Project Grant R43HL146045

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), provides $430,375.00 to Emory University to conduct research on improving the reach and efficacy of gene therapy through the use of extracellular vesicles (EVs). The goal of this 2-year study is to evaluate the hypothesis that targeting transgene-encoded protein and/or mRNA to endogenous EVs will increase the...

This 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" (CFDA 93.286) program, provides $540,524 to the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass Medical) to develop an enhanced RNA switch technology for precise temporal and dose control of in vivo gene therapies. The key objectives are to: (I) optimize an ultra-efficient RNA switch...

This 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), supports the development of a micro-robotic system to deliver gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment. The $235,500 award, active from May 2025 to March 2028, will fund the following key products and services: Development of a micro-robotic delivery system to...

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Biomedical Research and Research Training Program (CFDA 93.859) awarded a $488,753 project grant to Georgia Tech Research Corp and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a novel "Precise Area Introduction and Transfection" (PAINT) technology. This technology aims to enable highly localized, versatile, and efficient delivery of biomolecules like nucleic acids, proteins, and viruses into cells, with the goal of...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under CFDA 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training Program provides $599,409 to Opera Bioscience, Inc. to develop a platform for producing cost-effective recombinant proteins and growth factors to support cell culture applications in therapeutics. The platform is based on the Salmonella type III secretion system, which can transport proteins directly from the cytoplasm to the extracellular space,...

This Project Grant award of $814,209 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) supports research to develop in vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy using CD90-targeted nanoparticles. The goal is to overcome limitations of current ex vivo HSC gene therapy approaches by enabling direct gene editing of HSCs within the patient's bone marrow. The key objectives are to: 1) optimize nanoparticle formulations...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) provides $275,000 to Targeting Systems to develop a novel intramuscular gene delivery platform capable of sustained expression and endogenous secretion of bispecific natural killer cell engager (BIKE) therapeutics to treat solid tumors like hepatocellular carcinoma. The platform aims to deliver BIKEs in a less invasive manner than current immunotherapies,...

This $295,924 Project Grant awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) aims to develop and demonstrate a high-yield microfluidic device for the enrichment and capture of CD3+ T cells. This device is intended to improve the manufacturing of autologous and allogenic engineered cell therapies such as CAR-T, which currently have time-consuming and costly production processes. The key objectives are to (1)...

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), under CFDA Program 93.350, has awarded a $331,034 Project Grant to Vector Surgical LLC to develop the Gene Therapy Catheter (GTC) - an electrical pulsing device designed to enhance the delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy to the liver. The GTC aims to improve the efficiency and safety of liver-directed gene therapies by combining local delivery with electrical pulsing and a double-balloon system to isolate the...

Through a $1,000,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, Optimeos Life Sciences, Inc., a for-profit biotechnology company, is developing a non-viral platform for delivering mRNA-based gene therapies. The project aims to validate a polymer-lipid hybrid formulation that can safely and repeatedly deliver genetic instructions to patients with rare urea cycle disorders, overcoming limitations of current...