{"674277":{"#nid":"674277","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH awards $2.9M to Annoviant to advance heart disease technology","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EATLANTA \u2014\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EAnnoviant Inc. a health technology company and member startup in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/medtech.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for MedTech Excellence\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech\u0027s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, is receiving a $2.99 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to further scale the development and commercialization of its TxGuard\u2122 pulmonary-valved conduit for pediatric heart disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe award follows two Phase I NIH grants the company received, the most recent being in 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnnoviant\u0027s patented TxGuard\u2122 stands at the forefront of technological innovation in conduit replacements for treating congenital heart disease (CHD), the most prevalent birth defect globally and a leading cause of birth-related mortality, the company said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECHD encompasses a broad range of abnormalities that disrupt blood flow to and from the heart. It affects approximately 40,000 newborns annually \u2014 or 1% of births in the U.S. \u2014 and 1.35 million worldwide. With an estimated 2.9 million CHD patients in the U.S. alone, the need for advanced solutions is paramount.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This marks a significant milestone for Annoviant as we accelerate our pursuit of impactful innovation to save lives,\u0022 said Annoviant CEO and co-founder Ajay Houde, Ph.D. \u0022It validates our hypothesis and shows the NIH\u0027s confidence in our ability to make good progress. Because we are a small startup, it gives private investors the confidence to invest with us and more companies working with us across the broader ecosystem.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAddressing critical shortcomings observed in current commercial devices, TxGuard\u2122 offers clinical advantages, notably its resistance to calcification, thrombosis, infection, and the host cell integration. This cutting-edge technology marks a new era in pediatric cardiac interventions, providing durable pulmonary valved grafts that adapt and regenerate alongside patients, minimizing the need for multiple re-operations over their lifetimes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the U.S. and is the most common birth defect in our newborns,\u0022 said Center for MedTech Excellence Director Nakia Melecio, who worked with Annoviant to help it scale and reviewed its federal funding submissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Center for MedTech Excellence, which launched in 2022, works with early-stage life sciences startups that have specific obstacles that young tech companies in other sectors don\u0027t face.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This is a critical milestone for the company, and validates its research and work, thus far,\u0022 Melicio said. \u0022Annoviant\u0027s technology is tackling several challenges that the market currently faces and elevating the possibility for better patient outcomes in management of congestive heart failure.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPediatric patients with CHD often undergo multiple cardiovascular surgeries throughout their lives, with associated costs totaling billions for the U.S. healthcare industry. TxGuard\u2122 offers a transformative solution to this ongoing challenge, promising extended durability and reduced healthcare burden for patients and providers alike.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe credited the company\u0027s work with the Center for MedTech Excellence and being a health tech startup in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atdc.org\/\u0022\u003EAdvanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)\u003C\/a\u003E, the Enterprise Innovation Institute\u0027s startup incubator, as being pivotal in Annoviant\u0027s growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EATDC SBIR\/STTR Catalyst Connie Casteel, who works with the incubator\u0027s portfolio companies to help the prepare for these federal, non-dilutive funding grants, had worked with Annoviant on its federal funding approach and strategy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We went through the 16-week program with the MedTech Center and it really helped us think through the various aspects of the commercialization process and operational challenges we would face,\u0022 Houde said. \u0022Greg Jungles at ATDC was also instrumental in helping us. \u0026nbsp;I\u0027m really thankful for Nakia and his work with the MedTech Center and Greg and the team at ATDC.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECompany to deploy resources toward scaling its pediatric heard disease technology and commercialization efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Grant is third NIH award for health technology startup."}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2024-04-19 15:29:34","changed_gmt":"2024-04-19 15:43:01","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673766":{"id":"673766","type":"image","title":"Innoviant Co-Founders","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnoviant co-founders Ajay Houde and Naren Vyavahare, CEO and chief technology officer, respectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1713540668","gmt_created":"2024-04-19 15:31:08","changed":"1713541083","gmt_changed":"2024-04-19 15:38:03","alt":"Headshots of the two co-founders.","file":{"fid":"257202","name":"Annoviant Co Founders.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/19\/Annoviant%20Co%20Founders.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/19\/Annoviant%20Co%20Founders.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2180405,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/19\/Annoviant%20Co%20Founders.png?itok=Vvs8TKFg"}}},"media_ids":["673766"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"193646","name":"annoviant"},{"id":"4238","name":"atdc"},{"id":"193647","name":"Center for MedTech Excellence"},{"id":"8949","name":"Heart Disease"},{"id":"6185","name":"pediatrics"},{"id":"136201","name":"Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EP\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nperalte@gatech.edu\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404.316..1210\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}