Cryomedical Sciences Subsidiary Wins $100,000 SIBR Grant

BioLife Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cryomedical Sciences Inc. (CMSI; Ewing, NJ), has been awarded a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Grant for the development of Hypothermosol solutions for the preservation of human blood vessels. The grant will support BioLife's continuing efforts to develop solutions for the hypothermic storage of specific cells, tissues, and organs, taking into account the mechanisms of gene regulated cell death.

In a company press release, CMSI president and CEO Richard J. Reinhart described the grant-supported research: "The mission... is to develop improved hypothermic (cold storage at 4–10°C) and cryopreservation (-196°C) solutions designed to maintain human cells, tissues, and organs in a near state of suspended animation. The underlying and unique mechanisms of gene regulated cell death have provided, and will continue to provide, the basis for many of the Hyperthermosol solution modifications."

The company will conduct the R&D at the BioLife Incubator facility located at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Binghamton. The research will be led by SUNY Binghamton professor of biology Robert G. Van Buskirk.

Reinhart added that the acquisition of this SBIR grant will allow BioLife to apply for a significantly larger grant amount through Phase II funding.

Cryomedical Sciences Inc. is a developer of cryosurgical devices that ablate unwanted tissue in minimally invasive procedures. The company's BioLife Solutions Inc. subsidiary was formed in March 1998 to commercialize CMSI preservative solutions.

For more information: R. J. Reinhart, President and CEO, Cryomedical Sciences Inc., Mountain View Office Park, 820 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite 106, Ewing, NJ 08628. Tel: 609-771-1100.

Edited by Jim Pomager