Harvard Medical School

SIRPant Immunotherapeutics Strengthens Board of Directors with Appointment of Roger Sawhney, M.D.

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 22, 2024

HUMMELSTOWN, Pa., Jan. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIRPant Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focusing on developing next-generation macrophage-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, today announced the appointment of Roger Sawhney, M.D.

Key Points: 
  • HUMMELSTOWN, Pa., Jan. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIRPant Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focusing on developing next-generation macrophage-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, today announced the appointment of Roger Sawhney, M.D.
  • to its Board of Directors.
  • Dr. Sawhney brings nearly 30 years of financial and strategic expertise spanning the biopharma industry.
  • His expertise in cell therapy will be particularly valuable to SIRPant as we advance SIRPant-M™, our lead product candidate, into clinical development,” said Robert Towarnicki, President & CEO of SIRPant.

Akoya Biosciences’ Technology Enables Queensland Spatial Biology Centre to Revolutionize the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Other Diseases

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Thursday, January 18, 2024

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akoya Biosciences, Inc., (NASDAQ: AKYA), The Spatial Biology Company®, today announced that the newly established Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC), located in Brisbane, Australia, is using the PhenoCycler-Fusion spatial biology platform as the core technology to revolutionize the way cancer and other debilitating diseases are diagnosed and treated.

Key Points: 
  • MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akoya Biosciences, Inc., (NASDAQ: AKYA), The Spatial Biology Company®, today announced that the newly established Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC), located in Brisbane, Australia, is using the PhenoCycler-Fusion spatial biology platform as the core technology to revolutionize the way cancer and other debilitating diseases are diagnosed and treated.
  • Bringing a new level of clarity to this complex biology will help explain why individual patients have varying degrees of success in terms of their response to treatment.
  • “The QSBC has brought together a remarkable group of researchers, clinicians, pathologists, and computational biologists who are unrelenting in their commitment to leverage the enormous power of spatial biology.
  • “Spatial biology is revolutionizing the pathology field by enabling deeper biology and clinical markers to be measured from a single tissue section,” said Dr. Arutha Kulasinghe, QSBC Scientific Director and co-lead.

Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Reduced the Risk of Death by 38% Versus Placebo as Adjuvant Therapy for Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) at an Increased Risk of Recurrence Following Nephrectomy

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, January 27, 2024

At 48 months, the estimated OS rate was 91.2% for patients who received KEYTRUDA compared to 86.0% for patients who received placebo.

Key Points: 
  • At 48 months, the estimated OS rate was 91.2% for patients who received KEYTRUDA compared to 86.0% for patients who received placebo.
  • Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 79.1% of patients (n=386) in the KEYTRUDA arm and 53.0% of patients (n=263) in the placebo arm.
  • Grade 3-4 TRAEs occurred in 18.6% of patients in the KEYTRUDA arm and 1.2% of patients in the placebo arm.
  • Treatment-related adverse events resulting in discontinuation of any treatment occurred in 18.2% of patients in the KEYTRUDA arm and 0.8% of patients in the placebo arm.

Deliberate AI Announces its Depression and Anxiety Model, AI-COA™, is the First AI/ML Initiative to Be Accepted into the FDA’s ISTAND Pilot Program to Advance Drug Development

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 26, 2024

Under the program, Deliberate AI’s assessment tool for anxiety and depression, the AI-generated Clinical Outcome Assessment or AI-COA™, will receive support to become a qualified drug development tool (DDT).

Key Points: 
  • Under the program, Deliberate AI’s assessment tool for anxiety and depression, the AI-generated Clinical Outcome Assessment or AI-COA™, will receive support to become a qualified drug development tool (DDT).
  • During clinical trials, it augments human clinical assessments with its AI algorithm, to improve precision and reliability.
  • “The FDA's recognition - including Deliberate’s AI-COA™ in this program - heralds a new epoch in developing and monitoring treatments for Depression and Anxiety," said Marc Aafjes, Founder & CEO of Deliberate AI.
  • "Its pioneering approach and inclusion into the ISTAND program marks a new era in the efficacy measurement of depression therapies."

Empress Announces Formation of World Leading Scientific Advisory Board

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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Empress Therapeutics , a company accelerating small molecule drug generation through novel insights linking genes to chemistry, today announced the formation of the Empress Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with leading experts in synthetic biology, computational biology, genetics, chemistry, and metabolism and disease.

