificial pancreas’ insulin delivery.

Professor of chemical engineering Ali Cinar leads the project aimed at easing the burden on those with type 1 diabetes. NIH funding covers for years for developing the machine learning system. The researchers aim to integrate it into Cinar’s artificial pancreas system to enhance accuracy.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.

PharmaJet wins NIH grant to evaluate needle-free delivery of HPV immunization

The Tropis needle-free injection system. [Image from PharmaJet]PharmaJet announced today that it received a grant worth $800,000-plus from the NIH to evaluate its needle-free injection system.

Golden, Colorado-based PharmaJet picked up a Phase II grant from the NIH (National Institutes of Health). It allows the company to evaluate the immunogenicity of the intradermal administration of human papillomavirus virus (HPV) vaccine. The study compares PharmaJet’s Tropis intradermal, needle-free injection system against traditional needle and syringe intramuscular administration.

According to a news release, the study will be performed in collaboration with Padjadjaran University (UNPAD) in Indonesia. PharmaJet expects the study to recruit approximately 900 girls aged nine to 14 years old in early 2023. This follows PharmaJet’s preliminary studies evaluating intradermal delivery for HPV vaccines.

Get the full story at our sister s…

Rescue Biomedical wins $2.8M grant for nalaxone-releasing implant for opioid overdoses

[Photo courtesy of Purdue/Rescue Biomedical/Hugh Lee]Rescue Biomedical announced today that it received a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for its opioid overdose treatment.

West Lafayette, Indiana received a Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, grant from the NIH. The company develops technology that detects when a person is overdosing on an opioid and delivers naloxone to reverse the action.

The minimally invasive, subcutaneous device presents a closed-loop drug delivery system. Hyowon “Hugh” Lee, Rescue Biomedical CEO, said the company seeks to partner with recovery clinics and clinicians. This way, they can identify and work with opioid use disorder (OUD) patients at high risk of overdosing again.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.

NIH grants Eko $2.7M to develop pulmonary hypertension AI tech

[Image from Eko]Eko announced today that it received a $2.7 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct Phase II grant.

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the grant. The grant will fund the development of a machine learning algorithm, according to a news release.

Eko said the algorithm detects and stratifies pulmonary hypertension (PH). It uses phonocardiogram (PCG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) data from Eko’s smart stethoscopes. To address challenges of ECG-based AI models for detecting PH, Eko partnered with Lifespan Health System’s Cardiovascular Institute.

The partnership collects real-world PCG and ECG data using the Eko Duo ECG + digital stethoscope. Eko plans to use the data to develop an algorithm that can detect PH and stratify its severity. Early identification can diagnose PH earlier and more accurately, leading to potentially life-saving interventions.

…

U of Maryland scientist to set up NIH’s new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it formed a new research project agency for health.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the formal establishment of the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an independent entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Adam H. Russell was appointed as acting deputy director, effective next month.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.

NIH to study allergic reactions to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Image courtesy of Pexels

Researchers from the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are conducting a clinical trial on allergic reactions to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

The single-site trial will enroll up to 100 people between 16 and 69 years old who had an allergic reaction to a first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. NIAID seeks participants who experienced a mild or moderate systemic allergic reaction to either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.

NIH launches $9.8M neuromodulation competition

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it launched the first phase of its Neuromod Prize competition.

Neuromod Prize, a $9.8 million competition, aims to accelerate the development of neuromodulation therapies. NIH seeks scientists, engineers and clinicians to submit novel concepts and clinical development plans to demonstrate solutions for stimulating the peripheral nervous system to treat disease and improve human health.

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

NIH director Francis Collins to step down

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that Dr. Francis S. Collins will step down as director of the agency.

Collins, the longest-serving presidentially-appointed NIH director, decided to end his tenure by the end of the year. He had served three U.S. presidents over more than 12 years.

NIH did not announce a successor to Collins or a timeline for appointing one.

“It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade,” Collins said in a news release. “I love this agency and its people so deeply that the decision to step down was a difficult one, done in close counsel with my wife, Diane Baker, and my family. I am proud of all we’ve accomplished. I fundamentally believe, however, that no single person should serve in the position too long, and that it’s time to bring in a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future.

“I’m most grateful and proud of the NIH staff and the scientific community, wh…

NIAID expresses concern over AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine data

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced concerns with data from AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine trial.

NIAID, a wing of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said in a statement today that it was concerned after information released by the company surrounding the clinical trial for its AZD1222 vaccine may be outdated. In turn, that may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data, NIAID said.

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Discovery & Development.