Four biotechnology clients of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania have received $11,574,461 in follow-on funding in federal science-based grants.

All four of the Ben Franklin clients are residents of Ben Franklin TechVentures on the campus of Lehigh University, Bethlehem.

"From our rigorous vetting process to our 'Tiger' and 'Scrub' sessions, we have an outstanding reputation for identifying and advancing promising early-stage firms," said R. Chadwick Paul, Jr., Ben Franklin's President and CEO.

"We have earned respect in the investment community, and our clients benefit when they seek follow-on funding. This follow-on funding lets Ben Franklin leverage our investments to help create more highly-paid, sustainable jobs for Pennsylvania workers," said Paul.

Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing medications for the treatment of stress, mood and behavior disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and major depression.

Azevan received approximately $9 million from 2004 to the present in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and programmatic support. Azevan's latest NIH SBIR award is for a potential next-generation therapeutic for depression.

Hager Biosciences, LLC designs and synthesizes proprietary small fragment molecules for modular adaptation into new or existing drug candidate optimization programs.

Hager received two NIH grants in 2011 and 2013, totaling $674,461 for two projects. The first grant is to develop a therapeutic agent to address substance addictions such as nicotine, and also with potential application to panic and anxiety disorders.

The second grant is to discover unique agents that could mitigate Organo Phosphurus chemical threats.

Third Eye Diagnostics, Inc. is developing a non-invasive, handheld intracranial pressure monitor. The CerePress delivers a rapid diagnosis of brain injury in combat theaters, hospital ERs, medical transport vehicles, and sports events.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a total of $800,000 from 2009 through the present to Third Eye. The company also received $250,000 from a federal Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project grant. Third Eye received a Pre-Proposal Technical Award, a Federal Marketing Assistance Review, and MicroGrant from the Innovation Partnership (IPart).

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners statewide is a primary, founding, and supporting partner of IPart.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded two SSTR grants totaling $850,000 in 2012 and 2013 to VaxForm LLC. The company is developing a vaccine targeting diseases resulting from Streptococcus pyogenes infection.