MEDICAL
Texas Children's Hospital | May 09, 2022
Texas Children's Physician Group announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Austin Perinatal Associates, a well-known private maternal-fetal medicine practice based in Austin.
Located at 6500 North Mopac Expressway, the facility is the ninth community maternal-fetal medicine clinic operated by the Texas Children's Pavilion for Women and the first to offer women's services in Central Texas – bringing the hospital's well-known, top tier women's health care closer to patients in this growing region of the state.
The announcement comes a decade after the expansion of Texas Children's Hospital into obstetrics and gynecological care, with a special focus on high-risk pregnancies, fetal surgery, and multiple births. Additional growth in the area includes a new freestanding, top tier children and women's hospital in North Austin that will top off in mid-May. Texas Children's Hospital Austin is set to open Q1 2024.
The clinic, founded by Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Dr. David L. Berry, has served as a convenient location for patients to receive a full array of care, including ultrasounds, genetics services, antenatal testing, and diabetes and hypertension management since 1997. Patients will now have access to clinical support with specialty programs at Texas Children's, including the Texas Children's Hospital Fetal Center, The Women's Place, and nutritional counseling
Texas Children's continues to expand from Houston into the Austin area to bring Central Texans the same personalized, family-centered, high-quality medical care and services they've provided since 1954, With more than 60 years of newborn care experience, over 6,000 births a year, and maternal-fetal medicine offices throughout the Houston area, I'm excited to be a part of their expansion efforts into Austin."
Berry.
Berry is a fourth generation physician who returned to his hometown following his residency and post-graduate fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine to launch Austin Perinatal Associates in order to meet the medical needs of women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. His expertise includes prenatal diagnosis, invasive fetal diagnostics and therapeutics, infectious disease, cancer in pregnancy, and critical care obstetrics.
We are proud to announce the growth of our world-class, specialized care for mothers and babies in the Austin community and excited to welcome Dr. Berry to our team, Our maternal-fetal medicine physicians at Texas Children's Fetal Center are known worldwide for their expert care for high-risk pregnancies, and this clinic allows for a seamless connection to our Fetal Center – one of the nation's leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities in unborn and newborn infants."
Dr. Michael Belfort, OB/GYN-in-Chief at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women and Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine.
About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine.
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MEDICAL
ILC Dover | March 30, 2022
ILC Dover LP ("ILC Dover" or the "Company"), specializing in innovative single-use solutions for biotherapeutics and pharmaceutical processing, announced its launch of liquid single-use bioprocessing bags, representing the first of many new products for handling and supply of sterile liquids for the biotherapeutics market. This expansion is a continuation of ILC Dover's solution set across the entire biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical manufacturing workflow, from powder containment and handling, through sterile liquid handling and pre-filled liquid and powder bags.
ILC Dover manufactures its high-quality, single-use bioprocessing bags in Frederica DE, but ultimately will utilize its growing cGMP global footprint to support its customers and partners worldwide. The Company maintains manufacturing for its pharmaceutical and biotherapeutic customers in Frederica DE, Durham NC, Stockport UK, Rossens Switzerland, and Blarney Ireland, with a large, planned expansion in Juarez, Mexico coming online later in 2022.
ILC Dover's differentiated value proposition comes during a time of unprecedented disruption in the life science supply chain amidst significant industry growth. ILC Dover is committed to providing comprehensive solutions customized to our customers unique needs. Additionally, the Company's overall global footprint, quality, and supply reputation ensure that it can meet customer needs at scale with speed.
In addition to the launch of ILC Dover's single-use bioprocessing bags, the Company is also rapidly expanding its offering of sterile liquids and (pre-filled and non pre-filled) powder offerings. ILC Dover will be providing updates throughout the year on these launches.
In the past two weeks, we've made two large investments in our customers' success: our Juarez capacity expansion and transformation, and the official launch of our exciting single-use bioprocessing bags, We will continue to innovate to serve our pharmaceutical, biotherapeutic, and cell & gene therapy customers across the entire processing and manufacturing workflow."
Corey Walker, CEO of ILC Dover.
About ILC Dover
ILC Dover is a world-leader in the innovative design and production of solutions for biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, medical device markets as well as a leading supplier for the (aero)space industries. Our customers will attest to our relentless dedication to high value products, advanced technology, and responsive service, as our visionary solutions have improved efficiency while safeguarding people, product, and infrastructure in hazardous conditions through flexible protective solutions since 1947.
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DIAGNOSTICS
RQ Bio | May 17, 2022
RQ Bio today emerges from stealth mode announcing its launch as a new UK-based biotechnology company following the completion of a successful licensing deal with AstraZeneca for RQ Bio's existing mAbs against SARS-CoV-2. The Company, which is headquartered in London, is dedicated to developing treatments and preventative therapies based on potent broad-spectrum mAbs to provide instant and long-lasting immunity for vulnerable people at risk of severe disease or death from existing, emerging and new viral infections.
To maximise and accelerate patient impact, the company will continue to be supported by its collaborations with its scientific co-founders, the University of Oxford and leading UK medical research charity LifeArc. Professor Gavin Screaton, Head of the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford, will continue to advise in his capacity as scientific and medical co-founder, as will Clare Terlouw, Head of LifeArc Ventures and UK BIA board member, as a member of the Board of Directors.
Our vision is to build on our successful debut with neutralising antibody therapy for SARS-CoV-2 and develop innovative medicines to address current and evolving unmet needs in other viral infectious diseases, By combining our expertise and innovative excellence in core areas we have created a smarter approach to antibody generation making us uniquely positioned to deliver fast patient impact."
