ADELAIDE, AUS, Apr 29, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Agilex Biolabs, Australia's largest and most technologically advanced specialist bioanalytical laboratory for clinical trials, and B2S Life Sciences, a biotherapeutic enablement company advancing improved analytical methods and outcomes for developers of biotherapeutic drugs and diagnostics, shared key ways to navigate the immunogenicity and biomarker requirements for clinical trials via webinar.
"Hot Topics in Immunoassay Bioanalysis - Key points in navigating the immunogenicity and biomarker requirements for clinical trials" was presented by Endpoints Webinars on April 6. Hosted by Endpoints Editor Arsalan Arif, the webinar featured Dr Kurt J. Sales, Agilex Biolabs' Director of Immunoassay, Ronald R. Bowsher PhD, Partner and Chief Scientific Officer at B2S Life Sciences, and Amy Rosen, Associate Director of Statistics at B2S.
The panel shared insights from many years working in immunoassay bioanalysis for clinical trials. Ronald R. Bowsher said B2S has been working with Agilex Biolabs for more than four years, "Our relationship has evolved very well, and we understand each other's needs. And despite the geographic differences, I think we've had a very productive collaboration serving Agilex Biolabs' customers," he said.
Dr Kurt J. Sales said, "Our world-class laboratories feature state-of-the-art equipment including Gyrolab Xplore, MSD Quickplex 120, Luminex Magpix, BD FACSymphony A3 flow cytometer and soon to be released, digital droplet quantitative real-time RT-PCR, while our scientists have experience in solving the most complex immunogenicity and drug tolerance issues, often encountered in immuno-oncology studies in both an early phase and later phase setting."
Agilex Biolabs specialises in bioanalysis of small molecules and biologics for PK, immunogenicity, biomarkers and immunological pharmacodynamics assessments utilising LC-MS/MS, immunoassay (Mesoscale, Gyrolab, Luminex) and flow cytometry (BD FACSymphony A3, 20 colour cell analyser), and has leading certifications including OECD GLP Recognition with NATA (Australian Government OECD GLP Compliance monitoring authority) and ISO 17025 Accreditation for global recognition.
Australian clinical trials have remained open for business. Agilex Biolabs, a designated essential service so clients can be assured of study continuity, can assist international clients with a rebate of up to 43.5% on clinical trial bioanalytical services spend as part of the Australian Government clinical trial attraction program. The company has recently expanded its labs by more than 30% to accommodate biotech demand from APAC and the USA. Watch the new lab video walkthrough here: https://youtu.be/WNdPGkdr9FA.
Agilex Biolabs, Australia's leading bioanalytical laboratory, has more than 20 years' experience in performing regulated bioanalysis, including quality method development, method validation and sample analysis services. We have successfully supported hundreds of preclinical and clinical trials around the world where customers choose Australia for the streamlined regulatory process and access to the world's most attractive R&D rebate of more than 40% on clinical trial work conducted in Australia. We offer services for both small molecules and biologics for PK, immunogenicity (PD) and biomarker bioanalysis utilising the two platforms of LC-MS/MS and Immunoassay.
EMD Serono Announces New Data Strengthening Evidence for Use of MAVENCLAD® During the COVID-19 Pandemic
New analysis indicates a specific immune repopulation pattern in people treated with PrMAVENCLAD®, which may allow the ability to fight infections and develop protective antibodies from vaccine 1
Independent study from Israel showed MAVENCLAD-treated patients receiving COVID-19 vaccine were able to mount antibody response similar to that of healthy subjects 2
Updated safety data show MAVENCLAD-treated patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 continue to have a disease course similar to the general population 3
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 28, 2021 /CNW/ - EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, announced a new analysis from the MAGNIFY-MS sub-study showing a specific immune repopulation pattern in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) treated with MAVENCLAD® (cladribine) tablets, which may allow the ability to fight infections and develop protective antibodies from vaccines.1 The data were presented at the 2021 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting that was held virtually April 17 – 22, 2021.
In the MAGNIFY-MS study, reduction of memory B cells occurred as early as one month after MAVENCLAD initiation with lowest levels sustained for up to 12 months, while naïve B cells, which are typically required for the generation of antibody responses following vaccination, began recovering immediately.1 Previously shared data from MAGNIFY-MS indicated that patients receiving MAVENCLAD are able to mount responses to influenza and varicella zoster vaccines, irrespective of lymphocyte count. 4,5
"The findings presented at AAN further our understanding of how this treatment impacts the immune system, and how it may exert a therapeutic effect in patients with multiple sclerosis – a particularly important finding at this time," said Caroline Lemieux, PhD, Regional Medical Director of Neurology & Immunology, North America at EMD Serono. "In addition to addressing MS relapses and progression, the data shows that patients may be able to continue with their regular MS management while mounting a vaccine response".
