TheraCea marked a significant milestone by participating in the esteemed Destination Startup® 2022 Showcase. This event, an embodiment of collaboration between premier research universities and federal laboratories across the Intermountain West region, serves as a vanguard for our innovation ecosystem. Since its inception in 2019, Destination Startup® has attracted over 600 investors, prominent business figures, and thought leaders from across the nation, fostering invaluable connections. Notably, companies showcased within this platform have collectively secured a remarkable $110 million in venture capital, angel investments, and grant funding. By being part of Destination Startup®, TheraCea not only demonstrates its pioneering spirit but also contributes to the potent synergy between groundbreaking research and impactful business ventures, propelling our mission to reshape the landscape of radiopharmaceuticals and immunotherapy.
TheraCea Receives FAST Award
TheraCea is proud to announce its achievement of the esteemed FAST Award, an accolade conferred by the Small Business Administration's Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. This recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to innovation and technology-driven progress within the small business landscape. Collaborating closely with the Arizona Commerce Authority and the Small Business Administration, our participation in the FAST program has been instrumental in propelling our entrepreneurial journey. By providing crucial funding, invaluable resources, comprehensive training, and vital networking opportunities, Arizona's FAST program has empowered TheraCea to excel in crafting compelling Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposals. This accolade translates into enhanced competitiveness in securing federal funding for innovation, research, and development initiatives, further cementing TheraCea's position as a frontrunner in the radiopharmaceutical and immunotherapy realm.
TheraCea Presents at San Francisco Biotech Showcase
TheraCea played a prominent role at the esteemed 2022 Biotech Showcase, a premier platform that unites influential industry stakeholders, investors, and innovators. The showcase provided TheraCea with an unparalleled opportunity to showcase its groundbreaking advances in radiopharmaceutical tracers, highlighting its commitment to transforming healthcare through cutting-edge science and technology.
During the presentation, TheraCea's esteemed Chief Executive Officer and accomplished research team elucidated the company's overarching vision and mission. Emphasizing a dedication to advancing precision medicine, they underscored the transformative potential of TheraCea's radiopharmaceutical tracers across various diagnostic domains, including neurology and immunology.
TheraCea Receives American Chemical Society's Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award
TheraCea is thrilled to have received the prestigious American Chemical Society's Partners for Progress and Prosperity Award, a testament to our outstanding collaborative efforts. This accolade, established with the aim of acknowledging impactful partnerships across various sectors, highlights our successful collaboration with industry, academia, and other organizations. The ACS Regional Meeting award includes a distinguished Partners for Progress and Prosperity silver/gold medallion, a framed certificate of recognition for each partner entity, and a grant of up to $1,000, equally distributed among partners to further the initiatives that led to the award. TheraCea's achievement in securing this award showcases our commitment to fostering partnerships that advance STEM education, entrepreneurship, and advocacy in the chemistry enterprise. This recognition also aligns with our dedication to improving public perception and appreciation for chemistry, while underscoring our dedication to collaborative progress and prosperity within the scientific community.
TheraCea Pharma Awarded Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation
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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