Category Archives: AFTNews

PRNews

Vista Launches VTO, Providing High-end Health Care Services To High Net-worth Individuals In China

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ –To cater to the increasing demand for exclusive health care services among the Chinese high net-worth, Vista, a veteran with two decades of high-end medical service experience in China integrated its best medical resources and launched VISTA THE ONE (VTO), a private health care institution targeting high net-worth individuals and families.


VTO

China’s rapid economic development has created exponentially growing numbers of high net-worth individuals. The gradual aging of this group of people has opened the “private doctors” market in China. The targeted demographic of people is more willing to spend on decreasing their health risks in the future. Specifically, to reduce the uncertain threats on their accumulated wealth – the inheritance issues caused by sudden diseases has become one of their most pressing needs.

Yang Kaixiang, Chief Operating Officer of VTO said: “The significant advantages of VTO’s core services compared to the competitive market of “private doctors” lie in Vista’s unique position and experience. Having served China’s high-end community for over 20 years, Vista has absorbed the essence of high-end private doctor services from other countries. Vista has also accumulated affluent professional experience as well as gaining a profound understanding about the customers’ personalized needs. The highly customized service and products have been widely recognized by Vista customers.”

 “VTO provides its members exclusive healthcare services, for example, exclusive medical group, exclusive family follow up, 24/7 VIP hotlines”, added Yang. “In addition, standard VTO membership equips its owner global medical butler services, including top-tier doctors’ appointments around the world, VVIP services through the whole process and VIP priority access to any medical channels. VTO members are also entitled to Vista’s established world-wide emergency medical rescue service, namely the exclusive usage of Vista’s aviation medical plane.”

Besides the individual and family healthcare services for high-end VVIP customers, Vista operates the VTO member community collectively to build an ecosystem surrounding the idea of the “pan-health industry”, providing a communication platform for resource exchange, such as capital investment and business cooperation for elites.

In order to ensure that VTO members enjoy the high-end health services that matches their status, the conditions for joining are comparatively stricter, including no less than RMB 50 million net assets for an individual and no less than RMB 100 million net assets for families. VTO adopts an invitation only membership management model and applications are not accepted.

About Vista

Vista is the first medical institution to enter the “high-end medical” market in China. All its general doctors have more than 10 years of general practice training, with more than 20 years of practice experience. In 2016, Vista was named “The Most Popular Medical Institution” in China for embassies. Vista has signed up with more than 70 high-end commercial health insurance companies around the world, and has mature medical reception capabilities in 139 mainstream hospitals around the world. The Vista Air Rescue Team has accumulated more than 200 hours on its service record and is currently working as a sole medical partner in cooperation with the Chinese National Health Service Commission on the “One-Belt-One-Road” emergency rescue project, which provides Vista customers more effective medical protection in the countries along the belt and road.

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PRNews

Ondine’s President and CTO receives 2017 Clinical Research Excellence Award at Global IPA Conference

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Ondine Biomedical Inc. is pleased to announce that its President and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Nicolas Loebel, was the 2017 recipient of the International Photodynamic Association’s CLINICAL PDT RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD. The award was presented at the World Congress held in Coimbra, Portugal. The Coimbra World Congress was the 16th conference held by the International Photodynamic Association, marking 32 years of this global meeting. The IPA World Congresses, held every two years, are the leading PDT meetings bringing together members of the global photodynamic community in order to advance scientific and clinical research relating to photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapies.

“I am delighted to see that Dr. Loebel was duly recognized by his peers for his clinical advancement of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and track record of research excellence. This IPA recognition is well deserved.” stated Professor Michael Wilson, inventor of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. Professor Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at the Eastman Dental Institute in the Faculty of Medical Services of University College London (UCL). Professor Wilson was the first to successfully treat complex biofilm infections using antimicrobial PDT, demonstrating the potency of this technology against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a Canadian medical device company developing and commercializing antimicrobial photodynamic therapies to treat and prevent multidrug resistant infections. Dr. Nicolas Loebel and his team at Ondine Research Laboratories have developed 5 antimicrobial photodynamic products, including Periowave™ (oral infections), Sinuwave™ (sinus infections), MRSAid™ (nasal decolonization), Steriwave™ (skin infections) and Exelume™ (VAP reduction), positioning Ondine as the global leader in Photodisinfection based therapies.  More than 300,000 patients have been treated with Ondine’s technologies globally, demonstrating excellent clinical outcomes and safety profiles. For more information, please visit: www.ondinebio.com

Source: Ondine Biomedical Inc.

PRNews

Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Develops a New Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease

— Development of a new, innovative drug for Alzheimer’s disease overcoming the limits of existing medicines.

