Aria CV Inc., a new startup, has licensed technology from the University of Minnesota to treat pulmonary hypertension.
The company was formed in September and occupies discounted space within the University Enterprise Laboratories — called UEL Garage — in St. Paul, said John Scandurra, CEO of Aria CV.
Scandurra and two other people invented the device when they were fellows at the U of M’s Medical Devices Center Innovation Fellows Program.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
“The patients whose lives we aim to improve are extremely sick and aren’t being helped by presently available pharmacologic therapies,” said Karl Vollmers, a co-inventor and vice president of research at Aria CV, in a news release. “There is a significant market and medical need to treat these patients.”
The Medical Devices Center Innovation Fellows Program is a year-long, full-immersion educational and intellectual property development program for medical devices at the university. Mid-career professionals with diverse backgrounds in engineering, medicine and biosciences, work with faculty, medical professionals and industry collaborators to develop and test ideas for new innovative medical devices.
In just the first three years of the program, the Innovation Fellows have secured 32 provisional patents, one licensing agreement and launched three startup companies, according to the news release.