In addition, a recent independent study conducted by Anat Achiron, MD, PhD, FAAN and colleagues, The Multiple Sclerosis Center at Sheba Medical Centre and Sackler School of Medicine Tel Aviv University, Israel, and recently published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, shows that patients who have taken MAVENCLAD were able to generate COVID-19 antibodies following the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech administered as early as 4.4 months after last MAVENCLAD dosing.2 The observational analysis showed that all 23 MS patients treated with MAVENCLAD who received the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine developed a protective SARS-COV-2 IgG antibody response [antibody titer >1.1 is considered positive; median=7.0], which was similar to the comparison group of MS patients not receiving any immunomodulatory treatments and healthy subjects.2 No unexpected safety findings post first and second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination were identified in MS patients, according to another recent publication in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal.6
The ability to mount an adequate immune response is critical as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts patients living with chronic disease around the world. As published in theMultiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders(MSaRD), an updated post-market safety analysis provided a look at outcomes from cases of COVID-19 in MAVENCLAD-treated patients. The safety database analysis included cases of confirmed (n=160) or suspected (n=101) COVID-19 in MAVENCLAD-treated patients. Based on the analysis, the majority of patients had mild to moderate respiratory symptoms, and none required mechanical ventilation. MAVENCLAD-treated patients had a similar disease course with COVID-19 compared with the general population who acquired COVID-19.7
"Our aim is for Canadian MS patients to be able to live their lives with as much normalcy as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Manuel Zafra, Managing Director, EMD Serono. "We're pleased that the data shows encouraging initial evidence for patients on this treatment course."
About MAVENCLAD MAVENCLAD (cladribine) is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with RRMS to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations and delay the progression of disability. MAVENCLAD is generally recommended in MS patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, one or more therapies for multiple sclerosis.
MAVENCLAD has been approved in over 80 countries including the United States, European Union (EU), Australia and Switzerland, for various relapsing MS indications.
The clinical development program of MAVENCLAD in MS comprises more than 12,000 patient years of data with over 2,700 patients included in the clinical trial program, and up to 10 years of observation in some patients. These clinical trials include the Phase III CLARITY, CLARITY extension and ORACLE MS trials, the Phase II ONWARD trial and the PREMIERE Long-term Safety Registry.
About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative autoimmune disease in which the myelin sheath around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord are inflamed and often damaged.8 It is estimated that approximately 2.8 million people have MS worldwide.9Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world with approximatly, 12 Canadians diagnosed with MS everyday.10While symptoms vary, the most common symptoms of MS include extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes.11 The relapsing forms of MS are the most common type at the time of diagnosis.12
About EMD Serono, Canada EMD Serono, Canada, is the Canadian biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. EMD Serono, Canada has integrated cutting-edge science, innovative products and devices, and industry-leading patient support and access programs. EMD Serono, Canada has deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as a robust pipeline of potential therapies in neurology, oncology, immunology and immuno-oncology. Today, EMD Serono, Canada has more than 100 employees across Canada with headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.
About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark "Merck" internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company's technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.
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1 Wiendl H, Schmierer K, Hodgkinson S, et al. Characterization of Peripheral Immune Cell Dynamics and Repopulation Patterns in the First 12 Months of Cladribine Tablets Treatment: MAGNIFY-MS Study. S11.004. AAN Virtual Annual Meeting. 17 – 22 April 2021. 2 Achiron A, Mandel M, Dreyer-Alster S, et al. Humoral immune response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies. Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders. April 2021;14:1-8 https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864211012835 3 Giovannoni G, Berger J, Leist T, et al. Updated Post-Approval Safety of Cladribine Tablets in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, With Particular Reference to Respiratory Viral Infections in COVID-19. P15. AAN Virtual Annual Meeting. 17 – 22 April 2021. 4 Roy S, Boschert U. Analysis of Influenza and Varicella Zoster Virus Vaccine Antibody Titers in Patients with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated with Cladribine Tablets. P059. ACTRIMS Virtual Forum 2021. 25-27 February 2021. 5 Wu GF, Boschert U, Hayward B, et al. Evaluating The Impact Of Cladribine Tablets On The Development Of Antibody Titres: Interim Results from the CLOCK-MS Influenza Vaccine Sub-Study. P071. ACTRIMS Virtual Forum 2021. 25-27 February 2021. 6 Achiron A, Dolev M, Menascu S, et al. COVID-19 vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis: What we have learnt by February 2021. Multiple Sclerosis Journal. 2021;1-7 https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585211003476 7 Jack D, Damian D, Nolting A, et al. COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with cladribine tablets: An update. MSaRD. 2021;(51):102929 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2021.102929 8 MS Society of Canada. What is MS. Accessed April 26, 2021. Available at https://mssociety.ca/about-ms/what-is-ms 9 MS International Federation. Atlas of MS. Accessed April 26, 2021. Available at https://www.msif.org/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/advocacy/atlas/. 10 MS Society of Canada. About MS. What is MS. Accessed April 26, 2021. Available at https://mssociety.ca/about-ms/what-is-ms 11 Ibid 12 MS Society of Canada. About MS. Types. Accessed April 26, 2021. Available at https://mssociety.ca/about-ms/types
SOURCE EMD Serono, Canada
TELUS Health launches next evolution of its national employer-focused Virtual Care service
Enhanced service focused on personal human connections; brings together best-in-class features of its Akira by TELUS Health and EQ Care virtual care services
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TELUS Health, Canada’s largest health IT company and the leading provider of virtual care services for business and consumers across Canada, today announced the launch of TELUS Health Virtual Care - the next evolution of its national, employer-focused virtual care service. TELUS Health Virtual Care is built on more than 35 years of combined experience delivering healthcare services to Canadians by merging the best-in-class capabilities and features of Akira by TELUS Health -- the company’s bilingual, on-demand virtual care service; and EQ Care -- its recently acquired virtual care company that delivers specialized virtual care functionalities and advanced employee assistance features like LifeJourney. This robust virtual care service provides more than 2.8M Canadians, with confidential access to nearly 500 healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines to support every step of their healthcare journey. Further, through a recent integration, TELUS Health Virtual Care is also the first service in Canada to be able to securely share patient information, with appropriate consent, with any one of the 30,000 clinicians using a TELUS Health EMR providing care to the patient ensuring improved continuity of care.
