Proposed new drug addresses challenges posed by coronary heart disease and shortcomings of current solutions.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) today announced that Coeurative, Inc. has been awarded a Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant for $100,000. VIPC’s CCF programs have distributed more than $54 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs, and university-based inventors since 2012 in support of critical early technology testing and market validation efforts.

Roanoke, Va.-based Coeurative is creating curative strategies for better management of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally and responsible for one in three deaths in the U.S. alone. The biopharma startup is focusing its initial efforts on coronary heart disease, also referred to as coronary artery disease or CAD, which is directly responsible for more than 40% of cardiovascular disease deaths.

A primary symptom of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris, or the pain or discomfort a patient experiences when the heart’s oxygen demand exceeds its supply. The current standard of care for angina uses antianginal vasodilators to relax and widen blood vessels, making it easier for blood and oxygen to reach the heart. However, this treatment has notable shortcomings, including side effects and limited long-term efficacy.

Answering the call for an improved strategy, Coeurative has developed patented compounds that deliver nitric oxide, a key regulator of cardiovascular function in systemic and pulmonary blood vessels, to relieve angina symptoms. Recent experiments suggest that Coeurative nitric oxide donors are more effective in dilating human coronary arteries than the generic nitric oxide donors that are presently available. These novel drugs may also offer cardioprotective properties. CCF funding has enabled Coeurative to bring a full time Research Scientist, Sylvia Torres-Odio, PhD, on board. She plays a key role in expanding the preliminary studies with a view towards completing the initial phase of pre-clinical drug development.

“I have been a cardiologist and clinical investigator for the past 32 years, and for most of that time, I have been working to develop better drugs to manage cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. John Schmedtje, President and CEO of Coeurative. “Thanks to this grant and a recent Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, we are able to accelerate drug development and commercialization and hope to file an investigational new drug application with the FDA in three years. Our mission to bring these novel coronary vasodilators to clinical practices is within reach.”

“Despite advances to reduce cardiovascular disease fatalities, there remains an ongoing and urgent need for new therapeutics,” said Jeanette Townsend, VIPC’s Director of Private Sector Grants. “Coeurative has been successful in tapping into two early-stage funding opportunities, validating its innovative solution to a prevalent problem. CCF is optimistic that the new studies will continue to demonstrate the new drug’s promise and bring it closer to market. We’re eager to see this Virginia startup improve the quality of life for millions of patients suffering from coronary heart disease.”

About Coeurative
Coeurative, Inc. is a privately owned pharmaceutical development company incorporated in Delaware and operating in Virginia. The company was formed to create and develop curative strategies for the management of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases associated with cellular hypoxia. The patented compounds developed by Coeurative generate nitric oxide in cells that line the inside of blood vessels, known as endothelial cells. Nitric oxide acts as a vasodilator and a modulator of inflammation.

About Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
Connecting innovators with opportunities. As the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the Commonwealth that leads funding, infrastructure, and policy initiatives to support Virginia's innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, and market development strategies. VIPC also collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners to support the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy. 
 
Programs include: Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) | VVP Fund of Funds (SSBCI) | Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Petersburg Founders Fund (PFF) | Smart Communities | The Virginia Smart Community Testbed | The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center | Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Alliance (VAAMA) | The Public Safety Innovation Center (PSIC)| Entrepreneurial Ecosystems | Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) | Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) for SBIR & STTR | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement. 

For more information, please visit www.VirginiaIPC.org. Follow VIPC on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

About the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF)
VIPC’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) accepts applications and awards funding on a rolling basis to Virginia’s small businesses and university-based innovators. For Virginia’s private sector community, the competitive grant program seeks high-potential Virginia-based for-profit technology companies at the early stage of commercialization. The grants support early technology and market validation efforts such as the development of prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs), customer pilots, and intellectual property protection. For more information on funding opportunities and eligibility requirements, or to apply, visit the CCF pages from www.VirginiaIPC.org.

Angela Costello, Vice President of Communications
Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
angela.costello@VirginiaIPC.org
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