Inaedis

DoD SBIR Program Provides Funding to Advance Thermostable Biologic and Vaccine Formulations

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY – September 8, 2025 – Inaedis Inc. has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in the amount of $209,565 to advance development of its Rapid Room-Temperature Aerosol Dehydration (RTAD) platform for stabilizing fragile biologics and vaccines. The six-month contract focuses on “Thermostabilization of Heat-Sensitive Medical Countermeasures Using Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration Technology.”

RTAD converts liquid formulations into shelf-stable powders without heat or freezing, directly addressing one of the DoD’s most pressing challenges: reliable deployment of medical countermeasures in austere and forward-deployed environments.

Technology Impact and Military Applications

By eliminating cold chain dependence, RTAD supports rapid, resilient distribution of biologics and other medical countermeasures during military operations, pandemics, and biological threat scenarios. The platform reduces logistical burdens, improves supply chain resilience, and enables novel administration routes such as inhaled powders and microneedle patches. Originally developed at Princeton University, the technology has demonstrated strong results in preserving the structure and activity of monoclonal antibodies, viral vectors, and other complex biologics, while also lowering costs and energy requirements compared to lyophilization or spray drying.

The Phase I project will focus on Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), a weakened version of the vaccinia virus used as a vaccine against smallpox and monkeypox. MVA currently requires ultra-cold storage at -80°C, posing significant cold chain challenges that were highlighted during the 2022 monkeypox virus outbreak when demand surged beyond production capacity.

Leadership Statement

“This DoD award underscores the dual-use impact of RTAD,” said Dr. Maksim Mezhericher, Founder and CEO of Inaedis. “We are not only advancing technology that improves patient access and reduces pharmaceutical waste worldwide but also delivering a mission-critical capability for the U.S. military: thermostable vaccines and medical countermeasures that can be deployed quickly and reliably without refrigeration.”

Program Significance

The DoD SBIR program supports early-stage research and development to meet critical defense needs while fostering innovation with strong commercial potential. Inaedis’ project aligns with DoD priorities in warfighter readiness, pandemic preparedness, and chemical and biological defense, offering a transformative solution for both defense and civilian healthcare.

The contract was awarded by the Edgewood Contracting Division at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, under the DoD’s Chemical and Biological Defense Program, emphasizing the military’s focus on eliminating cold chain requirements for medical countermeasures deployment.

About Inaedis Inc.

Inaedis Inc. is a Princeton, New Jersey-based biotechnology company developing innovative formulation technologies to improve the stability, delivery, and accessibility of biologic medicines. Founded in 2022 as a spin-out from Princeton University, the company’s RTAD platform represents a breakthrough in pharmaceutical processing that eliminates cold chain requirements while preserving the integrity of temperature-sensitive biologics.

About the DoD SBIR/STTR Programs

The U.S. Department of Defense SBIR and STTR programs fund early-stage technology development with the goal of strengthening national security and advancing innovation with dual-use potential. Each year, the DoD awards more than $2 billion to small businesses through competitive solicitations across all defense agencies. To learn more, visit: https://www.defensesbirsttr.mil.

Required Acknowledgments and Disclaimers

Funding Acknowledgment: This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program under Contract Number W911SR-25-C-A011.

Disclaimer: The content of this information does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the U.S. Department of Defense, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Data Rights Notice: This announcement may contain information subject to SBIR data rights protections under federal law. Any technical data or computer software developed under this SBIR contract may be protected from disclosure for a period of up to 20 years from the date of award.

Security Notice: This SBIR award was made following completion of required due diligence security reviews in accordance with the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022.

American-Made Equipment Commitment: In keeping with Congressional intent, Inaedis will prioritize the purchase of American-made equipment and products when using funds provided through this SBIR contract, supporting the overall purposes of the program.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (June 17, 2025) – Inaedis, Inc. is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a highly competitive $1.25 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), under Award Number 2451720. This major funding milestone will propel Inaedis’ development of its breakthrough Rapid Room-Temperature Aerosol Dehydration (RTAD) technology, which converts fragile biologic drugs and vaccines into shelf-stable powders for global distribution and next-generation delivery methods.

Biologic medicines—such as antibodies, vaccines, and genetic therapies—are notoriously challenging to manufacture and distribute due to their temperature sensitivity and reliance on expensive refrigerated (“cold chain”) logistics. As much as $35 billion worth of biopharmaceuticals is lost annually due to temperature excursions and spoilage, restricting patient access and burdening healthcare systems worldwide.