“In this time of rapid innovation and the accelerated adoption of digital healthcare services across the country, we’re excited about this next phase in evolution of virtual care prioritizing interconnectivity and improving health outcomes,” said François Gratton, executive vice president, TELUS and group president, TELUS Health. “Supported by our extensive presence across Canada’s health industry and more than 35 years of combined leadership in health technology, our TELUS Health Virtual Care service is in a category of its own when it comes to offering Canadian employees compassionate, end-to-end, human interactions throughout every step of their care journey and access to healthcare professionals on demand.”
With the pandemic shifting the way many Canadians work and blurring the boundaries of work and home life, services like TELUS Health Virtual Care allow Canadian employers to:
Support their employees’ physical and mental health Timely access to care with numerous provincially regulated restrictions continues to be a challenge for many, exacerbating mental health issues. The 2020 TELUS Health Virtual Healthcare Industry Report showed that 56 per cent of Canadians have reported negative impacts to their mental health since the outbreak of the global pandemic. TELUS Health Virtual Care offers not only non-emergent primary care support, but also mental health and allied health services so employees can get the care they need where and when they need it.
Increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, and minimize benefits costs Seventy per cent of virtual care consults are initiated during the workday and 85 per cent of health concerns are resolved without an in-person visit. That means services that enable employees to remotely access care from anywhere reduces time spent away from work. Addressing health concerns immediately also helps avoid worsening conditions that could lead to higher benefits costs.
Provide seamless continuity of care With consent, TELUS Health Virtual Care can be seamlessly integrated with medical charts managed by clinicians who use a TELUS Health EMR allowing patient information to be securely exchanged between the patient’s care team. This helps in preventing gaps in patient care and allows for more timely interventions, which are crucial in treating chronic conditions; a recent Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey has shown that poor chronic disease management has been linked to issues with workplace productivity, absenteeism, and disability leaves. For employees without a family doctor but needing in-person care for non-emergent issues, TELUS Health Virtual Care can refer them to a physician at one of its more than 15 TELUS Health Care Centres across the country.
Recruit and retain top talent In a talent-driven market, competitive salaries are no longer enough. Increasingly, employees are looking for benefits that help them proactively maintain and manage their health. In fact, 67 per cent of millennials say they want virtual care access and 77 per cent of Canadian employees would consider changing jobs for an employer who provides better support for their mental health and wellbeing.
Benefit from a proven ecosystem of solutions and services For more than a decade, TELUS Health has built an ecosystem unlike any other company in Canada working with health authorities, community partners, and stakeholders to ensure a more sustainable healthcare system. Leveraging its vast network infrastructure and through guidance from its team of medical experts on the TELUS Medical Advisory Council, the company continues to drive innovation not only through programs and digital services, but also through the delivery of high quality medical care for Canadians regardless of their socio-economic status. Such initiatives include -- Home Health Monitoring which enables safe, at-home recovery from COVID-19 or other illnesses; and Health for Good that brings primary care to marginalized populations across the country. Each initiative is underpinned in a human-first, medically-credible approach and meets or exceeds the highest standards for security and privacy by design.
With virtual care as a key component to modern health benefits plans, TELUS Health Virtual Care serves as a valuable complementary service to TELUS Health Benefits Management offerings, enabling insurance providers, advisors, and employers to offer holistic health benefits plans that meet the evolving needs of Canada’s workforce.
With more than $3 billion invested in health to date, TELUS Health continues to expand its suite of virtual care services -- from remote patient monitoring technology and EMR-integrated solutions to consumer virtual care services covered by provincial healthcare plans -- furthering its mission of transforming the healthcare system through the power of technology and empowering every person to live their healthiest life.