— Offering a new hope of developing a global cure for Alzheimer’s disease through technology transfer and clinical trial

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — As the world population is aging, the top priority of leading countries is to come up with solutions that can overcome dementia. Currently, a handful of anti-dementia drugs are used. But most of them just temporarily alleviate symptoms. Recently, there has been a series of failures of global candidate drugs that have been developed based on the conventional treatment mechanism. Due to the failures, now is a good time to develop a drug based on the root cause of dementia.

Through a fruitful collaboration, scientists at KIST, Ki-Duk Park, C. Justin Lee, and Ae-Nim Pae, developed a drug candidate for dementia with excellent drug-like properties and efficacy. The drug candidate (KDS2010) was based on the previous findings that reactive astrocytes, commonly found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, generate and secrete GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, causing memory impairment and cognitive impairment (Nature Medicine, 2014).

This synthetic drug developed by the researchers is a substance that can reduce the amount of abnormally produced GABA. It is a drug candidate that can dramatically improve memory and cognitive impairment of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

* GABA: One of the transmitters of the central nervous system of mammals with strong inhibitory effect on neuronal excitability.

Researchers dissolved the drug in water and fed the mice that are genetically modified to mimic Alzheimer’s disease. They conducted Morris water maze and passive avoidance experiments to check the mice’s memory. They found that cognitive functions of the Alzheimer’s mice returned to the normal state. Furthermore, long-term administration of a low dose (1mg/kg) of the drug led to a long-lasting improvement in cognitive functions, even up to 4 weeks of treatment. This is in great contrast to the existing drugs, whose early efficacy is excellent but long-term administration has low efficacy. Furthermore, according to the results of verifying ADME/Tox, the drug candidate effectively transferred to the brain through oral intake and had drug-like properties without biotoxicity and any side effects on other nervous system.


The ability of candidate drug(KDS2010) to restore neuronal spike probabilities compared to pre-existing drug

This drug candidate provides a fundamental treatment option for cognitive function disorders through an entirely new treatment regime. So far it has been tested for long-term efficacy and toxicity. Currently, non-clinical trials are conducted at the GLP level. This could turn out to be a next-generation global drug for Alzheimer’s disease through immediate clinical trials.

On the 31st of May, Byeonggwon Lee, the president of KIST and Sangmin Park, CEO of MegaBioWood, an affiliate of KEMIMEDI(CEO, Geonseop Choi) had a signing ceremony for the technology transfer on “Drug Candidate for Alzheimer’s disease” at the KIST Seoul Campus. The total amount of the technology transfer contract was for 6 million US dollars, including $500,000 upfront payment and 5.5 million US dollars as a milestone technology payment. The running royalty was signed for 3% of net sales.

KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)

Dr. C Justin Lee
Tel. +82-2-958-6940
e-mail. cjl@kist.re.kr

Dr. Ki-Duk Park
Tel. +82-2-958-5132
e-mail. kdpark@kist.re.kr

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PRNews

Tokyo Institute of Technology and Kawasaki City are Combining Forces in R&D on Computational Drug Discovery for Middle Molecules at Kawasaki KING SKYFRONT

TOKYO, Aug. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — On July 31, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Kawasaki City announced that they are combining forces to conduct R&D, construct an infrastructure, and implement a business promotion program for the “Program to Industrialize an Innovative Middle Molecule Drug Discovery Flow through Fusion of Computational Drug Design and Chemical Synthesis Technology”. This highly unique program incorporates computational drug design methods into the field of drug discovery for middle molecules. The program fuses computational drug design that utilizes molecular simulation and machine learning by the Super Computer TSUBAME of Tokyo Tech and unique chemical synthesis technology such as artificial peptides and artificial nucleic acids. Through industry-academia-government partnerships including corporations in Kawasaki City, the program seeks to form an innovation ecosystem that bridges basic/fundamental research and the drug discovery business, thus dramatically improving the efficiency of developing middle molecule drugs.

In order to implement this research project, the Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL) will be opened this fiscal year in Tonomachi KING SKYFRONT, an international strategic zone located in Kawasaki City. MIDL will possess enhanced research functions for middle molecules and will be the world’s first dedicated facility in this field with state-of-the-art computational approaches. Tokyo Tech will also open a Middle Molecule IT-based Drug Discovery Laboratory (MIDL) core facility inside the university campus and establish a system in which faculty cooperate across research fields. This research program was selected for support by the FY2017 Regional Innovation and Ecosystem Formation Program of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The MEXT program seeks to utilize regional technology seeds and to create a successful model of industrialization with significant social impact based on global expansion from that region. During the 5-year period until March 2022, the research program will receive annual grants-in-aid of 155 million JPY. The grants will be used to conduct R&D, to construct an infrastructure for creating a regional industrial ecosystem, and to implement a business promotion program.

