July 2023

Minnesota-based company Quench Medical, which has licensed aerosol technologies from two VCU researchers, secured $2 million in federal grants for the continued development of an inhaled therapy for lung cancer.

This is Quench’s second Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute. Quench has identified lung cancer, severe asthma and cystic fibrosis as potential initial applications for the VCU technology. 

Quench’s IP comes from a 15-year collaboration with the VCU School of Pharmacy’s Michael Hindle, Ph.D.and the VCU College of Engineering’s P. Worth Longest, Ph.D.

Hindle leads the Aerosol Research Group on the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and holds the Peter R. Byron Distinguished Professorship. Longest is the Louis S. and Ruth S. Harris Exceptional Scholar Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

With guidance from VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, in 2022 Hindle and Longest licensed some of their IP to Quench.

• Hindle and Longest also were recently awarded $3.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further their research. Read more.