Several years ago, McGowan Institute faculty Eric Beckman, PhD, and Michael Buckley, MD, invented a novel medical adhesive technology. To move the technology from bench to bedside, Cohera Medical was formed and the invention rights were licensed by the University of Pittsburgh to Cohera.
This week the NIH announced the recipients of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Awards. The SBIR program encourages small business to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation's R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.
Cohera Medical won a Phase I SBIR Award for $180,000 that will help in the development of its lead product, TissuGlu™. This product is an easy-to-use, strong, and resorbable polymer adhesive aimed at fulfilling the market demand for a strong, safe tissue adhesive that will improve the wound closure process by positioning tissues for optimal healing while minimizing fluid accumulation. Studies in the lab have demonstrated that the bond created with TissuGlu™ is as strong after one hour as a normal wound is after a week of healing. Because the adhesive is created from sugars and amino acids, the components it breaks down into are designed to be benign and to lead to virtually no immune system response. Cohera anticipates full FDA approval for TissuGlu™ as an internal surgical adhesive by 2009.
The Cohera story is a great example of product research: From the spark of an idea…to reality.
Illustration: Cohera Medical, Inc.
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Earthtimes (04/25/07)
Cohera Medical, Inc.
NIH SBIR Program