Virginia Commonwealth University

Sparks Economic Growth

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) sparks economic growth across Virginia and beyond by developing companies like Perfusion Medical Inc., which spun out of VCU in 2020 and is commercializing an IV drug developed for shock and acute ischemia, and by creating new inventions like Nerve Tape, which was developed by researchers at VCU with the support of federal funding from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense.

About The Companies

Perfusion Medical is commercializing PM-208, a patent-protected drug addressing acute kidney injury and cardiac bypass dysfunction. It was supported by $19 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. The drug features a simple formulation and mechanism, and a strong pre-clinical safety profile.

Developed by Dr. Jonathan Isaacs, professor and chair of VCU’s Division of Hand Surgery, Nerve Tape is a groundbreaking biologic wrap designed to simplify and enhance the repair of severed peripheral nerves. It reduces surgical time and lowers costs, while improving the quality of care and it has applications in orthopedic, reconstructive, and other surgeries. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the product was featured in the 2024 Congressional Budget Justification for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokev, highlighting it as an example of impactful federally funded research.

Economic Impact

PM-208 could help more than 4 million patients annually in the U.S. with a market potential exceeding $10 billion dollars.

Nerve Tape’s development was supported by VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, which secured patents and facilitated its licensing to BioCircuit Technologies. Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022, BioCircuit made its first commercial sale of Nerve Tape in April 2024. Its rate of adoption could make Nerve Tape one of VCU’s most successful licensing ventures.