Two University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) startups will present innovative health care technologies at the Southeast Venture Showcase (SVS), an event that brings together the Southeast’s leading research universities and federal labs to showcase their most exciting new technologies.
Held on April 20-21 in Nashville, SVS will feature approximately 40 university spinoffs, representing 26 institutions who will present their technologies in front of more than 150 investors from around the world. With financial support from the Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE), five UAB companies applied, and two, TPM Research and iNOvodel, were chosen to present.
“This is an exciting milestone for UAB and our innovative ecosystem,” said Karthik Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D., HIIE Senior Director. “Being selected through a rigorous vetting process that culled more than 70 percent of applicants really highlights the strength of our startups and the real-world impact of the technologies being developed here. We’re proud to support these teams as they connect with investors and take the next steps toward bringing their solutions to market.”
TPM Research
Founded by Tracy and Scott Comas, TPM Research began product development efforts in 2021 after securing licensing rights through the HIIE. TPM Research addresses a long-standing challenge in hospitals, patient transport, through their Care Continuum Chair.
“The same collapsible wheelchair has been around for 90 years without much updating,” Comas. “Our technology is designed to fill a gap in patient care.”
The company’s technology is designed to improve patient comfort, reduce transfer times, and allow patients to safely stand during certain procedures.
Recently, early product adaptation by some key hospital systems has earned the company significant market credibility. Studies conducted in the past year with major hospital systems, including LCMC Health in New Orleans and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, showed reduced patient falls and improved patient satisfaction, helping validate the company’s approach.
“Our new wheelchair delivers almost immediate return on investment while improving both patient and staff satisfaction,” Comas said.
Next, TPM Research aims to secure partnerships with national medical device distributors.
As company leaders prepare for SVS, they said they are honored to be chosen to present.
“We are very pleased to have been nominated,” Comas said. “We are just very humbled that we made the cut and were selected as a presenter.”
iNOvodel
After receiving a Phase 1 small business technology transfer grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood institute in 2022, Nagababu Enika, Ph.D., and Dan E. Berkowitz, M.D., both of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, successfully developed a device prototype and created a startup company, iNOvodel, together with founding CEO, Gary Lessing. The company has since received a Phase 2 award to further advance the technology.
iNOvodel is developing a more efficient way to deliver nitric oxide, a critical treatment for neonates and children with pulmonary hypertension.
Being selected for SVS offers an opportunity to grow visibility and attract investment.
“It gives us the opportunity to showcase our technology and let others know that we’re a viable company that’s looking to grow,” Berkowitz.
Current nitric oxide delivery systems rely on large, costly gas tanks. iNOvodel's approach uses non-tank technology with miniature portable canisters with high concentrations of nitric oxide, which are less expensive and easier to use.
“Our technology is significantly less expensive, portable, and less toxic and therefore can be delivered for longer periods of time, in different critical care environments,” Berkowitz said.
The company has derisked every stage of the device and can synthesize nitric oxide at very high concentrations. iNOvodel can blend and dilute this nitric oxide to deliver therapeutic doses.
Berkowitz said the company is in the process of testing the device, and the results will be used in the application for FDA approval.
“Our intellectual property is currently being secured,” Berkowitz said. “So, I think we have all the pieces together that will enable us to tell an impressive story of what iNOvodel is about and how we are positioned to move forward with the help of significant funding.”
Following SVS, iNOvodel plans to pursue funding or partnerships while continuing testing and regulatory preparation.
Advancing UAB innovation
As UAB participates in SVS for the first time, the selection of these two startups highlights the university’s growing role in bringing research-driven technologies to market.
“We are thrilled to give our UAB startups this stage to shine for the first time, and we can’t wait to cheer them on at the event,” said Karen Bernard, Assistant Director of Licensing at the HIIE.
To learn more about TPM Research, visit https://tpmresearch.com.
To learn more about iNOvodel, visit https://www.inovodel.com/.
-- April 8, 2026