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Prevacus

Neuroscientist Jacob VanLandingham, an assistant professor at Florida State University's college of medicine, began research in 2004 to develop a drug to treat concussions. "We recognized within the last few years between military and sports injuries, that concussions have become an epidemic, so we made an effort to find something for this population." The result: VanLandingham recently patented a neurosteroid drug and launched a company, Prevacus, at Tallahassee’s Innovation Park, for work on funding, preclinical trials and product refinement. The development has sparked interest from the Department of Defense and from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a professional sports affiliate that has agreed to help with clinical trials, which could begin within the next 18 to 36 months.