Inaedis’ RTAD technology, originally developed at Princeton University, addresses this critical bottleneck with a gentle, energy-efficient process that eliminates the need for deep freezing or lengthy drying at high temperatures. By forming ultra-fine aerosols at room temperature, RTAD preserves the biological activity of delicate proteins, antibodies, viral vectors, and other sensitive biologics—with over 90–95% potency retained in validation studies. The result: medicines and vaccines that maintain stability for months without refrigeration, supporting distribution even in resource-limited settings, and enabling new flexible formulations for inhalers, patches, and ultra-concentrated injectables.

“This NSF award is a major validation of our mission to transform how medicines are made, stored, and delivered,” said Dr. Maksim Mezhericher, Founder and CEO of Inaedis. “With this funding, we will advance RTAD toward clinical-grade manufacturing and practical applications that improve patient access, reduce healthcare waste, and dramatically cut the carbon footprint of biopharmaceuticals.”

The NSF’s SBIR program, known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, is one of the nation’s most prestigious early-stage deep-tech funding sources, supporting startups and small businesses as they translate high-impact scientific discoveries into real-world solutions. Awardees undergo rigorous merit review and are chosen for both their technical promise and commercial potential. Companies that successfully complete Phase I feasibility projects may compete for up to $1.25 million in Phase II funding to scale R&D and prepare for commercialization. Additional follow-on investment opportunities are available for SBIR awardees who secure third-party matching funds.

About the NSF’s Small Business Programs

America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.

About Inaedis

Inaedis, Inc. is a spinout from Princeton University pioneering advanced manufacturing solutions for biopharmaceuticals, enabling stable, cost-effective, and patient-friendly medicines for the 21st century. Through its proprietary RTAD technology, Inaedis makes complex biologics easier to produce, ship, and administer—empowering innovators and expanding access to life-saving therapies worldwide.

Required NSF Disclaimer

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under award No. 2451720. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE

Princeton, NJ, Nov 19, 2024 – Inaedis is proud to announce its acceptance into the latest cohort of the Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio), a digital accelerator designed to enable the next generation of technologies for drug discovery and development, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. MDS Studio was founded to offer support for early-stage biomedical startups providing strategic guidance, direct investment, and connection opportunities within Merck.

About Inaedis

Inaedis is revolutionizing the biopharmaceutical industry with its groundbreaking Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration Technology (RTAD). As a Princeton University spin-out founded in 2022, Inaedis has developed a proprietary process that transforms liquid bioformulations into room-temperature stable powders, eliminating the need for costly and complex cold chain logistics. Our innovative approach not only simplifies manufacturing, packaging, and storage of vaccines, proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and gene therapies but also dramatically improves global access to these critical biologics. With a laboratory-scale prototype capable of producing over 1000 dry powder vaccine doses per batch and validation through a third-party blind study with a top 10 pharmaceutical company, Inaedis is poised to transform healthcare delivery worldwide, particularly in regions with limited infrastructure.

About Merck Digital Sciences Studio

The Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio or MDSS) is a collaboration between Merck, the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, McKesson Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) subsidiary. The 10-month startup accelerator program empowers members and enables the generation of innovative digital technologies for drug discovery and development through hands-on mentorship, connection opportunities with industry-leading partners, and training in an active entrepreneurial setting. Through the accelerator program, these startups will have access to workshops, coaching, office space, and Microsoft for Startups resources, including up to $150,000 Azure Cloud computing credits.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (April 24, 2023) — We are grateful to Prof. John Carpenter for reviewing our study, “Rapid Room-Temperature Aerosol Dehydration Versus Spray Drying: A Novel Paradigm in Biopharmaceutical Drying Technologies,” published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Prof. Carpenter is Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, and he is a Co-Founder and Co-Director of the University of Colorado Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. Prof. Carpenter has long been a leader in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology and we share his optimism in the promise of powderization to transform drug development, delivery, and distribution.

— Dr. Maksim Mezhericher, Inaedis CEO

New Jersey program helps life sciences therapeutics companies commercialize.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (March 20, 2024) — Inaedis, Inc., new platform biotechnology company, was awarded $150,000 in non-dilutive funding from the Catalyst Seed R&D Grant Program, a state-led initiative to support deep biotechnology ventures in New Jersey. 

Catalyst is led by the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology.  Catalyst’s mission is to help early stage innovation-based companies accelerate development of technologies to transform new discoveries from research into commercially viable products and services.

The award from Catalyst will enable Inaedis to continue developing its proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology at the Princeton Innovation Center Biolabs.

