Smith’s Captura Diagnostics wins $25,000 Grants For Growth award to develop commercial cell capture prototype
I have recently founded a startup company, Captura Diagnostics, Inc., to commercialize microfluidic rare cell capture technologies for applications in research and clinical care. Captura currently consists of myself, handling the initial technical work, and Max Dougherty, who is managing the business; Captura is advised by Brian Kirby. It is our hope that Captura will facilitate the widespread adoption of technologies like GEDI and others by researchers and clinicians using rare cells (such as CTCs) to better understand disease progression, to develop new drugs, and for patient-specific treatments.
I’m excited to announce that Captura has won a $25,000 “Grants For Growth” proof of concept grant. Awarded by the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity and funded by New York State, this award will support the development and fabrication of a prototype for a mass-produced rare cell capture device and significantly increases Captura’s ability to secure additional rounds of funding. Captura is pursuing additional support from the NSF and NIH Small Business Innovation in Research (SBIR) programs and other sources, and is applying for residency in Cornell University’s McGovern Center for Venture Development in the Life Sciences incubator.