{"id":57483,"date":"2023-05-27T01:03:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T23:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/healing-system-for-vaginal-tears-takes-top-prize-at-uci-stella-zhang-new-venture-competition\/"},"modified":"2023-05-27T01:03:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T23:03:23","slug":"healing-system-for-vaginal-tears-takes-top-prize-at-uci-stella-zhang-new-venture-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/healing-system-for-vaginal-tears-takes-top-prize-at-uci-stella-zhang-new-venture-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Healing System for Vaginal Tears Takes Top Prize at UCI Stella Zhang New Venture Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A promising treatment for vaginal tears impressed judges at the UCI Stella Zhang New Venture Competition enough to earn the team VagAligna the $20,000 first prize in the 2023 competition on Thursday, May 25, at the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.<\/p>\n

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\nAccording to team leader Fiza Qureshi, there currently are no healing treatments for women suffering from vaginal tears, most commonly occurring during childbirth \u2013 pain medicine and time are all that\u2019s available. She and her teammates \u2013 Hailey Matyac, Angie Espino, and Maile Adams \u2013 have come up with a healing protein to be administered through an adhesive hydrogel applied directly on the wound.<\/p>\n

\nBecause this is a medical product, it will require clinical trials and FDA approval. But, Qureshi said, this team of bio-medical engineers has come up with the very first direct healing solution for an all-too-common problem.<\/p>\n

\nThat promise was enough to convince the five judges at the Grand Finale to award VagAligna the first prize for 2023 out of the 10 finalists presenting Thursday evening. The second prize, $5,000, went to Leprendo, an online specialty food product and produce company connecting producers directly with restaurant chefs and private consumers.<\/p>\n

\nAll 10 finalists also received prize money for finishing first ($10,000) or second ($5,000) in their respective business tracks, making the total prize pot $100,000. About 100 teams began the journey seven months ago, working on proposals through the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

\nThis was the 19th<\/sup> annual New Venture Competition. It became the Stella Zhang New Venture Challenge last year after Stella Zhang, a 2005 UCI graduate with an MBA from the UCI Paul Merage School of Business, made a significant contribution to the event and the prize money pot.<\/p>\n

\nZhang is a cofounder and partner at Sunstone Management Inc<\/a>. and American Lending Center<\/a> (where she is COO), both headquartered in Irvine.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis event means so much to me,\u201d Zhang said to open the finals. \u201cWe\u2019ve watched past winners go on to accelerators and beyond. We\u2019re so proud to witness this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe other teams presenting \u2013 and taking money home \u2013 were:<\/p>\n