Bone Health Technologies is a San Francisco-based company that applies science and medical expertise to create better health outcomes for women and men at risk of developing osteoporosis and the associated bone fractures. The company has now announced that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the Company $2.7M in a Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) grant as part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. This program funds late-stage research and development and technical assistance programs that address health innovations in aging. The SBIR process entailed review and competitive scoring by a panel of experts in the field who found the science and business opportunity to be highly compelling, allowing the proposal to be selected from a field of applicants.
Bone Health Technologies and its OsteoBoost technology were reviewed by a panel of leading experts and recognized to have a high potential for solving a critical unmet need. The grant is the third received by Bone Health Technologies for work on its osteopenia treatment and osteoporosis prevention device, OsteoBoost. The Company has also received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, closed a $2.75M funding round, was awarded additional patents, added top industry professionals to its Board, and more within the last 12 months.
“The need for a safe and effective treatment for osteopenia is immense; by supporting our critical pre-commercialization phase, the NIH is allowing us to expedite bringing this innovation to the women who need it most” said Laura Yecies, Bone Health Technlogies CEO.
Michael Jaasma, Ph.D., CTO of Bone Health Technologies, shares, “This grant will be used to advance the commercialization of the OsteoBoost technology, with the grant supporting continued work in clinical research and manufacturing scale-up to prepare for market launch.”
OsteoBoost is based on NASA research which proved that mechanical stimulation of bones through vibration can improve bone density. BHT has conducted a clinical study which showed that one 30-minute treatment with OsteoBoost reduced bone loss activity in all study participants and is currently conducting a pivotal trial at University of Nebraska Medical Center assessing the impact of OsteoBoost on bone density after one year of treatment.