Middle molecules refer to peptides, nucleic acids, and other molecules with a molecular weight of about 500 to 30,000. Conventional drug discovery mainly consisted of synthesizing small molecules with a molecular weight under 500; in other words, “small molecule drug discovery.” In recent years, there has been new drug discovery using large molecules for antibodies such as the anticancer drug OPDIVO. However, industrial synthesis is difficult and poses numerous issues such as the extremely high cost incurred for creation using animal cells under advanced control conditions. Middle molecules enable chemical synthesis while offering various benefits that are similar to large molecules. As such, middle molecules are expected to fulfill a leading role in new drug discovery. The efficiency of development is significantly increased through knowledge processing, machine learning and molecular simulation that utilizes information technology (IT) for computational analysis in a variety of stages from supporting decision-making for drug discovery target molecules and selecting actual candidate compounds to determining bio-stability, membrane permeability, and toxicity.


The membrane permeation process of a cyclic peptide. Supervised molecular dynamics (SuMD) accelerates molecular simulations and SuMD is useful tool for studying rare biological events such as membrane permeation.

Tonomachi KING SKYFRONT is a global innovation hub attracting the world’s leading corporations and laboratories in the areas of health, medicine, welfare and environment. Also designated as a special zone under the country’s new growth strategy, various privileges are offered to those operating at KING SKYFRONT. Tokyo Tech research institute MIDL that is scheduled to be opened at KING SKYFRONT will construct a research system that integrates researchers from different fields and will strength partnerships among IT, chemical, and drug discovery corporations in Kawasaki City. Corporations currently participating in the research program are as follows: Institute of Industrial Promotion Kawasaki; Kawasaki Shinkin Bank; The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.; Hamagin Research Institute, Ltd.; Innovations and Future Creation Inc.; Fast Track Initiative, Inc.; MVP Inc.; PeptiDream Inc.; Level Five Co., Ltd.; IMSBIO Co., Ltd.; Catalyst Inc.; Modulus Discovery, Inc.

Yutaka Akiyama, Professor at the School of Computing at Tokyo Tech, said, “Computational prediction for the bio-stability and cell membrane permeability of middle molecules is very challenging. By using Tokyo Tech’s world-leading supercomputing techniques and extensive experience in machine learning, and by cooperating with many related corporations, I hope that MIDL will provide the world with practical technology for accelerating middle molecule drug discovery.”

“We are excited about this collaboration with Tokyo Tech, establishing an innovative research base for rapidly growing middle molecule drug discovery at our international strategic zone “KING SKYFRONT.” In cooperation with Tokyo Tech, we would like to make every effort to form an innovation ecosystem working with corporations in Kawasaki,” said Shigeyuki Shiratori, Director of International Strategy Promotion Department, Coastal Area International Strategy Headquarters, City of Kawasaki.

By accelerating the design of middle molecule drug discovery and the development of pharmaceuticals, this research program will resolve various issues such as the increased cost of developing manufacturing methods and maintaining production lines when using biological formulations. Ultimately, for people who require new treatment methods, the program will provide the blessings of drugs at an acceptable price.

About Tokyo Institute of Technology

Tokyo Institute of Technology stands at the forefront of research and higher education as the leading university for science and technology in Japan. Tokyo Tech researchers excel in a variety of fields, such as material science, biology, computer science and physics. Founded in 1881, Tokyo Tech has grown to host 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students who become principled leaders of their fields and some of the most sought-after scientists and engineers at top companies. Embodying the Japanese philosophy of “monotsukuri,” meaning technical ingenuity and innovation, the Tokyo Tech community strives to make significant contributions to society through high-impact research. www.titech.ac.jp/english/

About Tonomachi KING SKYFRONT

“Tonomachi KING SKYFRONT”, an international strategic zone located on the opposite bank of Haneda International Airport, is an open innovation base that creates new industries from the highest standards of research and development in the fields of health, medical, welfare and the environment where global growth is expected. Currently more than 50 companies / research institutions have accumulated and started to operate. New bridge that directly links KING SKYFRONT to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, to be completed in 2020. http://www.city.kawasaki.jp/en/category/132-5-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html

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PRNews

European Patent Office to Grant Merck’s Patent Application for CRISPR Technology

– Patent application covers integration of an external DNA sequence into the chromosome of eukaryotic cells using CRISPR

– Related patent application recently awarded in Australia; similar patents pending in other countries, favourable outcomes anticipated

DARMSTADT, Germany, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued a “Notice of Intention to Grant” for Merck’s patent application covering the company’s CRISPR technology used in a genomic integration method for eukaryotic cells.


