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CivaTech - CivaSheet Radiation Therapy

How SBIR Helped CivaTech Transform the Way Cancer Is Treated

Founded in 2006, CivaTech Oncology Inc. has developed low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy source products to treat tumors, including:

  • CivaString®, a polymer-encapsulated source used for localized solid tumors or residual disease in the prostate;
  • CivaSheet®, which has integrated radiation shielding built into the implantable device; and
  • CivaDerm®, which delivers treatments through the skin.

These customizable products can substantially reduce procedure time, provide homogeneous dose distribution, and minimize trauma. They ensure that radiation oncologists can deliver individualized, targeted therapy to treat cancer, enabling precision radiotherapy at curative doses without having to shield or move healthy tissues.

SBIR Impact

In its early stages, CivaTech knew that securing funding through SBIR would be necessary throughout the expensive research, development, and launch phases. What’s more, CivaTech recognized the power of completing the NIH Peer Review process successfully: an SBIR grant would validate that the work held significant promise. Subsequent SBIR grants have only fueled investors’ confidence and incited them to match privately what the company has been awarded publicly.

CivaTech had access to the NCI SBIR Investor Initiatives program, which offers select companies coaching, third-party feedback, and sponsorships at a conference where they can present their technologies to interested third-party investors and strategic partners.

In 2018, CivaTech attended the SBIR TRECS workshop, where their SBIR program officer answered industry-related questions and they received guidance on an upcoming regulatory clearance from an FDA representative. They also met with potential partners, such as a company that handles the logistics of transporting radioactive devices. Perhaps most influential, their program officer put the team in touch with NIH scientists involved with similar areas of research. The information the team received confirmed that their work was worth pursuing and helped inform their grant application.

CivaTech Today

Today, more than 25 clinics around the country already are using CivaTech products for both research and commercial purposes. CivaTech continues to push its technologies forward, crediting SBIR and its initiatives as key resources for bringing its evolving advancements to fruition.

Suzanne Babcock, executive chairman and CEO at CivaTech, says, “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners at NCI and NIH to develop future indications that have the potential to improve patients’ lives.”

Learn more on CivaTech's website.

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