About TELUS Health TELUS Health is a leader in digital health technology, providing virtual care, home health monitoring, electronic medical and health records, benefits and pharmacy management, and personal emergency response services. By leveraging the power of technology to deliver connected solutions and services, TELUS Health is improving access to care and revolutionizing the flow of information while facilitating collaboration, efficiency, and productivity for physicians, pharmacists, health authorities, allied healthcare professionals, insurers, employers, and citizens, to progress its vision of transforming healthcare and empowering people to live healthier lives.
Through the TELUS Health Care Centres, teams of renowned and passionate healthcare professionals deliver best-in-class patient-centric care to thousands of Canadian employers, professionals, and families in more than 15 medical clinics located across the country.
Don’t Let Your Vet Pay the Ultimate Price: Happy Vet Happy Pet Delivers Life-Saving Insights
Atlanta, GA, April 28, 2021 — If you have a pet, then you have a vet. And if you know a vet, you know someone statistically at a higher risk of anxiety, depression and even suicide. But you have the power to positively impact — and even save — that veterinarian’s life, asserts Sandy Weaver, author and Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness.
Her groundbreaking new book, Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver, outlines three simple rules that all pet owners should follow when interacting with their pet’s veterinarian.
“I’ve known for years, as have those in the veterinary field, that there was an issue with suicide and veterinarians,” Sandy says. “Then in early 2019, the CDC report on veterinary suicide was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and what had been anecdotal became data: male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely, and female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely, to complete suicide than their non-veterinarian peers.”
Happy Vet Happy Pet is a distillation of Sandy’s research into neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology mixed with data from the CDC report. The result is an impactful approach that weaves easy-to-understand science with stories that touch the minds and the hearts of pet owners — empowering them to be part of the solution.
Chapters dive deep into topics all pet owners should understand, including:
1. The heart, mind and life of a person who decides to become a veterinarian; 2. The very human, very vulnerable person behind the scrubs; 3. The ways clients unknowingly mistreat their pets’ caregivers; 4. Three simple rules to follow to help your veterinary team; and 5. What to do if you feel that someone near you is facing suicidal desperation.
Happy Vet Happy Pet will change your relationship with your veterinarian and their team forever. And what you learn in this book could save your veterinarian's life.
Author Sandy Weaver is an expert speaker, trainer, mastermind facilitator and lover of all things dog.
As the Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness, Sandy creates the training programs, workshops, mastermind groups and keynotes that help people lead happier, more successful lives. She is also a citizen-scientist in the fields of neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology. In 2019, she took the resilience tools and strategies she’d been teaching to general audiences and crafted programs specifically for veterinary teams. Her goal is to touch the life of every veterinarian and technician in a way that helps them avoid the pain and despair that comes with an inability to manage stress.
Now in her 40th year of Siberian Husky ownership, Sandy is a passionate advocate for veterinarians and their teams and an ongoing donor to Not One More Vet.
Serendipity Illuminates Ways to Prosper from Unexpected Events
San Diego, CA, April 28, 2021 — Happy accidents led to the invention of many things that we take for granted, such as the microwave oven, the phonograph and the curiously resilient CorningWare dishes. Maybe you don’t aspire to inventing a life-changing consumer product, but perhaps you’d like to switch career paths, meet new people or learn a new skill. Serendipity is all around you, and it can help you achieve personal and professional growth.
“In addition to the occasional case of the monumental, unexpected occurrence that may be researched and exploited, situations may arise that also lead to a useful and/or profitable outcome,” says Neil J. Farber, MD. “One can know what one wants to achieve but be unable to get to that outcome. … sometimes by chance, the way to proceed may appear.”
Dr. Farber’s new book, Serendipity: Utilizing Everyday Unexpected Events to Improve Your Life and Career, thoroughly explores the role that serendipity could play in our lives and explains that recognizing serendipitous events is better achieved with a certain set of skills.
“You have to have a mind-set that allows you to think that such events canhappen,” he explains, adding that by practicing self-awareness and cultivating keen visual and auditory observational skills, we are more likely to spot even the most subtle of serendipitous happenings.
Serendipity describes how to understand the different types of serendipitous events and how they are common to all of us; how to recognize these events when they do occur; how to acquire the skills necessary to become more aware of serendipity; how to “connect the dots” to bring the serendipitous event to a fortuitous conclusion (that is, what skills, assistance and resources may be necessary); and what to do with the end product or idea if it is profitable, or as sometimes happens, when it is not.
Dr. Farber uses events recorded in literature and the history books, as well as events that have occurred in his own personal and professional life to create a helpful guide for recognizing and turning common events into meaningful moments.
Author Neil J. Farber is a Professor Emeritus of Clinical Medicine at University of California, San Diego, and a docent at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. He has been an academic internal medicine physician for 40 years, teaching, researching and providing patient care in medical schools initially on the East Coast. For the past 12 years, he was Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of California, San Diego, retiring at the end of April 2019. He has received numerous awards, including Top Doctor of San Diego five times, and is a member of the FDA Non-Prescription Drug Advisory Committee. He has published over 60 research papers and has had a multitude of serendipitous events occur, which have significantly (and positively) influenced his career and his personal life.
