Block Grant R43CA119503

This federal Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) aims to develop and test a drug-eluting chest tube to locally manage the pain associated with its use in cardiothoracic surgeries. The $275,752 award supports two key objectives: 1) completing GMP/GLP studies on the drug release kinetics, stability, and manufacturing of the drug-releasing chest tube; and 2) evaluating the mechanical...

Starlight Cardiovascular, Inc. was awarded a $1,477,713 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Cardiovascular Diseases Research program to develop the first FDA-approved stent designed specifically for ductus arteriosus. The ductus arteriosus is a natural blood vessel that remains open in infants born with certain congenital heart defects; currently there are no stents approved for this use, forcing clinicians to repurpose adult coronary stents which have a high 47%...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.393 - Cancer Cause and Prevention Research) provides $566,523 to The Regents of the University of Colorado, doing business as the University of Colorado-Denver, to identify interception targets in persistent lung premalignant lesions (PMls) that are at risk of progressing to lung cancer. The key objectives are to: 1) Identify interception targets in the persistence profile in clinical trial biopsies, 2) Determine effects of...

The Project Grant award of $657,168 from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.394 - Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research) to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania will fund a study to complete IND-enabling preclinical studies and conduct a first-in-human clinical trial for a novel near-infrared fluorescent dye, JAS239, to guide lung cancer resection surgeries. The fluorescent dye is designed to target choline kinase A, an enzyme overexpressed in up to 85% of non-small cell lung...

The Colorado School of Mines received a $891,293 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286). The grant funds research and development of aerosolized microbots as a platform for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics to lung cancer cells. The project aims to: 1) identify magnetic field conditions for targeted delivery of the...

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394), awarded a $225,229 Project Grant to Navigation Sciences Inc. on September 19, 2025. The grant will fund the development of a novel navigation software system, EndonaviSCI, to address key challenges in lung cancer surgery. The EndonaviSCI system aims to: 1) Ensure accurate localization and placement of a wireless electromagnetic sensor (J-bar) next to the tumor without the need for...

This $399,499 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394), supports the development of Liquid Biotech's TELOMESCAN circulating tumor cell (CTC) assay for monitoring non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing radiation and immunotherapy. The key products and services to be delivered through this funding include: 1) Developing a clinical prototype of the TELOMESCAN assay with automated analysis to...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides funding to Safeguard Surgical, Inc. (UEI: GCANPGXV3X55) to demonstrate the feasibility of their "LeakGuard" device, a biodegradable barrier intended to prevent anastomotic leaks after esophageal cancer surgery. The $406,500 award, with a project period from September 18, 2025 to August 31, 2026, will be used to 1) assess the mechanical and degradation properties of LeakGuard...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) to New York University School of Medicine provides $696,569.00 in funding to advance research on a novel therapy for lung cancer. The research aims to characterize the role of the protein lipocalin 2 (LCN2) in the tumor microenvironment and develop antibody-based therapeutics that interfere with LCN2 function, both as monotherapy and in combination with immune checkpoint blockade. This 5-year...

This $256,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of an automated chest tube to prevent clotting. Circulatech LLC will design and prototype a novel chest tube that proactively manages fluid flow within the catheter lumen to flush and drain the tube, reducing blood clot formation. Through a process called "dilutional coagulopathy," the tube will use sterile saline or anticoagulants to reduce thrombosis in the drainage space rather than relying on...