Federal Grant Award Summary

Cytrogen received a $305,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) to develop Gelatrix, an injectable light-curable bioadhesive designed for the treatment of bone defects. The award was obligated on July 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2027. The project aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a multifunctional material that combines strong tissue adhesion, bacterial resistance, and biological regeneration properties. Through laboratory studies conducted in Pasadena, California, Cytrogen will optimize a formulation that can be injected directly into bone defects and rapidly hardened using visible light, systematically balancing light-curable materials, osteoinductive compounds, and bioactive antimicrobial additives to maximize mechanical strength, biodegradation rates, and biological activity while supporting cell formation and limiting bacterial growth.

The technology addresses significant market gaps in orthopedic, dental, and trauma care by offering a clinically deployable alternative to traditional bone grafts and synthetic materials, which are frequently limited in supply, difficult to shape, or prone to complications. Upon successful demonstration of feasibility, Gelatrix has the potential to serve as a broadly applicable platform for bone repair that integrates readily into existing clinical workflows and supports scalable manufacturing across multiple medical applications.