Merck’s patent application covers integration of an external DNA sequence into the chromosome of eukaryotic cells using CRISPR. The patent will give Merck’s CRISPR genomic integration technology broad protection, further strengthening the company’s patent portfolio.

The patent will provide Merck’s CRISPR genomic integration technology with broad protection, further strengthening the company’s patent portfolio. A related patent was approved in Australia in June 2017.  Merck anticipates favourable outcomes in other countries as well, because many patent offices worldwide consider the status of related European cases to be highly relevant to the decision to grant patents.

“This is a significant and exciting decision by the EPO, and we view this announcement as recognition of Merck’s important contributions to the genome-editing field,” said Udit Batra, Member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. “This patent provides protection for our CRISPR technology, which will give scientists the ability to advance treatment options for the toughest medical challenges we face today.”

With Merck’s CRISPR genomic integration technology, scientists can replace a disease-associated mutation with a beneficial or functional sequence – a method important for creation of disease models and gene therapy. Scientists can also use the method to insert transgenes to enable basic research, using the technology to label endogenous proteins for visual tracking within cells, for example.

This patent application is one of Merck’s multiple CRISPR patent filings since 2012. In May 2017, Merck introduced an alternative CRISPR genome-editing method called proxy-CRISPR. Unlike other systems, the proxy-CRISPR technique allows cutting of previously unreachable cell locations, making CRISPR more efficient, flexible and specific—giving researchers more experimental options.

Merck, with its 14-year history in the genome-editing field, was the first company to offer custom biomolecules globally for genome editing (TargeTron™ RNA-guided group II introns and CompoZr™ zinc finger nucleases), driving widespread adoption by researchers. In collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Merck was also the first company to manufacture arrayed CRISPR libraries covering the entire human genome, allowing researchers to explore more questions about disease and develop cures faster. Availability of arrayed CRISPR libraries is an important advancement in genome editing and reinforces the company’s leadership position.

The company also supports development of gene- and cell-based therapeutics and manufactures viral vectors, in addition to conducting basic genome-editing research. In 2016, Merck launched an initiative to advance research in novel treatment modalities, from genome editing to gene medicine manufacturing, through a dedicated team and enhanced resources. This venture further solidifies the company’s commitment to the genome-editing field.

All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of €15 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the “Merck” name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

PRNews

Frost & Sullivan Acclaims Shimadzu for Delivering a Product Line of Versatile and Innovative Radiography Solutions

Shimadzu’s products utilize advanced robotic capabilities and next-generation digital imaging technologies

LONDON, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the general radiography market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Shimadzu Corporation with the 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Line Strategy Leadership. Constant innovations and upgrades to Shimadzu’s radiography product portfolio have ensured that the products stay relevant and in high demand in an evolving radiography market. Its comprehensive product range enhances automation, efficiency, image quality, and overall clinical value by enabling flexible positioning, reduced radiation dose, and versatility in viewing bone and soft tissue images.

Shimadzu has the entire range of general radiography solutions, from fixed ceiling-mounted to floor-mounted systems and mobile X-ray solutions, with or without one to two arms. These are all available all in entry-level to high-end configurations. In 2016, it introduced new technologies such as digital multi-slice tomography with flexible positioning to offer a view of oblique cross sections of the spine and hip joints. Other products include:

  • SONIALVISION G4, a fluoroscopy product with multi-functionality features
  • RADspeed Pro EDGE package, a high-performance general radiography equipment
  • MobileDaRt Evolution MX7 Version, mobile X-ray with digitization features.

RADspeed Pro EDGE and MobileDaRt Evolution MX7 have already been adopted by more than 100 hospitals worldwide within a year of their introduction.

“In response to customer demand, Shimadzu introduced a sophisticated, remote-controlled, auto-positioning feature in the RADspeed Pro EDGE package. This feature helps the radiographer effortlessly position the tube and fine-tune this positioning to improve patient safety and reduce radiation dose,” said Frost & Sullivan Consultant Poornima Srinivasan. “Similarly, it incorporated removable grids to lower radiation exposure during pediatric imaging, and a dose area product meter on the collimator to measure the dose of radiation the patient is exposed to.”

Shimadzu’s products have proven their utility in guiding hospitals towards the era of value-based healthcare. They achieve that by incorporating a host of novel features and technologies.

