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Two months after moving into the University of Maryland business incubator in College Park, startup Prognosys is ready to share its prototype for immediate heart disease detection with the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Prognosys, which received a $100,000 phase 1 contract from the institute, has worked to develop a system of analyzing potential heart problems through a bar-code strip test, similar to those used for glucose readings and pregnancy tests. Results are available within 10 minutes. The prototype will test for three heart conditions: deep vein thrombosis; inflammation that signals impending heart disease or failure; and an intravenous condition that indicates clogged arteries.

"We're a small company but we have a lot of potential," said Kenneth Gabriel, president of Prognosys.

Gabriel and his partner, Marc H. Cohen, both affiliated with the university's A. James Clark School of Engineering, established Prognosys in 2007, incorporating in Virginia, where Gabriel lives. Cohen, who is vice president, lives in Silver Spring. The two came across the concept while studying biomedicated sensors.

"They were good ideas that we thought could be marketed," Gabriel said.

The pair landed the six-month NIH contract while trying to attract funding through projects rather than venture capitalists, Gabriel said.

"This innovative point-of-care system, once tested and validated, could ultimately enable emergency physicians to diagnose potentially life-threatening conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism more quickly than current tests allow, thereby enabling patients to receive life-saving treatment sooner," said Pothur Srinivas, of the institute's cardiovascular sciences division, in a statement.

Unlike many bioscience startups, Gabriel said, Prognosys is geared more toward commercial growth than research.

"The unique thing about this technology is that it can conduct multiple tests simultaneously," Cohen said.

The partners also hope to apply Prognosys' technology to other diagnostics such as drug and food tests, and tests for diseases found in developing countries, which lack the money for more involved examinations.

Prognosys moved to the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute Technology Advancement Program incubator so Gabriel and Cohen can hire students and faculty to help the company grow

"It's a wonderful place to be," Cohen said.

Prognosys has also signed an agreement with an international medical supply packaging company, Gabriel said, although he could not provide details yet.

"We are confident this is commercial-worthy technology," he said. "The next step is to show our prototype to NIH."

Both Gabriel and Cohen are familiar with managing a business and run their own consulting companies.