YoungHeartValve has received $2.8 million in additional Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further advance development of its next-generation transcatheter aortic valve platform.
This award brings the company’s total non-dilutive funding to $6.5 million, supporting continued preclinical testing and development of the company’s flagship technology, the Transcatheter Aortic Valve.
YoungHeartValve’s technology represents a new approach to heart valve replacement. Unlike traditional valves that rely on chemically treated animal tissue, the valve utilizes engineered polymer leaflets integrated with hyaluronan, a naturally occurring biomolecule found in native blood vessels and heart valve tissue.
This biomolecular integration creates a highly hydrophilic, thrombosis-resistant, and calcification-resistant material, designed to improve hemocompatibility while maintaining strong hemodynamic performance.
The valve’s polymeric architecture also enables a more efficient manufacturing model. By eliminating animal tissue sourcing and the extensive hand-sewn assembly required by traditional valves, the YoungHeartValve platform is designed for scalable and cost-efficient production, helping expand access to advanced valve therapies globally.
The NIH SBIR program supports innovative technologies with strong potential to improve patient outcomes and address unmet clinical needs. The additional funding will allow YoungHeartValve to continue preclinical verification and validation studies, bringing the company closer to clinical translation.
YoungHeartValve was founded to address a longstanding challenge in structural heart therapy: balancing durability, safety, and accessibility in heart valve replacement technologies. The company’s polymer-based approach aims to provide a new path forward for transcatheter valve intervention.
The YoungHeartValve team will continue advancing development of the platform as it moves through preclinical milestones and prepares for the next stages of regulatory and clinical progress.
