Bioparin, a Salt Lake City-based biotech company, won a $306,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for its project, “Approaches to Enable Large Scale Heparin Bio-Manufacturing.” The grant includes a subaward to the University of Utah.
The award allows Bioparin to continue developing its groundbreaking technology focused on bio-manufacturing heparin-like anticoagulants using engineered microbial factories and modern fermentation techniques. The technology provides a sustainable alternative to animal-derived products, which have been in use for over eight decades. Challenges such as zoonotic diseases, supply chain risks, and the environmental impact of sourcing heparin from over 700 million pigs highlight the urgent need for alternative modern production technologies for this life-saving critical drug.
Bioparin also received the Utah Technology Innovation Funding (UTIF) microgrant, which the Utah Innovation Center administers. The Center assists Utah small businesses to compete for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and STTR awards.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support we received from the Utah Innovation Center throughout the STTR application process,” said Dr. Ishan Capila, CEO and co-founder of Bioparin. “Their guidance and expertise were critical in helping us navigate the complexities of the application process, and their commitment to fostering innovation in Utah played a key role in our success.”
Companies interested in pursuing non-dilutive R&D funding through the federal SBIR and STTR programs can contact the Utah Innovation Center at [email protected].