HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority launched its Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) to build new private-public partnerships to develop technologies that address national health security threats.
The initiative established four entities: DRIVe-X, through which companies and institutions can apply for non-dilutive funding via contracts or grants; DRIVe Ventures, which will partner with VCs; and DRIVe Launch, which will partner with non-profits and “address gaps which require innovative and entrepreneurial approaches that may not be considered under traditional medical countermeasure development.”
The fourth, the DRIVe Accelerator Network, will work with regional accelerators to identify technologies aimed at health security threats and daily medical care. The initial network comprises eight accelerators: First Flight Venture Center (Research Triangle Park, N.C.); Life Science Washington Institute (Seattle, Wash.); Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (Lowell, Mass.); MedTech Innovator (Los Angeles, Calif.); BioInnovation Center (New Orleans, La.); SUNY Research Foundation (Stony Brook, N.Y.); Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute (Houston, Texas); and University City Science Center (Philadelphia, Pa.). Each accelerator received a grant of $88,000-$100,000 to provide technical and business development support to develop selected technologies.
Sepsis is a DRIVe priority, with the initiative seeking partnerships for new clinical management strategies, rapid diagnostics and prognostics, machine-learning based disease management feedback algorithms and therapeutic interventions.
Under its Early Notification to Act, Control, and Treat (ENACT) program, DRIVe will also seek to invest in telemedicine technologies that will allow individuals to quickly and accurately diagnose infectious diseases such as influenza from their home. De-identified data from individual signals collected under ENACT will provide real-time data for public health officials about outbreaks in communities.
The new division will also seek partnerships around universal treatments for broad classes of pathogens or technologies geared to the elimination of animal testing.
HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Robert Kadlec and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Rick Bright unveiled DRIVe Tuesday at the BIO International Convention in Boston. Bright is also director of BARDA.