Serendipity: Utilizing Everyday Unexpected Events to Improve Your Life and Career Publisher: Boyle & Dalton
Inspiring Stories of Real People Who Turned Pain into Purpose
Los Angeles, CA, April 28, 2021 — In the aftermath of hardship or trauma, it’s perfectly natural to enter what Dr. Randall Bell terms the “Dive Stage.” After all, the rug has just been pulled out from under you. But with the right strategies, it’s possible to not only get back up and find your footing, but to also use the experience to grow in entirely new directions.
“How do you take that energy from the trauma and tap into it to do something really remarkable that you wouldn’t have done otherwise?” asks Dr. Bell.
Stories of real people (many of them familiar) who have done exactly that unfold in his latest book, Post-Traumatic Thriving: The Art, Science, & Stories of Resilience.
Among the inspirational journeys Dr. Bell shares are:
• A deaf man with a glass eye invented the electric guitar and became a household name, remarkably wealthy and most importantly, happy.
• A convicted murderer took responsibility for the damage he caused, graduated with honors from college, became a minister and turned around the hearts of the most hardened criminals.
• A girl born with cerebral palsy landed the world’s first starring role on national television and spoke at the White House three times.
• A woman hid in a basement for years and lost her entire family in the Holocaust. She eventually found true love and paints stunning artwork.
• The sister of a murder victim helped millions of women in toxic domestic relationships.
• A woman’s car crash resulted in an addiction to prescription drugs, a divorce, a loss of her children and a cot in a homeless shelter. She has rebuilt it all back and more.
• A man set to go to the Olympics had his hopes dashed by Jimmy Carter and went on to build a worldwide business empire.
Dr. Bell juxtaposes outcomes of scientific studies with these stories to reveal common denominators among “thrivers.” He divides his insights into three sections: The Dive Stage, The Survive Stage and The Thrive Stage, and outlines a step-by-step process toward authentic healing.
Post-Traumatic Thriving documents the science of happiness, as well as the individual styles and common thread that all post-traumatic thrivers have to emerge with a fulfilling life. When trauma hits, your most significant decision will be to dive, survive or thrive. If you choose to thrive, this book is for you.
As a socio-economist, Dr. Randall Bell has consulted on more disasters on earth than anyone in history and is widely considered the world’s top authority in the field of post-traumatic thriving. His clients include the Federal Government, State Governments, International Tribunals, major corporations and homeowners. Dr. Bell believes that “the problem is not the problem — the problem is how we react to the problem.”
Often called the “Master of Disaster,” Dr. Bell is squarely focused on authentic recovery and resilience. His research has been profiled on major television shows and featured in numerous magazines and the international media. More information can be found at www.posttraumaticthriving.com.
Post-Traumatic Thriving: The Art, Science, & Stories of Resilience
Merck Canada and MaRS Announce Winners of the Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge
Challenge participants presented solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes and reducing time between diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer patients
Challenge winners includethe Kingston Health Sciences Centre and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, with solutions to help improve timely access to specialized care in rural South Eastern Ontario and accelerate lung cancer diagnosis and treatment through liquid biopsy
KIRKLAND, QC, April 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Merck Canada and MaRS Discovery District (MaRS) are proud to announce the winners of the Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge: the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), competition winner and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, runner up winner. The competition, which launched in January 2021, challenged Ontario-based innovators to identify, implement and scale solutions that could help enhance the lung cancer patient journey by seeking to reduce the length of time between diagnosis and treatment, and enable improved treatment outcomes, especially for priority patient groups such as rural and lower socioeconomic populations.
In 2020, approximately 30,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in Canada and more than 21,000 people died of the disease.1 Alarmingly, the survival rate for lung cancer is among the lowest of all types of cancer and approximately half of all cases are diagnosed at stage 4, further worsening chances of survival.1,2
"From diagnosis to treatment, lung cancer patients face a huge number of access barriers, which may ultimately impact their health outcomes. Today this has been even further exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said AnnA Van Acker, President and Managing Director at Merck Canada. "As a patient-centric biotech company with a passion for and a focus on saving and improving lives, we know we need to play our part in finding solutions for patients, and that is why we partnered with MaRS on the Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge. We are very grateful and feel inspired by all participants who brought forth unique and innovative solutions. Together, we have the power to transform lung cancer care for the better!"
"We have been incredibly inspired by all of the solutions presented during the challenge," said Alex Ryan, SVP, Partner Solutions at MaRS. "As North America's largest innovation hub, our focus at MaRS is on empowering new ideas that drive change, and this challenge has really showcased the best of local talent and of ingenuity. We hope that these winning solutions will grow and act as a blueprint to help improve outcomes for Ontario lung cancer patients."
