This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award of $274,855 to Mito-Biotherapeutics, Inc. will fund the development of a novel fusion protein construct (NFP) capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and delivering a therapeutic payload to repair mitochondrial DNA damage in neurons following traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The project aims to demonstrate NFP's ability to maintain structural integrity, traverse brain cells, and target mitochondria to attenuate neurological damage and progression to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and dementia following TBI. This addresses a significant unmet medical need, as TBI is a leading cause of injury-related death and disability worldwide, affecting military personnel and disproportionately impacting certain patient populations. Successful completion of this Phase I effort will advance the understanding of bioenergetic dysfunction in neurodegeneration and lay the groundwork for a potential first-to-market product to treat TBI.
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