SBIR Phase II: Vasoreactive Perfused in Vitro Vascular Network

"This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve clinical outcomes related to cardiovascular side effects of various treatments. It is currently not possible to test this activity on cells in a petri dish, and mice are not an accurate model for predicting these outcomes in human clinical trials. Rodent lifespans, metabolism and responses to drugs are often very different from those of humans. This project advances a pre-clinical drug screening platform, leading to the development of better and safer drugs. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project improves accurate pre-clinical screening of new pharmaceutical compounds that may trigger unwanted effects on vascular tone and blood pressure. Both hypertension and hypotension can have immediate and long-term life-threatening effects on patients, and are almost always disqualifying for further development of a new drug. As a result, there is a need for improved, human cell-based models to screen vasoactive drugs for human patients. This project advances a platform to accurately mimic physiologically-relevant vasoactivity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria."