The biotech scene is heating up in downtown RVA.
WynnVision, a company headquartered at the Virginia Bio+Tech Center in Richmond, has received a $1.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to continue its medical product development.
The grant is part of the National Institutes of Health SBIR FastTrack awards, and follows a $225,000 award in August 2018 for Phase I of the two-part cash injection. The initial funds went toward developing a new approach to reducing ventilator-related infections that does not use antibiotics or antimicrobials that lead to “super-bugs."
“WynnVision was able to achieve milestones set in our Phase I grant, and the team is looking forward to continuing work in eliminating infections with comfort and safety for patients,” CEO Kenneth Wynne said in a statement.
The new funding will continue the startup's work on reducing infections associated with medical devices, and more specifically, establishing feasibility for preventing infections due to endotracheal tubes.
“We are proud of the work WynnVision is doing to improve patient experience by seeking solutions to infectious diseases," said Carrie Roth, president and CEO of the VA Bio+Tech Park and Activation Capital, in a statement. "The Phase II award shows the strength of their work in achieving follow-on funding from the NIH.”
The grant comes during an expansion for the VA Bio+Tech Park, a 34-acre life sciences campus in downtown Richmond that hosts about 70 companies. Activation Capital, which runs the Bio+Tech Park, plans to add a new building to accommodate tenants' growth and expand its incubator and lab spaces. Major members of the community include VCU Ventures, the Altria Center for Research and Technology, United Network for Organ Sharing and True Health Diagnostics.
