EDD Grant Awarded

NM Economic Development Department SBIR Grant

SHEARIT was recently awarded a $50,000 New Mexico Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Matching Grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD), along with an additional $30,000 grant — bringing total EDD support to $80,000. The purpose of the New Mexico SBIR Matching Grant is to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed through SBIR awards by supporting market entry, customer acquisition, business expansion, job creation, and growth of the state’s tax base.

Lamiflo™ is a high molecular weight polymer that enhances blood and red blood cell (RBC) flow by altering the physical dynamics of flow, not pharmacologically, and capable of increasing flow independent of tissue viability or vascular sensitivity.

WHEN DR. EDWIN NEMOTO, CEO, SHEARIT, joined the University of New Mexico in 2009, he brought with him the concept of cerebral microvascular shunts (MVS). Along with Dr. Wolfgang Mueller and Dr. Denis Bragin, they demonstrated, for the first time, the existence of brain MVS with loss of cerebral blood flow (CBF) regulation at high intracranial pressure. Along with Dr. Marina Kameneva’s assistance from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Nemoto and Dr. Bragin confirmed the efficacy of the polymer Lamiflo™ in reducing the severity of injury after stroke and traumatic brain injury. UNM Rainforest Innovations, the technology-transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico, worked with our team to protect these novel findings in the form of filing utilization patents for Lamiflo™ for both AIS and cancer.

SHEARIT, has made great strides over the years to develop these innovative technologies and with the backing of the NIH we’re excited to see what is next on our journey to transforming stroke treatment and improving patient outcomes. Dr. Nemoto is promoting the notion that all vascular diseases can be attributed to MVS and has shown in animals that Lamiflo™ is effective in animal models of diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease with plans for evaluation in sepsis and cancer.

SPECIAL THANKS to Dr. Edwin Nemoto, CEO, Shearit, architect of the NIH Grant proposal and lead researcher. And to Steve Wiley, COO, Shearit for managing and facilitating the grant process.