“New Jersey has always been at the forefront of innovation with institutions like Bell Labs, Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and more,” said Dr. Maksim Mezhericher, Inaedis Founder and CEO. “It’s one of the best educated, hardest working states in America. We’re proud to call New Jersey home.” 

RTAD finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. Validated in a recent joint study with a top 10 pharmaceutical company in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, RTAD has the capacity to transform vaccine development, delivery, and distribution.

Inaedis, Inc.

Inaedis, Inc. is a spin-out company from Princeton University developing a pharmaceutical platform changing the future of drug development, delivery, and distribution by powderizing life-saving vaccines and biologics. 

First developed by Princeton scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, our goal is to give everyone access to the miracles of modern medicine. Our proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. 

Inaedis is led by its founders: CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone and is backed by Roadrunner Venture Studios and Princeton Innovation Center. 

Media Contact: Maksim Mezhericher, maksim@inaedis.com

Deep tech venture studio joins Princeton Innovation Center in supporting powderized vaccine company.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (February 27, 2024) — Inaedis, Inc., a new platform biotechnology company, closed a pre-seed investment from Roadrunner Venture Studios, the premier deep tech venture studio in the United States. The investment will allow the company to continue to develop its first product, hire into critical roles, and sign its first customers. 

As a studio company, Inaedis will participate in Roadrunner’s world-class company building process.

“Roadrunner will unlock enormous value for our mission to eliminate the cold chain from pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution,” said Inaedis founder and CEO, Dr. Maksim Mezhericher. “Our team will need the best support on offer to get where we want to go. Roadrunner offers us exactly that.”

Inaedis will have access to a suite of services, including product development, veteran CEO and entrepreneurship coaching, an in-house Head of Talent and veteran recruiter, office space, as well as operations and fundraising support. 

“Dr. Mezhericher and his team are visionaries building a breakthrough product that will change the world,” said Roadrunner CEO Adam Hammer. “That is Roadrunner’s ethos: We are in the business of backing leaders who use their gifts to alter the future for the better. Inaedis’ efforts to powderize biologics and other life-saving drugs will radically transform development, delivery, and distribution, building a disruptive company and saving countless lives.”

Inaedis, Inc.

Inaedis, Inc. is a spin-out company from Princeton University developing a pharmaceutical platform changing the future of drug development, delivery, and distribution by powderizing life-saving vaccines and biologics. 

First developed by Princeton scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, our goal is to give everyone access to the miracles of modern medicine. Our proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. 

Inaedis is led by its founders: CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone and is backed by Roadrunner Venture Studios and Princeton Innovation Center. 

About Roadrunner Venture Studios:
Roadrunner Venture Studios is a company creation factory. We co-found breakthrough deep-tech ventures with the nation’s most brilliant scientists, engineers, and innovators. Our team gets involved at the earliest possible moment — often when a company is just a whiteboard scribble, a concept modeled in wire-frame, or as founders are puzzling through how to design a pitch deck or process payroll — and rapidly accelerates product development, commercialization, and recruitment. We are the ultimate company “starter-kit,” equipping our portfolio companies with everything they need to go from the kernel of an idea to a venture-backed growth engine. Our promise is clear: our founders leave our studio with a company, a check, a customer, and a team.

Media Contact: Maksim Mezhericher, maksim@inaedis.com

Each Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant allows for non-dilutive support for research and development

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (January 24, 2024) — Inaedis, Inc., a new platform biotechnology company, received nearly $600,000 in non-dilutive support for research and development from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The two grants are part of the NIH and NSF’s Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I programs, which award grants to small businesses engaged in research and development for commercialization. Inaedis is tackling the vulnerabilities of cold chain systems, enabling the pharmaceutical industry to handle liquid biologics at room temperature so they can be transported and stored anywhere in the world as durable powders. 

“By offering a robust solution for thermal stabilization, the technology will have far-reaching effects on population health and immunization,” the NSF award stated. “The research and development establishes the efficacy, reliability, and applicability of rapid Room Temperature Aerosol Dehydration (RTAD) as a commercially promising platform for the dehydration of various biologic drug molecules.”

This funding will allow Inaedis to continue researching RTAD, which can be applied to biologics and life-saving drugs, reducing wastage of pharmaceuticals by at least $30 billion. 

“We realized during the Covid-19 pandemic that vaccine logistics are just as important for saving lives as the vaccines themselves,” said Inaedis founder and CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher. “As a global leader in biotechnology, the United States has an incredible opportunity to promote rapid powderization of liquid biologics and vaccines to improve the transport and delivery of live-saving treatments.” 