Lung cancer's impact is particularly acute in Ontario, where an estimated 35 per cent of Canada's new lung cancer cases in 2020 were diagnosed.3 However, on a positive note, Ontario is also a hub for best-in-class life sciences talent, with incubators, research organizations, private enterprises and academic institutions. More than half of Canada's Research and Development spending in the life sciences sector happens in Ontario and the province has been a driver for major breakthroughs in healthcare.4
"Ontario is a world-class centre for talent and innovative ideas," said Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. "The challenge has been a great opportunity for Ontario-based innovators to showcase their skills and demonstrate the power of collaboration across different perspectives with the common goal of supporting lung cancer patients."
"Now more than ever, we need innovation and new ideas to better our healthcare system," said Nina Tangri, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade. "On behalf of the Ontario Government, I would like to thank Merck Canada, MaRS and all of the participants for joining forces to launch this competition and to help improve outcomes for lung cancer patients."
Competition winner – The Kingston Health Sciences Centre
$100,000 prize
KHSC runs the Lung Diagnostic Assessment Program, a rapid assessment clinic for patients with suspected lung cancer in South Eastern Ontario. The team won the competition with their solution to launch an outreach clinic in the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital, a community hospital located in a rural region of South Eastern Ontario.
Through the outreach clinic, patients referred to the program for evaluation of a suspected diagnosis of lung cancer and who live in Napanee or further west in Ontario will have the opportunity to select the community hospital as the site at which their first consultation with a respirologist can take place, versus needing to travel to the KHSC. Patients will undergo initial diagnostic and staging investigations locally where possible with more complex and sophisticated procedures being coordinated centrally through KHSC where required.
"Our team is composed of a multidisciplinary group of individuals with expertise in quality improvement and epidemiology, and we're constantly looking for opportunities to collaborate and improve through innovation," said Dr. Geneviève C. Digby, Respirologist, Clinical Lead for the Diagnostic Assessment Programs at KHSC and team representative. "Together, we've launched several innovative system solutions to address local delays in lung cancer care during the diagnostic phase. We would like to thank this challenge for giving us a platform to present our proposal for this new outreach program, which will help more Ontarians diagnosed with lung cancer get timely access to specialized care."
Competition runner-up - The Lung Cancer Site Group at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
$50,000 prize
The Lung Cancer Site Group at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre - one of the top five cancer research centres in the world - came in second place with their proposal to help significantly reduce the time between diagnosis and treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Their solution proposes the use of a liquid biopsy versus the conventional diagnostic pathway of molecular testing of tumour tissue after imaging and biopsy.
The team proposes that this "blood-first" approach could enable faster turnaround time for molecular results, as blood samples can be processed while patients await their diagnostic tissue biopsy. Molecular information from liquid biopsies can help diagnose and discover molecular targets faster than with standard tissue biopsy and tissue testing, which could allow patients to start treatment faster than through the conventional diagnostic pathway.
"Our team at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is passionate about getting the right treatment to the right person as soon as possible," said Dr. Natasha B. Leighl, Thoracic Medical Oncology Site Lead, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and team representative. "We are testing whether our solution to incorporate liquid biopsy into our Lung Cancer Rapid Assessment and Management Program will help get patients to treatment faster, with fewer delays and avoiding extra tests. This could change the way we diagnose lung cancer in Ontario, and have a positive impact for patients."
Please go here for more information and to learn more about the winning solutions.
About Merck For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world.
About MaRS MaRS is North America's largest urban innovation hub. A registered non-profit, MaRS supports high-growth startups and scale-ups tackling key issues in health, cleantech, fintech and other sectors. In addition, MaRS convenes all members of the tech ecosystem to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy and make an impact by solving real problems for real people — in Canada and around the world.
Fully vaccinated? How to Keep Yourself COVID-Safe After Vaccination
CurexLab, a provider of approved COVID-19 PPE and lab supplies, offers tips on how to stay safe after vaccination
NEW YORK, New York – (April 28, 2021) – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been over 212 million COVID vaccinations administered around the country. As millions of people get the vaccine, they may still be wondering how they can continue to minimize their risks of contracting the virus. The good news is that there are ways to help reduce risks and keep healthy.
“It’s a great idea to get the vaccine, but getting it doesn’t mean you can completely let your guard down,” explains Shan S. Haider, chief executive officer of CurexLab, one of the largest suppliers of COVID-19 PPE and lab supplies. “The vaccine is the first step in protecting yourself, but there are other things you can do to keep you and your family healthy.”
First, it’s important for people to know what being “fully vaccinated” means. Getting the vaccine doesn’t mean that one has reached full vaccination. According to the CDC, people are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received their final vaccine. For those who have received the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, that would mean two weeks after their second dose. For those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that would be two weeks after their one shot.
Additional things that you can do to stay COVID-safe after being fully vaccinated include:
Continuing to make hand washing a priority.
Wearing a mask in public places where there will be others nearby.
Avoiding large crowds and especially those that are indoors or are in poorly ventilated areas.
Avoid those who may be at an increased risk for COVID or other illnesses.
Adopt healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating healthy, getting plenty of physical activity, and losing weight if you have extra pounds.
