Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D
Tucson, AZ, September 1st, 2021 – TheraCea Pharma has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on development of new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers for early detection of disease (ie. cancer, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases), staging, and evaluation of response-to-therapy.
PET, a noninvasive diagnostic tool for disease detection in real time, is an exquisitely sensitive and quantitative imaging modality with numerous applications in oncology, neurology, cardiology, and infectious disease. Early detection is the key to patient survival because it guides treatment decisions and allows for earlier treatment, target specific treatment, treatment response assessment, and recurrence monitoring.
“Fluorine-18 is the most popular radioisotope for PET imaging due to its advantageous physical, chemical, commercial and image quality characteristics. However, due to very challenging chemistry, radiopharmaceuticals best suited for early detection, such as 18F-biomolecules, are lacking despite the critical clinical need. TheraCea’s technology recognizes this need and provides a solution to fulfill it. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Arizona and with the support from NSF, TheraCea is commercializing its novel labeling technology”said Dr. Iman Daryaei, Co-Founer and CEO of TheraCea Pharma
“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”
Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $256,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.
Startups or entrepreneurs who submit a three-page Project Pitch will know within one month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve a level of technical risk. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund, powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/
About TheraCea Pharma: TheraCea is a biotechnology startup company located in Tucson, AZ. TheraCea’s is developing new chemical processes for the preparation of a new generation of radiotracers for PET imaging. TheraCea’s mission is to introduce 18F-labeled radiotracer kits with applications early detection diseases and assessment of response to therapy.
About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Science Foundation under the award number 2124459. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Science Foundation
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