  • The RADspeed Pro EDGE employs cutting-edge technologies like tomosynthesis, speed stitch, and dual energy subtraction. Tomosynthesis combines cone-beam computed tomography (CT) reconstruction with digital image processing so that any number of cross-sectional images can be obtained. The systems also incorporate ‘T-smart,’ the metal artifact reduction technology that decreases metal artifacts in orthopedic patients. Additionally, it uses speed stitch technology, which combines multiple images that are captured while the X-ray tube is in motion at various angles. Finally, its dual energy subtraction, imaging algorithm, couples with low and high voltages to offer images of soft tissue and bone images separately.
  • SONIALVISION G4 is capable of a wide range of examinations and is ideal for inter-departmental shared services. The field of view (FOV) flat panel detector (FPD) is available in five sizes and provides an extensive imaging area, ultra-high definition and dynamic images, less radiation exposure, a ceiling-mounted telescopic arm, and a wall stand with a portable FPD. It incorporates technologies such as:
    • The SUREengine-Advance, an image processing technology that delivers quality fluoro and radiography images
    • SLOT Advance, an optimal technology for long-view images with a minimal X-ray dose
    • T-smart, the latest tomosynthesis technology that aids in iterative reconstruction with metal artifact suppression
  • The MobileDaRt Evolution MX7 Version incorporates a large LCD monitor and LED collimator light that increases brightness up to 40% and saves electricity by 80% when compared to its competing products. It also has a user-friendly design with wireless capability, which allows it to extend its scope of application.

“Shimadzu has leveraged the expertise of key opinion leaders (KOLs), designed training and educational programs, expanded geographically, and made the most of cross-selling opportunities in line with its business goals,” noted Ms. Srinivasan. “Additionally, it has partnered with universities to optimize the existing systems and develop further innovations and efficiencies. Shimadzu’s discussions with international channels, and focus on gathering input from healthcare professionals have played a huge role in its development of unique products and provision of a rich customer experience.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a comprehensive product line that caters to the breadth of the market it serves. The award recognizes the extent to which the product line meets customer base demands, the overall impact it has in terms of customer value, as well as increased market share.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Shimadzu Corporation

Shimadzu Corporation has remained committed to commercializing cutting-edge technology and providing it to customers in a wide array of industries for more than 140 years. Our brand statement, “Excellence in Science”, reflects our desire and attitude to diligently respond to customers’ requirements by offering superior, world-class technologies indispensable for analytical and measuring instruments, medical systems, aircraft equipment and industrial machinery in the area of human health, safety and security of society and advancement of industry. In the ever-changing landscape of challenges of society, Shimadzu aims to partner with customers to meet their needs with unique technologies and solutions.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Ana Arriaga
P: 210.247.3823
F: 210.348.1003
E: ana.arriaga@frost.com

PRNews

A Delegation led by Director Li Weimin of West China Hospital, Sichuan University Visited the UK

CHENGDU, China, Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — On July 9-14 this year, a delegation led by director Li Weimin of West China Hospital, Sichuan University visited University of Liverpool, Cambridge University Hospitals, and Imperial College London in the UK. The delegation consisted of representatives from multiple departments and divisions of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, including Integrated TCM & Western Medicine Department, Cardiac Surgery Department, Anesthesiology Department, Health Care Division, Biological Specimen Bank, Information Center, and International Exchange and Cooperation Office.


Prof. Li Weimin of West China Hospital signed a cooperation with Takis Kotis, CEO of UKeMED Platform of Cambridge University

While at University of Liverpool, the delegation visited its core medical research departments including Clinical Research Center, Research Accelerator, North West Cancer Research Centre, Biobank, Institute of Integrative Biology, and Institute of Translational Medicine, and held discussions with the host about potential cooperation in the field of biomedical research in the future.

On July 10, a bilateral cooperation forum was organized, and leaders and experts from University of Liverpool and Royal Liverpool University participated. In this forum, director Li Weimin reviewed the cooperation history between University of Liverpool and West China Hospital, stating that University of Liverpool had cultivated nearly ten talents for West China Hospital and that reinforced cooperation would greatly benefit both parties due to their traditional focus on scientific research. Executive vice director Wan Xuehong gave an overview of West China Hospital, and recommended further cooperation plans with regard to doctor and post-doctor cultivation, expert exchange, and joint establishment of West China Liverpool Biomedicine Research Center and Liverpool West China Center. After the forum, director Li Weimin signed a Liverpool – West China cooperation memorandum with Bob Burgoyne, executive pro-vice-chancellor of University of Liverpool and dean of Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

While at Cambridge University, the delegation met the managers of remote medical platform UKeMED, and communicated with representatives from institutes such as Cambridge University Hospitals and University of Bedfordshire. The delegation also made a video presentation about world leading medical technologies of West China Hospital. After the meeting, director Li Weimin and Takis Kotis, CEO of UKeMED Platform, signed a cooperation memorandum concerning remote medicine and education as well as a letter of intent for cooperation under The Belt and Road initiative.

