Modernizing America's biomanufacturing infrastructure has become a national priority - and the U.S. Senate turned to LyoWave to help make the case for how small businesses get it done.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — LyoWave co-founder and President Dr. Alina Alexeenko testified on April 7, 2026, at a U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship field hearing in Carmel, Indiana, focused on “Fueling Innovation: The Role of Small Businesses in America’s Bioeconomy.” The hearing brought together Hoosier leaders working across life sciences, manufacturing, and biotech product innovation to discuss the importance of small businesses in strengthening the nation’s bioeconomy.
In her remarks, Dr. Alexeenko outlined LyoWave's mission to modernize lyophilization - the freeze-drying process at the heart of manufacturing biologics such as cancer diagnostics and therapies, vaccines, and injectable antibiotics. Drawing on history, she traced lyophilization's roots to a landmark WWII-era public-private partnership that produced freeze-dried blood plasma for wounded soldiers, calling it the foundation of American leadership in biotechnology throughout the 20th century.
Dr. Alexeenko described LyoWave's journey from a Purdue University research prototype to a commercial product: the TurboDry™ high-frequency microwave lyophilization system - a compact, highly integrated unit that fits in a carry-on bag and can be installed on existing lyophilization equipment. Reflecting on the path from university lab to startup, she emphasized the critical role of public-private partnerships - including NIIMBL, NIST's AMTech program, LyoHUB and Purdue's entrepreneurship resources, and SBIR funding - in bridging the gap between scientific invention and market-ready products.
Dr. Alexeenko closed her testimony with three policy recommendations for Congress:
• Strengthen SBIR/STTR programs and incentivize small-business participation in reshoring critical bio/pharma manufacturing.
• Create adoption incentives to help biotech manufacturers offset the regulatory acceptance costs of advanced technologies, building on the FDA's new Advanced Manufacturing Technology Designation Program.
• Build a national network of shared-use facilities with GMP-relevant equipment, creating a "speedway" for testing and de-risking new biomanufacturing technologies.
LyoWave's appearance before the Senate Committee marks a milestone for the young Indiana startup and underscores the growing national urgency to modernize biomanufacturing infrastructure - and the role innovative small businesses playin making that happen.
