Tympanogen, a medical device startup based at the VA Bio+Tech Park in Richmond, VA, was awarded a $1.48 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
This Direct-to-Phase II grant will support the regulatory testing needed to bring Tympanogen’s eardrum gel patch, called Perf-Fix, to market. Perf-Fix is intended to replace traditional eardrum repair surgery with an office-based procedure. This surgery is most often performed on children who have perforated eardrums stemming from chronic ear infections.
“This Direct-to-Phase II award is an immense vouch of confidence from the NIDCD, as we are skipping the Phase I feasibility stage and jumping straight into testing that will prepare Perf-Fix for submission to FDA,” said Dr. Elaine Horn-Ranney, Co-Founder and CEO of Tympanogen and the Principal Investigator for the grant. “Perf-Fix will transform how eardrum repair is performed and help over 150,000 US patients avoid surgery every year.”
“Perforations of the eardrum represent a major cause of hearing loss, disability and economic hardship,” said Dr. Barry Strasnick, Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Scientific Advisor to Tympanogen, and Co-Investigator on the grant. “Perf-Fix could provide a simple, nonsurgical solution that avoids the risk and high cost of traditional surgical repair while dramatically altering the management of this highly prevalent condition.”
“Dr. Horn-Ranney and the team of Tympanogen are leading the way in innovation for eardrum repair and this award validates all of the hours they’ve spent in the lab and will be a pathway to improving patient outcomes,” said Carrie Roth, President & CEO, Activation Capital and VA Bio+Tech Park.
About Activation Capital:
Activation Capital engages and connects the many influential players in our innovation ecosystem, and strives to give startup founders access to the tools and resources they need to navigate the entrepreneurial process.
The Activation Council supports and coordinates these efforts among the many available resources to foster innovation in companies of all kinds. Activation Council brings clarity and perspective in the short term and vision for the long term that generates more collision points that lead to successful business outcomes. Our goal is for the region to become known as a hub for all things innovative and as an environment where entrepreneurs and innovative companies thrive. We want the Activation Capital to be known as the place where any person with an idea can come to find resources needed to take an idea from start to phenomenal.
The VA Bio+Tech Park is a vibrant, life sciences community located adjacent to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Medical Center on a 34-acre campus in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Since its creation, the Park has supported nearly 160 private and non-profit companies, state and federal laboratories, and research institutes/administrative functions of VCU and VCU Health, employing approximately 2,400 researchers, scientists, engineers and support personnel. Major member organizations in the park include the VCU Innovation Gateway and VCU Ventures, the Altria Center for Research and Technology, United Network for Organ Sharing, True Health Diagnostics and the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. The Park also has developed partnerships with neighboring Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico Counties to extend its reach.