When traveling, be sure to take sanitizing wipes along to clean your immediate area, such as on an airplane, and take hand sanitizer with you for when you can’t find a sink right away.
“The more we can make these things a regular part of our lives, the safer we will be,” added Haider. “Once fully vaccinated, we can start getting back to our normal lives, but it’s also wise to take some precautions, especially if you are in a higher risk category.”
Beginning June 2021, CurexLab will be offering a travel kit, which has been designed for travelers who are exposed to crowds and would like to clean and sanitize their immediate area. The travel kit includes two disposable 3-ply masks, two pair of gloves, 10 wet wipe sachets, and 10 sanitizer gel sachets.
CurexLab Inc., pioneers in clinical diagnostic kits, offers a range of COVID-19 PPE supplies and lab supplies at affordable costs. Its product line includes antibody rapid testing kits, RNA COVID-19 extraction kits, inferred thermometers, ventilators, face shields, hand sanitizer, nitrile gloves, KN95 masks, three and four-ply masks, isolation and surgical gowns, and coveralls. To get more information or see the line of COVID-19 PPE and lab supplies, visit the site at: https://www.curexlab.com.
About CurexLab Inc.
Based in New York City, CurexLab Inc. offers a range of COVID-19 lab and PPE supplies. It is one of the largest suppliers of COVID-19 medical supplies, including nitrile gloves and four-ply masks. CurexLab masks were designed in compliance with FDA and CDC guidelines. It is a vendor at the state and federal government level. Its products are manufactured in labs in the U.S., Canada, Turkey, Estonia, Vietnam, and China. All vendors are carefully selected to meet CureXLab’s high standards. To get more information or see the line of COVID-19 PPE and lab supplies, visit the site at: https://www.curexlab.com.
Nursing shortage in South Florida has healthcare facilities scrambling to counter the talent drain
LifeWings Peak Performance is hosting a quickly arranged webinar in response to a critical situation aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (April 28, 2021) – There is a nursing shortage in South Florida that is undeniably of crisis proportions. Health care providers, who are on the front lines of this life-endangering problem, said today that they are determined to reverse the staffing shortage.
The South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association are teaming up with LifeWings Peak Performance and holding an urgently needed two-day virtual discussion on May 12-13. Florida's leaders in the profession will, in a quick-hit format, address why nursing vacancies in this region of the state are quickly rising and putting the quality of care in jeopardy.
“To begin with, the stress of working in healthcare for the past 15 or 20 years has become quite untenable," said presenter; Dr. Andrew Grose, Orthopedic Surgeon/Hospital for Special Surgery. “The pandemic is just the spark on an already dry haystack.”
The combination of on-the-job stress and the added burden of the COVID-19 pandemic at times overwhelming critical care providers are pushing nurses either out of Florida and a better work environment, more lucrative opportunities or out of the profession entirely.
“Some healthcare systems have lost 300 to 500 nurses, longtime trained staff to other states,” said Senior Vice President Richard Doss of LifeWings, which is putting on the two 30-minute sessions aimed at reviewing what can be done in the short-term and more systemically to reverse the talent drain.
“There are massive incentives for these healthcare professionals to leave,” Doss said. “Other states are preying on South Florida and getting nurses, lab workers, and respiratory therapists to relocate for three months to work for triple pay and take the rest of the year off.”
Doss said the crisis is significantly affecting what he calls "the casual and part-time nursing workforce who is in their 50s and 60s."
Unlike their younger colleagues, who are more willing to relocate, the more veteran nurses who have scaled back late in their careers, "they are finding that their mom or dad has COVID and don't want to work anymore. Or they contracted COVID and don't want to work anymore. It's a hassle and stressful."
Doss said the intensive care and critical care units are being impacted more than other medical services.
“These are high-intensity areas where you are admitting many COVID patients,” he said. “It's not easy to replace these kinds of nurses with a brand new one out of school.
Dr. Grose acknowledges that the stress of the job and non-competitive pay only explain a few reasons why markets across the country are losing nurses.
“Anytime people are leaving to go somewhere else, they are feeling they will be more appreciated in any sense of that word, financially or in terms of support at work or serving a community that they feel cares about them,” Grose said.
“Most hospitals acknowledge theirs a communication disconnect, especially during a crisis,” he said. “The frontline workers know a lot about the work and need to be listened to. And the leaders know about the organizational stuff and budgeting, but they have to listen to their workers.”
A Nurse Grid survey reports the percentage of nurses reporting burnout exploding to 61 percent from April to December 2020. 40 percent are concerned about their mental health and 22 percent stated they plan to leave bedside care or the nursing field entirely in 2021.
SFHHA Webinars At-A-Glance
What: Florida’s Healthcare Workers Crisis Who: The South Florida Hospital Association & Life Wings Peak Performance Team When: May 12 & 13th, 2021 / Times both Days: 930am to 1030am ET Why: Top, Florida Healthcare Leaders, address Staffing Stress and Burnout Issues
The two-day webinar is built around an open-ended conversation to share what's been working where nurses are retained and not working at particular hospitals and healthcare systems. Several experts, one a former healthcare chief operating officer and another a top human factors expert, will participate.