Key Points: 
  • Empress Therapeutics , a company accelerating small molecule drug generation through novel insights linking genes to chemistry, today announced the formation of the Empress Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with leading experts in synthetic biology, computational biology, genetics, chemistry, and metabolism and disease.
  • The SAB will work closely with the leadership at Empress Therapeutics to advance the company’s Chemilogics™ platform and pipeline of drug leads.
  • “We are honored to have these extraordinary scientific leaders join Empress in its mission to generate safe, effective medicines faster and more predictably,” said Jason Park, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Empress Therapeutics.
  • “Our Scientific Advisory Board provides invaluable expertise across multiple aspects of our Chemilogics™ platform, which uses AI to discover therapeutic chemistry encoded in genetic data.

Axena Health Commends New Study Showing the Leva System’s Long-term Treatment Efficacy for Female Urinary Incontinence

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Axena Health, Inc. (Axena Health), a medical device company focused on female pelvic health, announced today that leading pelvic health researchers have published a new study demonstrating the Leva® Pelvic Health System’s long-term treatment efficacy for female urinary incontinence (UI).

Key Points: 
  • Axena Health, Inc. (Axena Health), a medical device company focused on female pelvic health, announced today that leading pelvic health researchers have published a new study demonstrating the Leva® Pelvic Health System’s long-term treatment efficacy for female urinary incontinence (UI).
  • “Two years of data showing that UI symptom relief endures following eight weeks of guided-PFMT offers compelling evidence that women can access first-line, conservative treatment successfully.
  • “This newest published study offers powerful evidence that women can access first-line treatment successfully, and that this treatment has a lasting effect.
  • “Pelvic floor muscle training is globally recommended first-line treatment for urinary incontinence,” said Eileen Maus, CEO of Axena Health.

Prilenia Announces Clinical Data in Support of its Plans to Initiate Global Phase 3 Study in ALS

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 19, 2024

The S1R is highly expressed in the brainstem and spinal cord, areas implicated in ALS and important for bulbar function and speech.

Key Points: 
  • The S1R is highly expressed in the brainstem and spinal cord, areas implicated in ALS and important for bulbar function and speech.
  • “We believe it is important for Prilenia to advance our clinical program in ALS, and we are actively planning a single, global, pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial.
  • Additional analyses from the same Phase 2 study of participants with definite or probable ALS who were also early and fast progressors were conducted.
  • Preliminary topline results in the full analysis set of this Phase 2 study were previously announced.

LifeStance Appoints Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar as Chief Medical Officer

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 19, 2024

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeStance Health , one of the nation's largest providers of virtual and in-person outpatient mental healthcare, today announced that Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar will join the company as Chief Medical Officer, effective January 22, 2024.

Key Points: 
  • SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeStance Health , one of the nation's largest providers of virtual and in-person outpatient mental healthcare, today announced that Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar will join the company as Chief Medical Officer, effective January 22, 2024.
  • "Dr. Ramtekkar is an experienced physician executive with a demonstrated track record of driving exceptional patient and clinical outcomes," said Ken Burdick, Chairman and CEO, LifeStance.
  • Additionally, Dr. Ramtekkar is an adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry at University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.
  • Dr. Patel-Dunn will work closely with Dr. Ramtekkar to ensure a seamless transition.

Dr. Jon Ver Halen Scholarship for Future Doctors Unveils Opportunity for Medical Students

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

DALLAS, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant stride towards fostering the next generation of medical professionals, the esteemed Dr. Jon Ver Halen announces the establishment of the Dr. Jon Ver Halen Scholarship for Future Doctors.

Key Points: 
  • DALLAS, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant stride towards fostering the next generation of medical professionals, the esteemed Dr. Jon Ver Halen announces the establishment of the Dr. Jon Ver Halen Scholarship for Future Doctors.
  • Dr. Jon Ver Halen , a distinguished plastic surgeon based in Dallas, Texas, founded this scholarship as a testament to his commitment to supporting aspiring medical professionals.
  • Internationally recognized for his surgical expertise and research achievements, Dr. Jon Ver Halen has contributed over 40 peer-reviewed articles to the medical community.
  • Applications for the Dr. Jon Ver Halen Scholarship for Future Doctors must be submitted by August 15, 2024.

NextPoint Therapeutics Appoints Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

NextPoint Therapeutics , a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the novel HHLA2 pathway, today announced the appointment of Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Key Points: 
  • NextPoint Therapeutics , a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the novel HHLA2 pathway, today announced the appointment of Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
  • “Tatiana is a star in the immuno-oncology world, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the NextPoint team,” said Detlev Biniszkiewicz, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of NextPoint Therapeutics.
  • Additionally, Dr. Novobrantseva previously led oncology discovery and development projects at Moderna as Chief Scientific Officer, Immuno-Oncology Research.
  • “I am thrilled to build on this exciting approach to deliver novel, precision immuno-oncology therapeutics to patients with currently intractable cancers.”