Purdue Life Sciences Company Receives NSF Grant
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A life sciences company based out of a Purdue University professor’s lab has received a nearly $975,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation. GeniPhys says it will use the two-year grant to scale up manufacturing capabilities to commercialize its initial product.
GeniPhys was founded in 2014 by Sherry Harbin, a professor in Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and College of Veterinary Medicine. The company is working to commercialize its Collymer Self Assembling Scaffold product, which is designed to not only replace the tissue that’s lost in wounds, but also provide the “fabric,” or scaffolding, to rebuild the tissue.
Purdue says collymer materials harness the features of natural collagen found within tissues, which allows the materials to support regenerative and restorative healing.
Harbin, who is also the chief scientific officer of GeniPhys, says the company will initially pursue regulatory filings for management and restoration of wounds and defects that affect the skin as well as other soft tissues.
“Purdue has a long, successful track record of developing and translating innovative biomaterials targeting tissue regeneration,” Harbin said. “This next-generation technology provides a biopolymeric material that can be broadly customized and harnesses the body’s capacity for regenerative healing by keeping inflammation and immune mediators at bay.”
“We are honored to be selected for this grant and are excited to be able to advance Collymer SAS toward submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and further commercialization,” said GeniPhys Chief Executive Officer Andy Eibling. “We believe the Collymer platform will have a tremendous impact for patients globally, and this grant is an important step in the process.”
GeniPhys was previously awarded a $225,000 NSF grant to perform preclinical testing to evaluate Collymer SAS prototypes for breast tissue restoration.