On the afternoon of July 12, the delegation met Roland Sinker, CEO of Cambridge University Hospitals. Later, the delegation paid a visit to Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Of Cambridge University, during which discussions were held with experts of the centre about challenges confronted by West China Hospital in biomedical research.

During their stay in London, the delegation visited Health care UK (HCUK). Ms. Deborah Kobewka, managing director of HCUK, introduced NHS medical system of UK and its operation conditions to the team members. She described HCUK as a government interface between UK and foreign medical partners, welcoming cooperation between West China Hospital and famous UK organizations like Cambridge UKeMED. The delegation also visited four private high-end UK medical centers at Harley Street. The team led by Director Li Weimin and executive vice director Wan Xuehong met representatives from some departments of Hammersmith Hospital affiliated with Imperial College London, including Anesthesiology Department, Cardiac Surgery Department, and Health Care Division, and expressed their thanks for multiple training sessions provided by the hospital for the medical team of West China Hospital.

On July 14, the delegation met Ms. Betty Yue, supervisor of Continuing Education & Training Center of Imperial College London, and Professor Desmond Johnston, vice president of Medicine School. Both parties achieved deeper understanding of each other, which laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.

This visit to University of Liverpool, Cambridge University Hospitals, and Imperial College London improved mutual understanding between West China Hospital and advanced academic research institutes in UK, and was concluded with preliminary cooperation plans regarding medical education and research. Such cooperation will enable West China Hospital to better build an international brand and integrate international resources, thus greatly promoting internationalization process of West China Hospital.

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Frost & Sullivan Lauds CytoSorbents for Leading the Critical Care Immunotherapy Segment with its Novel Blood Purification Solution, CytoSorb®

By controlling dangerous inflammation, CytoSorb® is enabling superior outcomes in critically-ill patients, with reduced overall costs of intensive care in its sights

LONDON, Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the blood purification market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes CytoSorbents Corporation with the 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Leadership. CytoSorbents’ deceptively simple yet powerful blood purification therapy, CytoSorb®, helps critical care physicians and heart surgeons control deadly inflammation in their patients. CytoSorb® actively reduces circulating cytokines, toxins, and other substances in blood that feed and perpetuate uncontrolled inflammation in a diverse set of medical emergencies such as sepsis, infection, trauma, cardiac surgery, and liver failure. Its ultimate aim is to prevent a patient from being killed by his or her own out-of-control immune response.

“There were many factors that led to our selection of CytoSorb® for this year’s Global Product Leadership Award,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Aish Vivek. “Among the most important was the recognition that this innovative product is surprisingly well-positioned to help solve two long-standing, difficult, and tightly linked fundamental problems with hospital medicine today. These include the high rates of death from common critical illnesses such as sepsis that have no approved treatment, and the resulting staggering costs and losses in critical care that are financially crippling hospital networks and healthcare systems throughout the world.”

“Further strengthening CytoSorb’s position is the scarcity of viable competition in the lucrative and vast global critical care and cardiac surgery markets, the strong physician usage and revenue growth, and the external validation from well-respected industry partners, such as Fresenius Medical Care and Terumo Cardiovascular, and government funding agencies.  As a high margin, single-use product that works with existing blood pumps in hospitals, CytoSorb® also has an attractive business model that is expected to drive early and significant profitability of the company.”

“CytoSorb® has taken blood purification as a means to control inflammation to the next level, with its patented blood compatible, porous polymer bead technology,” concluded Aish Vivek. “This best-of-breed solution is approved in the European Union and has been used in more than 23,000 treatments to help save many lives across 44 countries.  As the clinical experience and scientific publications continue to grow, we predict that CytoSorbents, through CytoSorb®, will solidify its leadership in critical care and cardiac surgery, with expansion into other promising fields such as cancer immunotherapy, and treatment of chronic illness. We are also excited to follow along as CytoSorbents initiates a registration trial later this year that targets U.S. FDA approval.”

Overall, for positioning itself strongly with its CytoSorb® therapy and serving a wide array of applications, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present CytoSorbents with the 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Leadership in the blood purification market.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality, gaining rapid acceptance in the market. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About CytoSorbents Corporation

CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSO) is a leader in critical care immunotherapy, specializing in blood purification. Its flagship product, CytoSorb®, is approved in the European Union with distribution in 44 countries worldwide, as a safe and effective extracorporeal cytokine adsorber, designed to reduce the “cytokine storm” or “cytokine release syndrome” that could otherwise cause massive inflammation, organ failure and death in common critical illnesses such as sepsis, burn injury, trauma, lung injury, complications of surgery, cancer immunotherapy, and pancreatitis. These are conditions where the risk of death is extremely high, yet no effective treatments exist. CytoSorb® is also being used during and after cardiac surgery to remove inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and free hemoglobin, which can lead to post-operative complications, including multiple organ failure. In 2017, the company plans to initiate a pivotal REFRESH 2 trial intended to support U.S. FDA approval.  CytoSorb® has been used safely in more than 23,000 human treatments to date.

