The DRIVe (Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures) website looks like it belongs to a VC company rather than a federal agency – smart graphics and succinct descriptions. That’s not an accident. DRIVe is taking a venture approach to solving some intractable health issues.
Part of BARDA (the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority), and ultimately the Department of Health and Human Services, DRIVe is hunting for new technologies to detect and manage infectious outbreaks, control the rampant inflammation associated with sepsis and generally advance health security.
“At a time when artificial intelligence and personalized medicine are not just conceivable but attainable, the time is uniquely now to solve some of the most daunting, far-reaching health security problems,” said BARDA director Rick Bright in a news release.
DRIVe recently made eight grants to accelerators around the country. They will work together to identify interesting startups, academic researchers and others who are developing technologies that could solve these and other health security problems. The accelerators will support product development and connect companies with potential investors.
“Our initial focus will be on innovations aimed at early identification of sepsis and improving outcomes and developing tools for pre-symptomatic identification of the infection,” said Emil Runge, program manager at Raleigh-Durham grantee First Flight Venture Center in an email. “Other areas will include diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics for pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases, novel technologies aimed at mitigating these threats and medical countermeasures production platform systems.”
Source: Funding healthcare accelerators, an HHS unit is taking a VC approach to innovation – MedCity News
