Eascra Biotech Awarded $100,000 MassVentures START Grant

Funding to Improve Treatments and Outcomes of Hard-to-treat Conditions   

/EIN News/ -- BOSTON, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eascra Biotech, a nanomedicine startup, has been awarded a $100,000 Stage I SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) grant funded by the Commonwealth and managed by MassVentures. The funding is to support their work on JBNps (Janus Base Nanoparticles), an advanced non-lipid nanoparticle delivery platform with superior drug delivery capabilities.

The SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) grant program helps startups convert research developed under SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) contracts into viable businesses in Massachusetts. The START program awards $100,000 to $500,000 in non-dilutive funds and provides business guidance, such as introductions to investors, pitch coaching, and mentoring, to help companies commercialize their technologies.

“With this funding and strategic support from the START program, we can accelerate our path to commercialization and continue building a company that contributes to economic growth in Massachusetts,” said Mari Anne Snow, cofounder and CEO.

This award builds on the momentum of Eascra's use of microgravity to accelerate the development of their JBNp products. The Eascra team just completed their fifth mission on the International Space Station in less than two years. Eascra is the first commercial company to produce nanoparticles in space for medical use on Earth. Eascra recently received an NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant and an AFWERX SBIR grant. The company previously received more than $4.5M in grants and awards and recently opening its first commercial lab in Worcester.

“The START program is intended to help convert research and early-stage ideas into businesses and jobs in the Commonwealth,” said MassVentures President and CEO Charlie Hipwood.

Eascra’s JBNp technology, pioneered by Eascra co-founder Dr. Yupeng Chen, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Connecticut, delivers RNA therapeutics to hard-to-penetrate tissues like cartilage and solid tumors. Eascra’s proprietary nanoparticles are highly versatile and able to maintain fragile cargos like mRNA at room temperature for extended periods, thus eliminating cold chain requirements.

About Eascra Biotech
Eascra Biotech (eascrabiotech.com) is an early-stage nanomedicine startup providing an advanced therapeutic delivery platform capable of delivering nucleotides, gene editing, and other therapeutics to hard-to-reach treatment sites, such as articular cartilage, kidneys and solid tumors. Our mission is to advance our technology for the benefit of humankind. Eascra’s proprietary delivery mechanism, a Janus Base Nanoparticle (JBNp) invented by Eascra co-founder, Dr. Yupeng Chen, mimics DNA and is customizable for different treatment indications. Eascra is working with NASA, the ISS National Laboratory™, and a variety of private space companies to accelerate our go-to-market strategy. We are actively seeking commercial partnerships with companies in need of innovative delivery mechanisms to expedite the development of cutting-edge treatments that enhance patient outcomes.

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