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U of U research team receives $1.68M in grant

$1.68 million in Grants Given For Keratoconus Orphan Drug Candidate

Dr. Sarah Molokhia, PI for a SBIR Phase 2 grant and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah and iVeena is pleased to announce that it has received a $1.68 M in Federal government grants for its keratoconus orphan drug candidate.

Keratoconus is a progressive corneal thinning disorder that compromises vision, is usually bilateral, and is the leading cause of full-thickness corneal transplantation in the U.S. iVeena is pursuing the first non-surgical, pharmacologic treatment for keratoconus. Some of the grants innovative work will be performed through the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

iVeena VP of Research and Development, added “The NIH has been extremely supportive of our topical eye drop for treatment of keratoconus. This grant will enable the project to reach IND filing Q1 2022.
1. SBIR Phase 2 by the NIH NEI Principal Investigator(s): Sarah Abdulla Molokhia, PhD. Project Title:
Topical Eyedrop Therapy for Keratoconus FAIN: R44 EY031224-01A1"

Sarah Molokhia Headshot