Chest pain accounted for a little more than one quarter of the 61 million non injury visits to the emergency room in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control. So having an efficient way of determining who needs urgent treatment and who doesn’t could make a significant difference to outcomes.
A mobile device that can be used at the oint of care to determine whether someone has cardiovascular disease and having a cardiac event or if one is imminent with a quick blood test is getting fresh investment from the Southeastern Pennsylvania branch of the state’s economic development arm. It was one of 10 companies to receive nearly $1.9 million in funding. Here’s a summary of some of the life science companies that received follow-on funding.
QLIDA Diagnostics has received $200,000 from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania to advance the device. It takes a small blood sample and evaluates the level of the cardiac biomarker, troponin. Under stress, the protein is released into the bloodstream — the higher the stress level, the higher the level of troponin. Led by CEO Michael Boyce-Jacino, the company is a spinout of Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering. Ben Franklin has previously invested $300,000.
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QR Pharma The specialty pharmaceutical company is developing three treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. It received $140,000 and previously received $610,000. Its lead compound, Posiphen, is being development to reduce the levels of toxic proteins in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative disorders. It’s designed to to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in its early stages to prevent the onset or diminish the severity of cognitive decline. Last fall it presented data that showed the drug had positive outcomes in mice, according to its website.
RMH Sciences The biotechnology company received $50,000 to advance its research into the beginning stages of drug development, according to a statement from Ben Franklin. One of the antibiotics it’s developing is to combat hospital acquired bacterial pathogens.
ZSX Medical Its bioabsorbable suture alternative is designed to help close wounds from laparoscopic hysterectomies. It wants to address the upward trend of hysterectomies using less invasive surgery. From 2000 to 2010, the percentage of hysterectomies that used less invasive surgery rose from 3 percent to 43.5 percent of procedures, according to data from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
