The Institute for Life Science Entrepreneurship (ILSE) announced awards from the US Small Business Administration’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, known as America’s Seed Fund. In the most recent funding cycle, companies in the ILSE community received multiple Phase II grant totaling $8.5 Million.
The awardees are
Nanonewron
Nanonewron Inc. has obtained a Phase II STTR grant in 2025 of $2.5 Million for the Development of a therapeutic nanobody targeting brain TNFa for the treatment of Alzheimer Disease. This 2-year award is for work initiated through an earlier NIH Phase I grant. Nanonewron is a startup developing novel treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases by carrying powerful biologics across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB).
Website: NanoNewron
Kathera Bioscience
In 2025 Kathera Bioscience Inc. received an SBIR Fast Track grant (4R44AI181163-02) with a value of up to $2.99 Million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for its dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitor program. The three-year Phase 2 award will fund optimization of a lead series identified in a NIH Fast Track Phase 1 program funded in 2024. Kathera Bioscience is developing therapies to treat fungal infections that are a major cause of human disease due to rising numbers of infections globally. KatheraBio aims to develop novel, broad-spectrum drugs to overcome the limitations of current treatment options.
Website: KatheraBio – Discovering Cutting Edge Antifungal Therapies
Plumeria Therapeutics
Plumeria has obtained a 2025 SBIR Phase II grant for $3.0 Million for the Development of an LDT in support of clinical evaluation of a non-opioid pain drug in phase 2a. This is in addition to a 2025 $40,000 voucher from the NJCSIT to carry out some essential core laboratory work in support of the SBIR grant. Plumeria is a startup Biotech developing molecular diagnostics for pain and chronic inflammation, their approach utilizes molecular profiling of patients’ genetics to understand the biological causes leading to their conditions.
Website: Plumeria Therapeutics – Precision Medicines for Neuro-inflammatory Pain
