ENTREPRENEURSHIP From the Lab to the Community
PIONEERING AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Schematic showing self-endothelialization
Founded in December 2015 by Daniel D. Swartz, PhD, Sindhu Row, PhD, and Stelios T. Andreadis, Angiograft, LLC’s goal is to bring acellular tissue engineered vessels (A-TEV) to clinical trials and eventually commercialization. When tested in a large, preclinical animal model, A-TEVs remained patent, attracted host endothelial and smooth muscle cells to the graft site, developed vascular function, and fully integrated with the host native arteries. These self-healing vascular grafts can be available off the shelf—increasing their potential for clinical procedures requiring replacement of occluded or damaged blood vessels for patients with advanced heart disease, arteriovenous fistula grafts for hemodialysis patients, or replacement of vascular grafts for patients with peripheral artery disease.
Sindhu Row, PhD
Angiograft has participated in several business competitions, including the UB Panasci Competition, Start One, and 43 North. They’ve also attained substantial funding from a NIH SBIR from the National Heart and Lung Institute, as well a UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology grant from New York State, which are enabling and accelerating research and development efforts.
SMARTER VACCINES FOR MORE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES UB CBE PhD Charles Jones has started a company, Abcombi Biosciences Inc. (ABI), based on his research in Professor Blaine Pfeifer’s group. Abcombi utilizes proprietary screening technologies and disease progression models to develop “smart vaccines,” which enable a directed immune response to infectious organisms posing the greatest threat to a patient. Traditional vaccines do not offer such specificity.
Dr. Charles Jones (L) and Prof. Blaine Pfeifer (R)
Headquartered in Buffalo, ABI has been accepted as an inaugural member of the prestigious Johnson & Johnson incubator system in Toronto, Canada. Additionally, ABI has been active in economic development initiatives across the region, including START-UP NY and Launch NY. Jones is leading these efforts with duties including technical and business development, project management and deliverables, company vision, and local job creation. The company is backed by funds and investments provided by the NIH and the Bruce Holm Memorial Catalyst Fund, and has exclusive patent agreements with the University at Buffalo. Partnership and collaborative discussions are also underway with leading industrial, foundation, and government entities.
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering