2026-27 awards support 12 health sciences applied research collaborations, connecting New York State companies with UB researchers through NYSTAR funding to advance novel technologies toward commercialization and clinical impact

BUFFALO, N.Y. – More than $900,000 from the University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences (UB CAT) and company matching funds will back a new round of research and development (R&D) projects across New York State’s health sciences sector.

Ten companies will begin new projects with UB researchers this year, while two additional collaborations will continue earlier work. The projects span new approaches to stroke care, artificial intelligence-enabled diagnostics, precision drug delivery, medical devices and other emerging health technologies.

The latest round brings UB CAT to 94 university-industry projects since its current 10-year designation began in 2017. During this time, the program has provided more than $4 million in funding and worked with 45 companies and 56 UB faculty members across an array of disciplines. Supported companies have reported to UB $262 million in economic impact and more than 700 new jobs.

This year, six of the 10 companies beginning new projects are working with UB CAT for the first time. More than 40% of this year’s awardees are based outside Western New York, including companies in New York City, Syracuse and Ithaca, as well as a Canadian startup establishing operations in Buffalo.

UB CAT is one of 15 Centers for Advanced Technology supported by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). Part of UB’s Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships (BEP), the cost-sharing program helps companies address specific R&D milestones as they move technologies toward market.

UB CAT’s 2026-27 projects show how university-industry R&D can help companies overcome technical hurdles, build evidence, access expertise and establish a stronger presence in New York.

Technology de-risking: QAS.AI advances AI imaging for stroke care

Several companies have returned to UB CAT across multiple funding cycles, taking on new technical challenges as their work progresses.

QAS.AI — a UB spinout (a company formed to commercialize university research) — is developing artificial intelligence imaging software for neurovascular procedures. Since 2021, the company has participated in six consecutive UB CAT projects with collaborators at the Jacobs Institute and Canon Stroke and Vascular Research Center, receiving more than $367,000 in combined UB CAT and company matching support.

That sustained collaboration has helped QAS.AI expand its technology from applications in brain aneurysms and hemorrhagic stroke to ischemic stroke, develop new intellectual property and pursue additional uses for its core platform.

The company has also secured larger follow-on support, including a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award and a $100,000 Johnson & Johnson innovation award.

“BEP’s UB CAT gave us resources we did not otherwise have to improve the existing technology, develop new intellectual property and explore additional applications around our main product,” says co-founder Ciprian “Chip” Ionita, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering.

Capital formation: POP BIO turns early data into next-stage opportunity

POP Biotechnologies, or POP BIO, is a UB spinout developing nanotechnology platforms for vaccines, immunotherapies and drug delivery. The company has participated in UB CAT projects every year since 2019 and has received nearly $460,000 in UB CAT funding.

UB CAT support has helped POP BIO generate early-stage data for ideas that were not yet positioned to compete for larger funding sources. One project exploring an Alzheimer’s disease application led to an immunotherapy that later received National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and was licensed for further development. The treatment may enter human clinical studies as soon as next year.

Since beginning its UB CAT work, POP BIO has secured more than $8 million in federal SBIR funding and $11.2 million through two awards from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Those awards show how the company has moved from testing early ideas through relatively small R&D projects to competing for much larger sources of capital.

“It’s always hard to get funding without a lot of preliminary data,” says co-founder Jonathan Lovell, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. “UB CAT is perfect for trying to generate those data that can serve as a springboard to further steps.”

This year, POP BIO will test whether its CoPoP platform can deliver mRNA-carrying nanoparticles to T cells, potentially opening a new use for the technology in cancer treatment.

Statewide collaboration: DUB Therapeutics and Sharper Sense tap complementary UB expertise

DUB Therapeutics shows how UB CAT can create research connections across New York State.

The SUNY Upstate Medical University spinout, based at the Central New York Biotech Accelerator (CNYBAC) in Syracuse, is developing an RNA treatment to promote tissue regeneration. The lead program draws on the expertise of co-founder and chief scientific officer Audrey Bernstein, PhD, a tenured professor at SUNY Upstate and recent recipient of the 2026 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity.

After researching treatments for ocular surface disease and gathering clinical feedback about how the product would be used, DUB Therapeutics began exploring a medical device to complement topical delivery. Although well versed in molecular biology and immunology, the team lacked the materials science expertise needed to develop the device in-house.

Through UB CAT, DUB Therapeutics will work with UB materials scientist Krishna Rajan, PhD, to develop and evaluate potential device materials, with Buffalo medical device incubator The Rookery supporting early prototyping. The goal is to develop a drug-device combination that could improve treatment for ocular surface diseases.

“What’s really special about this project is that it takes us outside our home institution,” says co-founder and CEO Tere Williams. “This collaboration with UB gives us access to a different area of expertise that complements the work we’re already doing in the academic and DUB Therapeutics laboratories, both on campus, at SUNY Upstate Medical University.”

UB CAT is also supporting spinouts from other New York research universities by connecting them with UB faculty expertise that complements their existing capabilities. Cornell University spinout MiTeGen is collaborating with UB biochemist Sarah Bowman, PhD.

Sharper Sense, a Columbia University spinout, is working with UB computer scientist Wenyao Xu, PhD, director of UB’s new Center for Translational AI and Digital Health, hosted within BEP at the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences (CBLS).

“We are excited to expand Sharper Sense’s capabilities through this collaboration and to continue building advanced neurotechnology within New York State’s growing life-sciences and deep-tech ecosystem,” says Charles Rodenkirch, PhD, founder and CEO of Sharper Sense.

Regional attraction and retention: Sensible Vascular builds a Buffalo pathway

BEP’s UB CAT can also help draw companies to Western New York.

Sensible Vascular—a medical device startup founded by entrepreneurs from Hamilton, Ontario—is developing a thrombectomy system designed to remove stroke-causing brain clots more reliably on the first attempt. The company’s connection to Buffalo began through Vicora, a Buffalo medical device company that received $300,000 in UB CAT support to advance its clot-removal catheter and later raised $3.6 million.

Through that connection, Sensible Vascular gained access to UB researchers, neurovascular testing resources and the Jacobs Institute. The company has since registered to operate in New York and established office and laboratory space at UB’s Incubator @ CBLS on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, along with prototyping space at the Rookery.

“UB CAT helped us find this pathway into Buffalo,” says co-founder and CEO Kevin Macwan. “From there, we were connected to the people, facilities and expertise that can help us generate the evidence we need for regulatory review and future investment.”

CaiSteth Global

Buffalo-based CaiSteth Global is developing the Direct Intra-Cardiac Imaging Catheter (DICI™), which uses fiber-optic imaging and a balloon-assisted tip to give physicians a direct, real-time view inside the heart during procedures to treat abnormal heart rhythms and structural heart conditions. Faculty: Ciprian Ionita, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint program of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Project: Advance DICI™ from prototype toward clinical use by developing a clinical-grade catheter that can be steered in two directions and conducting laboratory and animal testing, including comparisons with current ultrasound-based intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) imaging.

Cytocybernetics

Cytocybernetics is a UB spinout developing tools used to screen for dangerous cardiac side effects early in new drug development. Faculty: Randall Rasmusson, PhD, professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jacobs School.

Project: Incorporate artificial intelligence into real-time tests used to screen new drugs for potential effects on the heart.

DUB Therapeutics

DUB Therapeutics, a SUNY Upstate Medical University spinout based in Syracuse, is developing a therapeutic for tissue regeneration. Their lead clinical program will interrogate the proprietary siRNA treatment intended to reduce vision loss from corneal injuries, trauma, or non-healing corneal wounds. Faculty: Krishna Rajan, PhD, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Design and Innovation, SEAS.

Project: Develop and evaluate an early medical-device approach for containing the company’s RNA treatment to the cornea. The treatment regimen for this drug-device combination is called Pharmaceutical Honing of Corneal Healing in the US (PHoCUS).

Empath Medical

Empath Medical Innovations is a UB spinout developing a telehealth intervention model designed to integrate hepatitis C treatment directly into rural primary care sites and substance use treatment programs to reach patients who face barriers to healthcare access. Faculty: Andrew Talal, MD, professor of medicine, Jacobs School.

Project: Validate the telemedicine platform’s effectiveness in integrating hepatitis C treatment into a rural primary care setting through pilot studies.

Manta Pharma

Manta Pharma develops precision drug-delivery technology for chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes, drug addiction, and HIV/AIDS and is located at UB’s Incubator @ Baird in Amherst, NY. Faculty: Mark Swihart, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, SEAS; and Dhaval Shah, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Project: Develop and evaluate concentrated drug formulations designed to remain stable at body temperature and be delivered by injection under the skin.

MiTeGen

Ithaca-based MiTeGen, a Cornell University spinout, develops advanced sample handling and cryopreservation technologies for structural biology, drug discovery, and reproductive medicine. Faculty: Sarah Bowman, PhD, associate professor, Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School.

Project: Validate high-throughput X-ray crystallography devices for accelerated drug discovery.

Neurovascular Diagnostics

Neurovascular Diagnostics is a UB spinout developing a blood test to detect unruptured brain aneurysms, which often go undetected until they rupture. A low-cost, accessible early-warning tool has public health value. Faculty: Vincent Tutino, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School.

Project: Evaluate AI-driven blood tests designed to detect brain aneurysms and assess their risk.

POP Biotechnologies (POP BIO)

POP BIO is a UB spinout at BEP’s Incubator @ Baird developing nanotechnology platforms for vaccines, immunotherapies and drug delivery. Faculty: Jonathan Lovell, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, SEAS, Jacobs School.

Project: Test the company’s CoPoP platform to target messenger RNA-carrying nanoparticles to T cells, a type of immune cell.

QAS.AI

QAS.AI is a UB spinout located in BEP’s Incubator @ CBLS developing artificial intelligence tools for image-guided neurovascular procedures. Faculty: Swetadri Vasan Setlur Nagesh, PhD, research scientist and research assistant professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School.

Project: Advance software that reconstructs 3D blood-flow information in the brain from limited X-ray images taken during stroke clot-removal procedures.

Sensible Vascular

Sensible Vascular is a preclinical-stage medical device startup in Buffalo founded by entrepreneurs from Hamilton, Ontario. Located at BEP’s Incubator @ CBLS, the company is developing a thrombectomy system for stroke, designed to remove brain clots more reliably on the first attempt. Faculty: Kenneth Snyder, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School.

Project: Conduct preclinical testing of the company’s thrombectomy system to assess how well it restores blood flow on the first attempt and generate safety and performance data for regulatory review.

Sharper Sense

New York-based Sharper Sense, a spinout of Columbia and Cornell Universities, develops wearable, noninvasive neural-interface patches that deliver targeted electrical stimulation to improve sensory and cognitive performance. Faculty: Wenyao Xu, PhD, Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SEAS, and director of the UB Center for Translational AI and Digital Health. 

Project: Advance the company’s technology into a bidirectional neural-interface platform capable of capturing multiple physiological signals during active nerve stimulation. By overcoming stimulation interference and integrating signals related to cardiovascular activity, breathing, movement, muscle activity, and autonomic state, the project will lay the foundation for real-time measures of fatigue and user state.

TETmedical

Ithaca-based TETmedical is a Cornell University spinout developing a rapid blood test to help diagnose acute ischemic stroke. Faculty: Rosalind Lai, MD, and Elad Levy, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School.

Project: Continue clinical research on the company’s NSE-FAST blood test following its FDA Breakthrough Device Designation.

Learn more information about UB CAT and collaborative R&D funding opportunities