BioVascular Inc.
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
BioVascular is a beneficiary of Merck KGAA's incubator program. launched to encourage start-up companies to develop Merck's shelved technologies. BioVascular gained rights to saratin, a protein originally isolated from leech saliva. Saratin's ability to reduce platelet adhesion and the complications that can arise from it give it a number of potential applications, but BioVascular's initial focus is on vascular surgery, specifically the prevention of intimal hyperplasia that leads to graft failure.