Dallas-based Sintact Medical Systems, a healthcare technology startup that develops implantable films preventing internal scar formation following cardiothoracic and neurological surgery, has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for Small Business Innovation Research program.
The grant is classified as phase 2 by the SBIR, which helps to commercially accelerate products. For phase 2, Sintact Medical will conduct pre-clinical testing and development. In 2015 Sintact Medical received both phase 1 and 1b grants, which helped conduct animal studies and prove the product’s viability. The company has received additional support from organizations such as Health Wildcatters, VentureWell, and iBIO Institute’s PROPEL Center.
Dr. Erik Robinson, CEO of Sintact Medical, created the concept during his doctoral work at Northwestern University in collaboration with the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The idea stemmed from a pilot cardiothoracic animal study that resulted in reduced scar formation.
Sintact Medical predicts phase 2 will be completed by the time the grant ends in March of 2019. The company will report results to the National Science Foundation afterward and rely on external private investment to continue its commercialization efforts.