Inaedis, Inc.

Inaedis, Inc. is a spin-out company from Princeton University developing a pharmaceutical platform changing the future of drug development, delivery, and distribution by powderizing life-saving vaccines and biologics. 

First developed by Princeton scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, our goal is to give everyone access to the miracles of modern medicine. Our proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. 

Inaedis is led by its founders: CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone and is backed by Roadrunner Venture Studios and Princeton Innovation Center. 

Media Contact: Maksim Mezhericher, maksim@inaedis.com

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R41TR004571. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

PIC provides the first investment received by Inaedis, a Princeton University spin-out.

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (January 8, 2024) — Inaedis, Inc., a new platform biotechnology company, received its first ever investment from the Princeton Innovation Center.

Prior to receiving the investment, Inaedis founder and CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher was part of the inaugural class of START Entrepreneurs, Princeton’s 12-month academic fellowship and startup accelerator. During the fellowship, Dr. Mezhericher developed and tested a new, scalable system to implement Inaedis’s proprietary room-temperature dehydration (RTAD) technology. The innovative technology can be incorporated into existing pharmaceutical development laboratories or into the supply chain between a manufacturer and a distribution hub.

The Princeton Innovation Center’s follow-on investment from START provides ongoing lab and co-working space for Inaedis, as well as legal and intellectual property support. Dr. Mezhericher is continuing to refine the technology and attract additional partnerships and investment.

“We’re grateful to the Princeton Innovation Center for the investment and providing Inaedis its first home at the Princeton Innovation Center Biolabs,” said Dr. Mezhericher. “With this investment, we’re working shoulder-to-shoulder with other startups to build the next generation of companies that will solve hard problems using biotechnology.” 

Inaedis, Inc.

Inaedis, Inc. is a spin-out company from Princeton University developing a pharmaceutical platform changing the future of drug development, delivery, and distribution by powderizing life-saving vaccines and biologics. 

First developed by Princeton scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, our goal is to give everyone access to the miracles of modern medicine. Our proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. 

Inaedis is led by its founders: CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone and is backed by Roadrunner Venture Studios and Princeton Innovation Center. 

Media Contact: Maksim Mezhericher, maksim@inaedis.com

Study finds technique offers better quality product than traditional drying techniques

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (October 04, 2023) — A joint study by Inaedis, Inc., a new plaform biotechnology company, and researchers from one of the top 10 largest pharmaceutical companies, found that Inaedis’s proprietary rapid room temperature aerosol dehydration (RTAD) methods offered improved outcomes on protein degradation and aerosol performance over traditional drying technologies. The paper in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences was based on a 2023 trial at Princeton University. 

“RTAD is a breakthrough biotechnology, and this peer-reviewed study proves it,” said Inaedis founder and CEO Dr. Maxsim Mezhericher. “We’re excited to keep developing our methodology, which will revolutionize how biologics and life-saving drugs are developed, delivered, and distributed.” 

The blind validation study was performed for thermally-sensitive liquid fragment antigen-binding (FAB) formulations supplied by AstraZeneca. Inaedis used its proprietary RTAD technology to turn these liquid formulations into powders, which were sent to AstraZeneca for analysis. The results of the analysis showed the RTAD samples were of a significantly higher quality than spray-dried sample controls. 

“Traditional thermal stabilization technologies struggle to maintain the integrity of biologic drugs,” said Inaedis founder Professor Howard A. Stone. “RTAD is a viable alternative, and it has the capacity to fundamentally improve vaccine powderization and save countless lives. 

The co-authors include AstraZeneca’s Sadegh Poozesh, Zehao Pan, Uzair Chaudhary, and Prakash Manikwar and Inaedis’s Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone.

Inaedis, Inc.

Inaedis, Inc. is a spin-out company from Princeton University developing a pharmaceutical platform changing the future of drug development, delivery, and distribution by powderizing life-saving vaccines and biologics. 

First developed by Princeton scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic, our goal is to give everyone access to the miracles of modern medicine. Our proprietary Rapid Room-Temperature Dehydration (RTAD) platform technology finally solves the global dilemma posed by the thermal stabilization requirements of life-saving heat and freeze-sensitive vaccines and biologics. 

Inaedis is led by its founders: CEO Dr. Maksim Mezhericher and Prof. Howard A. Stone and is backed by Roadrunner Venture Studios and Princeton Innovation Center. 
Media Contact: Maksim Mezhericher, maksim@inaedis.com