CytoSorbents’ purification technologies are based on biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads that can actively remove toxic substances from blood and other bodily fluids by pore capture and surface adsorption. Its technologies have received non-dilutive grant, contract, and other funding in excess of $19 million from DARPA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and others. The Company has numerous products under development based upon this unique blood purification technology, protected by 32 issued U.S. patents, multiple international patents, and many applications pending worldwide.  Products under development include CytoSorb-XL™, HemoDefend™, VetResQ™, ContrastSorb, DrugSorb, and others.  Visit www.cytosorbents.com and www.cytosorb.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Aish Vivekanandan
Phone: 210-477-8495
Email: aish.vivekanadan@frost.com

PRNews

Frost & Sullivan Commends Credence ID’s Rollout of CredenceTAB(TM), a Biometric Tool that Combines Document Reading and Biometric Enrollment and Verification in a Portable Device

Credence ID’s unique product suite offers convenience, portability, and customization to satisfy a wide range of identification projects

SANTA CLARA, California, Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the mobile biometrics and credential reading market, Frost & Sullivan announced today the recognition of Credence ID for its 2017 Global New Product Innovation Award. In May 2017, Credence ID introduced CredenceTAB, a 10-inch tablet that combines the functionalities of an eDocument reader, high-resolution camera, fingerprint scanner, machine readable zone (MRZ), and a smart card reader in a single handheld device for the biometric ID industry. The solution was developed in line with the company’s vision to deliver enrollment and identification solutions to facilitate programs that provide benefits to underdeveloped and under-documented populations worldwide. With its portability and connectivity through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile networks, the CredenceTAB greatly aids the national ID programs of various governments.

CredenceTAB and its related software development kit (SDK) enjoy a plethora of application opportunities across both government and commercial applications. The solution’s fingerprint scanner uses a FAP-30 sensor that enables fingerprint capture in all lighting conditions. The sensor is based on a light emitting sensor (LES) optical technology, which captures the optical image of the fingerprint on a thin film transistor to generate a PIV class fingerprint image. Additionally, Credence ID supports facial recognition and barcode reading by embedding two high-resolution cameras in CredenceTAB.

“CredenceTAB provides broad flexibility to its customers through its multi-functional, portable, battery-powered solution,” said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Ram Ravi. “Credence ID has leveraged years of experience in designing, engineering, and manufacturing mobile identification devices to create this purpose-built, competitively-priced product. Furthermore, as they are built on an open development platform, Credence ID’s products are configurable and aid complete customization of the biometric device.”

Significantly, Credence ID’s main biometric solutions, Trident®, CredenceONE™, CredenceONE-MRZ™, and CredenceTAB, boast user friendliness and multi-modal product features that far exceed the accuracy and speed of the latest consumer devices.

  • Trident is a tri-biometric platform encompassing a dual-iris scanner, an industry-leading FAP 45 fingerprint sensor, and a high-resolution camera to capture facial images. The solution employs a long-life lithium ion battery that extends duty cycles.
  • CredenceONE’s robust, compact mobile chipset enables multiple identity-based solutions by using three sensors for scanning smart cards, faces, and fingerprints.
  • CredenceONE-MRZ and CredenceTAB feature four sensors on-board. Additionally, these solutions have a completely integrated smart card reader system (contact and contactless), a MRZ scanner, a facial recognition camera, and an enterprise-class fingerprint sensor.

Credence ID’s product design strategy has augmented its success, particularly in government and civil ID programs, which, in turn, has eased the company’s entry into commercial Know your Customer (KYC) applications.

“Credence ID has established an impressive clientele of top-tier value-added resellers and solution providers that build, manage, and support government and civil ID programs and applications,” noted Ravi. “By using the Android OS, Credence ID endows its partners with the freedom to create an array of intuitive applications. Its knack for industrial design and innovation, backed by continuous product improvement and customer support, has established it as a trustworthy supplier of mobile biometric solutions to government and civil ID applications.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the value-added features/benefits of the product and the increased return on investment (ROI) it provides to customers, which, in turn, raises customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Credence ID

Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Credence ID was formed by like-minded business leaders focused on providing non-reputable biometric identities, especially to marginalized populations. The company’s personnel include experts in the field of biometrics and advanced mobile technologies. The Credence ID product line offers mobile biometric solutions and credential reading. With the industry at the crossroads of mobile and biometric technologies, Credence ID’s product line is perfectly aligned to capitalize on this trend. The company’s product suite includes features such as lower costs, better performance, advanced ergonomics, and complete customization.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Estefany Ariza
P: 210.477.8469
E: estefany.ariza@frost.com

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PRNews

Verdezyne Groundbreaking Ceremony in Malaysia Commemorates Initiation Of The World’s First Biobased DDDA Plant

-VerdePalm Plant to Use Sustainable Palm-based Materials to Manufacture Components of FerroShield™ Dibasic Acid Mixture for Superior Corrosion Inhibition

CARLSBAD, Calif. and KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Verdezyne Inc., a synthetic biology company producing biobased chemicals, announced today that a groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 30th for its VerdePalm plant, Verdezyne’s first commercial-scale renewable chemicals manufacturing facility, at the Bio-XCell premier biotechnology and ecosystem park in Nusajaya, Iskandar, in southern Malaysia. The new facility is designed to produce biobased long chain diacids via fermentation of Verdezyne’s proprietary yeast, which has been engineered to use non-food biomass to produce high value chemicals.  The first product produced at VerdePalm will be dodecanedioic acid (DDDA), a 12-carbon diacid that is a component of many consumer products currently made from petroleum.  DDDA is a main building block of FerroShield™, Verdezyne’s nitrate-free dibasic acid mixture used in a variety of corrosion inhibitor applications.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the VerdePalm plant was co-hosted by Chad Waite, Chairman of the Verdezyne Board of Directors, and YBhg. Tan Sri Dato‘ Abdul Ghani Othman, Chairman of the Board of Sime Darby Berhad, the largest investor in Verdezyne Inc.  Attendees included Malaysian dignitaries and representatives from Verdezyne’s partners, Bio-XCell Malaysia and the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation.  The Guest of Honor, YAB Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Chief Minister of Johor, presented the Officiating Speech.

The VerdePalm plant is expected to be completed in 12-18 months.  VerdePalm will be the world’s first biobased plant for DDDA production.  “Importantly, the starting yeast will be made from the spent biomass that results from palm oil processing,” Waite stated.  “Crude palm oil and palm byproducts, as well as other plant-based raw materials, will be used to produce approximately 6,000 metric tons of industrial grade DDDA each year.  Verdezyne’s technology will enable a very low-value by-product of palm oil processing to become a high-value “green” product that reduces the use of petroleum.” 

“We are excited that a product made by Verdezyne and our Malaysian partners will be shipped around the world to be used as an alternative to the typical petroleum-derived intermediate chemicals,” said E. William Radany, Ph.D., President and CEO of Verdezyne. “The VerdePalm plant is part of our comprehensive strategy of expansion into Asia, and represents a major step toward our goal of replacing petroleum-derived chemicals with renewable drop-in replacements,” he noted.

“Malaysia is proud to host Verdezyne’s first commercial manufacturing plant, which is located at the Malaysin Bio-XCell park.  I believe the eco-system provided by the park will be an excellent fit for the VerdePalm facility.  Malaysia will continue to commit to the ongoing advancement of biotechnology in the country.  The groundbreaking ceremony signifies Verdezyne’s readiness to work with Malaysia and marks another milestone in our quest to add value to the palm industry using biotechnology as a catalyst,” said Zainal Azman B. Abu Kasim, Senior Vice President of BioIndustrials, Bioeconomy Corporation in Malaysia.

DDDA is a key component of FerroShield, which can be used in numerous corrosion inhibitor applications including metalworking fluids, engine coolants, metal cleaners, die cast release agents, and aqueous hydraulic fluids.  “Marketing of FerroShield was launched in February of this year,” Dr. Radany added. “The rust inhibition industry is in need of a high-performing dibasic acid mixture that can be easily incorporated into existing customer formulas.  We foresee strong demand for FerroShield in a number of countries in Asia and Europe, as well as in the U.S. and Canada.”

About Verdezyne 
Verdezyne is a synthetic biology company offering biobased chemicals manufactured via fermentation of its proprietary yeast cells. The company has two commercial products, BIOLON™ DDDA (dodecanedioic acid) and FerroShield™ dibasic acid mixture.  Current investors in Verdezyne include BP Ventures, DSM Venturing B.V., OVP Venture Partners, Monitor Ventures, and Sime Darby. For more information, visit www.verdezyne.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

For samples, orders or more information about Verdezyne’s FerroShield, please contact:

Verdezyne Media Contact:

Jenna Ngian 
Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing
JNgian@Verdezyne.com  
+1-760-707-5288 

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