Eight companies pursuing cardiovascular research and product development are receiving funding totaling $2.93 million via the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center. The GCIC is a Wright Mega Center of Innovation funded by the Ohio Third Frontier Program.

Five of the companies are Ohio-based, and three have committed to establishing operations in Ohio. The companies and areas of research include:

• Arteriocyte, Cleveland, develops cellular therapies and is pursuing cell-based therapeutics and tissue engineering products for the treatment of ischemia and other disease conditions. Arteriocyte's grant will be used to further the development of a stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease.

• Athersys, Cleveland, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with therapeutics designed to treat life-threatening diseases. The Athersys grant will be used to continue development of multipotent adult progenitor cells for treatment of congestive heart failure.

• CardioInsight, Cleveland, develops electrocardiographic imaging equipment for mapping electrical activity on the surface of the heart. CardioInsight's grant will be used to develop software for its first commercial product.

• Cleveland Heart, a North Carolina-based company planning to establish operations in Ohio, received a grant for developing the Cleveland Heart Left Ventricular Assist System (CH-LVAS). It is an electrically powered mechanical circulatory assist system for long-term mechanical circulatory support of patients with terminal heart failure, and who are unresponsive to conventional therapies.

• Evolva, a Swiss company planning to establish part of its U.S. operations in Cleveland, is working on a class of compounds that has potential to treat cardiovascular, metabolic, and related disorders. Its grant will assist in establishing a clinical and indication development strategy. The company will also lay the foundation for clinical development activities in the U.S.

• PeriTec, Cleveland, develops innovative vascular and cardiovascular surgical products. The company's specialty involves the incorporation of a biological tissue, peritoneum, into implantable products such as peripheral vascular stents and vascular patches. The PeriTec grant will be used to further develop a peritoneum-lined stent.

• VitalStream Health Inc., a Boston-based company that will be relocating to Ohio, is focused on remote monitoring and facilitated care for those with chronic diseases. The VitalStream Health grant will be used to develop a Web-based blood-pressure monitoring and management system, which organizes and presents data to create a “report-card” interface for the patient. Physicians can also view patient performance.

• ZIN Medical, Cleveland, is focused on developing a remote, wireless patient monitoring system based on ideas developed with support from NASA. Its commercialization grant will be used to develop the vMetrics anticoagulation monitoring system, an automated communication device for direct real-time patient management.

To date, GCIC has awarded a total of $9.46 million in grants to 31 companies.