UH Ventures Awards Three Technology Validation Startup Fund (TVSF) Awards

UH Research & Education Institute

Contributed by: UH Ventures

With support from the Ohio Department of Development, University Hospitals Ventures has established its fifth Technology Validation Startup Fund (TVSF), a $2M proof-of-concept fund to advance early-stage healthcare innovations toward commercialization. Awards range from $25K–$200K, requiring at least 51% of the awarded grant to be spent with Ohio-based vendors.

Eligible technologies include medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, healthcare IT and related services. Proposals must demonstrate proprietary innovation, scalability, and clear milestones to reduce risk and attract follow-on funding. 

Recently, UH Ventures awarded three University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) teams, totaling $578,084 awarded year to date in 2025. Each of the projects and their teams are noteworthy and deserve a moment of celebration - as they exemplify the importance of our close relationship with CWRU and our guiding purpose of To Teach. To Heal and To Discover. 

James Basilion, PhD, Xinning Wang, PhD, and Zhenghong Lee, PhD, were awarded a TVSF grant to advance clinical research on a novel targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) designed to treat metastatic prostate cancer - a breakthrough innovation after nearly two decades of research. Since receiving the TVSF award, the team has been collaborating closely with the UH Research Support Core to secure an IND, enabling them to conduct a Phase 0 trial at UH. Through their strong partnership with Dr. Pedro Barata, Co-PI on the study, the first patient is expected to be enrolled in the Phase 0 safety study in the first quarter of 2026. This team has also subsequently received a CWRU Coulter award, which will continue to boost the ongoing work in this RLT program. 

James Voos, MD,  Jacob Calcei, MD, Stanton Gerson, MD, Tracey Bonfield, PhD, Jane Reese and Lisa Piazza received a TVSF grant to advance the development of an optimized mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapeutic for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and knee cartilage defects (CD). This work will build upon nearly three decades of trade secrets including manufacture, clinical use, and potency biomarkers of mesenchymal stem cells – all of which are fully owned by UH/CWRU - and is bolstered by an ongoing FDA-cleared Phase I clinical trial at University Hospitals (NCT03477942), which established the safety and feasibility of autologous, culture-expanded MSC administration. The team’s ongoing development will work to address the critical challenge of MSC donor potency, which has limited MSC translation, even with documented therapeutic potential. 

Adonis Hijaz, MD, David Sheyn, MD, and Ozan Akkus, PhD, were recently awarded a TVSF grant to support the development and testing of a new biotextile implant for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Today, despite decades of surgical advancement, the field lacks a long-term POP solution that attains a durable and biocompatible repair that would lead to greater patient acceptance, better outcomes, and improved quality of life. This project requires close collaboration with Collamedix, a CWRU spinout and local Cleveland company, NEOMED, Kent State and CWRU - a notable ecosystem approach to innovation.

At University Hospitals Ventures, the Innovation Disclosure Form (IDF) is the first step in the process of identifying new intellectual property and determining the best pathway for protection and commercialization. The IDF is a formal report and record that should be submitted when something new and valuable has been invented or created. The IDF often serves as your first interaction with UH Ventures. A thorough and detailed IDF submission becomes pivotal in expediting our understanding of your clinical area and innovation, and it facilitates a prompt assessment to identify and determine the most fitting approaches for effective commercialization strategies.

Have an idea? Start Here

The Innovation Disclosure Form (IDF) is your first step toward protecting and commercializing new intellectual property. A detailed IDF submission helps us quickly assess your innovation and identify the best commercialization strategy. You can complete the form here on the UH Ventures website, or request a digital copy of the IDF by emailing the team.

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