While the Kass Laboratory was exploring the mechanisms for CRT, he discovered that a relative of nitric oxide (NO), termed nitroxyl (HNO), conferred positive contractile changes differently from NO and could improve the function of the failing heart. This led to founding the pharmaceutical company Cardioxyl Inc., which developed room stable HNO donor molecules that were ultimately advanced to Phase II clinical trials. The company was acquired by Bristol Meyers Squibb in 2015.