There will also be a question-and-answer period, including a Chief Nursing Officer from South Florida on hand to share her insight.
We have a crisis throughout American healthcare,” Dr. Grose said. “Add in the pandemic, and it’s like turning on the light and seeing all the cockroaches. They were always there.”
Attention reporters & editors – All newsmakers involved in this educational initiative are available to be scheduled for interviews. To make coordinating easy and hassle-free – contact Robb Leer publicist Robbl@leercommunication.com or call 612.701.0608
About LifeWings Peak Performance:
LifeWings Peak Performance LLC, based in Minneapolis with additional offices in Miami, comprises an exceptional team of physicians, nurses, pilots, engineers, and healthcare executives. It relies on methodologies used in commercial and military aviation, nuclear power, and cutting-edge manufacturing to assist healthcare organizations in creating safe, efficient, and high-performing hospitals and clinics. Our team has more than 400 years of combined experience designing and implementing high-reliability communication, operations, and payer systems for hospitals, clinics, and insurance carriers. For more information, visit https://www.LifeWingsPP.com/.
About South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association:
South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association membership accurately reflects the diversity in South Florida and focuses on issues unique to our community. As a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to improve the efficient delivery of quality healthcare services to our communities by championing collaboration and communication among leaders across the healthcare continuum. For more information, visit https://www.sfhha.com/about-us/
MS Society of Canada Awards $1 Million to Research Study on Utilizing Artificial Intelligence to Support Treatment Decisions in Multiple Sclerosis
Dr. Douglas Arnold from The Neuro at McGill University receives AI & MS Discovery Grant supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment
TORONTO, April 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is pleased to announce that Dr. Douglas Arnold is the recipient of the $1 million Artificial Intelligence (AI) & MS Discovery Grant supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment. Dr. Arnold and his research team at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) at McGill University aim to develop a clinical decision support tool using AI to help multiple sclerosis (MS) physicians and people living with MS make better, more personalized treatment decisions by providing reliable predictions of the individual’s disease course, and how they are likely to respond to different types of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).
“We are entering a new era in which 'Big Data' and increasing computer power are making it possible to develop artificial intelligence methods capable of predicting how individual MS patients will do in the future and how they will respond to specific treatments. Clinicians cannot make such predictions at present. Integrating AI into the clinic will allow clinicians to adapt treatments to each individual patient’s unique circumstances, to help ensure a better outcome. We are very grateful to the MS Society and the TD Bank Group for their commitment to support this effort,” says Dr. Arnold, researcher at The Neuro.
The AI & MS Discovery Grant program was launched in 2019 with the generous contribution of TD, to help seek transformative ideas that leverage existing clinical and patient data and potential of AI to optimize treatment and prognosis for people living with MS.
"Through the TD Ready Commitment, our global corporate citizenship platform, TD is proud to support the MS Society and this grant to leverage technology in research and help improve health outcomes and quality of life for thousands of Canadians living with MS. Congratulations to Dr. Arnold on being awarded the AI & MS Discovery Grant. We look forward to the development of the clinical decision tool that will support more personalized care and open up new treatments to tackle this disease," says Andrea Barrack, global head, sustainability and corporate citizenship, TD Bank Group.
The research project will use an AI approach called ‘deep learning’ and clinical and imaging data collected from over 10,000 people with MS who participated in clinical trials over the last 20 years to develop an evidence-based clinical decision support tool. The tool aims to provide predictions on future lesion formation as viewed by MRI, future relapses, and future increases in disability, along with a measure of how certain one can be about these predictions. By understanding the likelihood of response to various DMTs, patients and clinicians can make more informed decisions early in the disease about the most effective treatments, which has the potential to change the trajectory of their disease.
“This is an exciting project that focuses on harnessing state of the art technology in AI to support evidence-based decisions for both the clinician and the person living with MS,” says Dr. Pamela Valentine, president and CEO, MS Society of Canada. “This technology has the potential to empower both MS physicians and people with MS in shared decision making about the best treatment choices earlier in the course of the disease in the hopes of achieving better health outcomes for the person living with MS.”
To learn more about this research project, please click here.
About multiple sclerosis and the MS Society of Canada
Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world. On average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed every day. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord). It is considered an episodic disability meaning that the severity and duration of illness and disability can vary and are often followed by periods of wellness. It can also be progressive. Most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and 49 and the unpredictable effects of the disease will last for the rest of their lives. The MS Society provides information, support and advocacy to people affected by MS, and funds research to find the cause and cure for the disease, bringing us closer to a world free of MS. Please visit mssociety.ca or call 1-800-268-7582 for more information, to get involved, or to support Canadians affected by MS by making a donation.
Join the conversation and connect with the MS community online. Find the MS Society on Twitter, Instagram or like our page on Facebook.
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