The FDA’s Orphan Products Grants Program awarded a $1.6 million grant to Ohio medical device maker SpineForm, according to an agency press release.
SpineForm was the only medical device maker among the 15 grant recipients, with about $13.4 million going mostly to hospital research programs.
SpineForm’s new grant will fund about 4 years’ worth of development into the company’s HemiBridge System, designed to treat idiopathic scoliosis, the FDA said.
SpineForm is a stealthy company with little, if any, public presence. The device maker is a portfolio company of CincyTech, an investment firm focused on Southwest Ohio startups, according to online documents.
SpineForm’s HemiBridge is a spinal implant designed to help correct and straighten spinal deformities in growing children, without the need for a brace or extensive future spinal fusion surgeries, according to CincyTech materials.