Hugo Fry, CEO of RQ Bio.
LifeArc is committed to backing leading UK academics and scientists, and we were inspired to fund RQ Bio because of the exceptional group of founders who are so passionately dedicated to finding new treatments and preventative therapies in areas of high unmet patient need, LifeArc provided support from across the Charity, including the venture team, scientific labs and other in-house experts to help RQ Bio execute on its business plan, and we look forward to further supporting RQ Bio as it becomes a world-leading infectious disease company."
Clare Terlouw, Head of LifeArc Ventures.
About RQ Bio
RQ Bio's mission has been to develop medicines based on potent broad-spectrum mAbs to provide instant and long-lasting immunity for vulnerable people at risk of severe disease or death from current and future variants of viral infections. RQ Bio has achieved this by combining innovative excellence in core areas to create a smarter approach to antibody generation. RQ Bio has multiple sources of leads and a deep collaboration with the University of Oxford. RQ Bio was founded by scientific experts previously involved with the UK BIA Antibody Taskforce, which worked to build a community of infectious disease antibody experts focussed on the development of rapid and efficient delivery of highly potent neutralising antibodies to help support the UK COVID-19 response.
About AstraZeneca Licensing Deal
Under the terms of the agreement, RQ Bio has granted AstraZeneca an exclusive worldwide licence to develop, manufacture and commercialise RQ Bio's exisiting early stage mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 and a right of first refusal to take an exclusive licence in respect of any additional mAbs against SARS-CoV-2. RQ Bio will receive upfront and milestone payments of up to $157 million and will be eligible to receive single digit royalties on sales. The successful licensing deal was supported by Oxford University Innovation (OUI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Oxford that manages the University's technology transfer and consulting activities, who worked efficiently and creatively with all parties on the corresponding technology licences and the filing of intellectual properties.
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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Aanika Biosciences, | February 25, 2022
Aanika Biosciences, an emerging biotech company using microbial based technologies to protect the safety and security of our food system, announced today it has received acceptance into the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s (BMA) Innovation Hub. The program will allow reinsurers to explore how the application of Aanika’s traceability and prevention technology can help reduce the magnitude and size of claims while lowering premiums and expanding protection for the food and agriculture industry.
Reinsurance is an almost $500 billion global industry that allows insurance carriers to offload portfolio risks to reinsurers and hedge funds. Aanika estimates its technology could help in the underwriting of nearly $100 billion in premiums linked to contamination, recalls, crop insurance as well as non-safety related claims linked to ESG practices and general product liability. Bermuda is one of the largest hubs for the reinsurance market in the world and the center of innovation in the space.
Prior to co-founding Aanika, CEO Vishaal Bhuyan spent more than a decade in finance focused on investing, managing and co-authoring multiple books on insurance-linked derivatives related to human longevity, overfishing and water scarcity.
“Climate change will wreak havoc on our food system – potentially accelerating contamination outbreaks, diseases and natural disasters that are damaging and outright destroying crops around the world. ,” says Bhuyan. “ The insurance industry is not yet equipped to handle the volatility of risk and magnitude of loss - and is operating with a massive blind spot.
In recent years insurers have adopted machine learning, satellite data and blockchain technologies to increase efficiency and more accurately price risks, but this will be the first use of synthetic biology to better prepare and protect themselves and their policyholders.”
The proof-of-concept initiative approved by the BMA will enable Aanika to partner with insurance carriers to develop ‘test policies’ for the U.S. food and agricultural market that mandate applying the microbial technology in their supply chain. This improved ability to distinguish identical commodities from each other will increase transparency throughout the claims process beyond what is possible with digital technologies alone.
Aanika co-founder and Chief Science Officer Dr. Ellen Jorgensen says this is a unique and unprecedented opportunity to unlock the potential of synthetic biology.
“We need stable, scalable, actionable solutions now to build a more resilient global food supply, which means finding inventive ways of looking at the problem,” says Dr. Jorgensen. “The Aanika science team has developed a way to adapt nature to meet this challenge, and it will be exciting to see how leveraging it in an unconventional way like reinsurance can have immediate as well as long-term benefits.”
By tapping into the reinsurance industry, Aanika will be able to commercialize biological innovations in ways that have never been done before. Aanika’s goal is to capture a fee on every policy that is essentially microscopically tethered to the product while using its growing pipeline of “secondary functions” to further enhance the stability and shelf life of said product – reducing the probability and magnitude of a claim.
About Aanika Biosciences
Aanika Biosciences was co-founded in 2018 by Vishaal Bhuyan after he personally experienced the consequences of ordering fresh, ethically sourced seeds and receiving stale, contaminated products instead. He made it his mission to create a safer food supply by finding a way to track, trace and authenticate products. Aanika’s customized microbial-based tags help companies gain valuable insights about their supply chains, help their customers make better consumption choices, and create a more sustainable world.
About Bermuda Monetary Authority
The Bermuda Monetary Authority (Authority or BMA) regulates Bermuda’s financial services sector.
The Authority was established by statute in 1969. Its role has evolved over the years to meet changing needs in the financial services sector. Today it supervises, regulates and inspects financial institutions operating in the jurisdiction. It also issues Bermuda’s national currency, manages exchange control transactions, assists other authorities with the detection and prevention of financial crime, and advises Government on banking and other financial and monetary matters.
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