Cleveland HeartLab Honored with Prestigious 2013 NorTech Innovation Award

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cleveland HeartLab announced today that the company was recognized as a recipient of the 2013 NorTech Innovation Awards. The award was received yesterday by Cleveland HeartLab, President and CEO, Jake Orville at the annual awards ceremony in Independence, Ohio.

“This award reflects our commitment to innovation and our dedication to bringing scientifically proven and medically relevant tests to market.”

Cleveland HeartLab was recognized for its work in the field of applied biosciences for leadership in advanced cardiovascular testing. The company offers a series of innovative clinical inflammation tests, including the CardioMPO (Myeloperoxidase) test that focuses on the presence and activity of vulnerable plaque in the blood. Subjects with increased MPO levels are at increased risk for a heart attack. CHL’s breakthrough inflammation tests are among the most effective methods to detect risk for potential heart attack and are far more effective than basic cholesterol testing alone.

“Cleveland HeartLab is honored to receive a 2013 NorTech Innovation Award along with such an impressive collection of leading companies that are on track to make a difference locally and around the world,” said Jake Orville, CHL President and CEO. “This award reflects our commitment to innovation and our dedication to bringing scientifically proven and medically relevant tests to market.”

Sponsored by NorTech and Crain’s Cleveland Business, the NorTech Innovation Awards honor the region’s most innovative organizations that have either demonstrated dramatic impact in a specific industry or market sector or have the clear potential to do so in the near future.

The awards cover six distinct industries: advanced energy; advanced materials; biosciences; flexible electronics; instrumentation, controls and electronics; and water technologies. This year a total of seven companies were recognized, including: Akron Surface Technologies, Inc.; CardioInsight / Nottingham Spirk; Codonics, Inc.; NASA Glenn Research Center; quasar energy group; and SNS Nano Fiber Technology, LLC.

“Our honorees are developing and commercializing exciting innovations that are helping to revitalize Northeast Ohio’s economy,” NorTech President and CEO Rebecca O. Bagley said. “These inspiring technologies are all vastly unique. What they have in common is the potential to transform our region by creating jobs, attracting capital and generating long-term, positive economic impact. NorTech congratulates Cleveland HeartLab for receiving this prestigious award.”

For detailed descriptions and short videos of all seven honorees and their breakthrough technologies visit www.nortech.org/regional-impact/success-stories/2013-innovation-awards.

The NorTech Innovation Awards ceremony highlighted Northeast Ohio as a place of groundbreaking innovation that produces world-class technology every year. A panel of distinguished judges, representing academia, venture capital, private industry and economic development, selected this year’s NorTech Innovation Awards winners from a number of high-quality nominations from entrepreneurs, companies, research institutions and universities.

Judges included: Shauna Brummet, Ph.D., President & CEO, BioHio Research Park; Peter Buca, Vice President of Technology & Innovation, Parker Hannifin Corporation; Dennis Cocco, Co-Director, GLIDE; Andy Conti, Director of External Innovation, Avery Dennison; Ajay Mahajan, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research & Professor of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Akron; Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs, Kent State University; and Jay Schabel, CEO, RES Polyflow.

NorTech has presented the Innovation Awards since 2000. The 2013 NorTech Innovation Awards were presented by NorTech, Crain's Cleveland Business and Kent State University, and sponsored by Cleveland Public Power, Keystone Compliance and Fay Sharpe LLP.

About Cleveland HeartLab:

Cleveland HeartLab Inc. is a specialty clinical laboratory and cardiovascular disease management company focused on offering a robust menu of propriety diagnostic tests based on unique molecular biomarkers. CHL operates a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited clinical laboratory. It has developed a panel of tests that thousands of practitioners use in the management and prevention of heart disease. CHL also runs a research and development laboratory where next-generation cardiovascular disease biomarkers are being developed for use through CHL’s clinical laboratory. This valuable pipeline of tests is part of an exclusive intellectual property portfolio that targets large, under-addressed markets. For more information about Cleveland HeartLab, please visit the company’s website at clevelandheartlab.com.

About NorTech:

NorTech, a technology-based economic development organization, is working to revitalize Northeast Ohio’s economy by accelerating the growth of regional innovation clusters in the advanced energy, flexible electronics and water technologies industries. NorTech engages small, large and midsize companies and universities for business, funding and research opportunities that create jobs, attract capital, and have a long-term, positive economic impact for the region.