This month’s news on appointments, expansions, acquisitions, and other events includes Nanoform, Elligo Health Research, Curavit, and other organizations.
This month’s news on appointments, expansions, acquisitions and other events includes Nanoform, Elligo Health Research, Curavit, and other organizations.
Francis Collins has announced his intention to step down as director of the National Institutes of Health before the end of 2021. He is the longest-serving presidentially appointed director of the agency, holding the position for more than 12 years.
“It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade,” Collins remarked. “I am proud of all we’ve accomplished; I fundamentally believe, however, that no single person should serve in the position too long, and that it’s time to bring in a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future.”
Collins reports he plans to return to leading his research laboratory at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which is pursuing genomics, epigenomics and single-cell biology to understand the causes and means of prevention for type 2 diabetes. His lab also will work on development of new genetic therapies for the most dramatic form of premature aging, Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome.
Nanoparticle medicine company Nanoform has announced its proof-of-concept studies will receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal reportedly is to assess the value of its CESS nanoparticle engineering technology to advance a number of drug development projects.
Christian Jones, chief commercial officer of Nanoform, commented, “Too many medicines suffer from poor solubility and bioavailability and never make it to market, not to mention the challenge many patients have in accessing medicines globally. By applying Nanoform’s innovative technologies and multidisciplinary expertise we strive to unlock many new therapies for patients going forward.”
The CDC Foundation has elected Robert Michael Franklin--president emeritus of Morehouse College and senior advisor to the president of Emory University—to a five-year term on its board of directors. He will join other board members to provide guidance and oversight to the foundation’s in mobilizing philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the CDC’s work.
"Robert is an impassioned educator, theologian and leader," said Judy Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "I welcome his experience and value the insights and perspectives he will bring to our board, including his guidance on the path toward health equity for people in the US and across the globe."
Elligo Health Research has announced the purchase of ClinEdge, a research practice management and clinical services organization for clinical research sites, pharma companies, and clinical research organizations.
“The combination with ClinEdge is a transformational moment in Elligo’s evolution as a company,” said Elligo CEO John Potthoff. “Building on our access to over 150m diverse patients with EHR data, ClinEdge provides additional global scale for our customers in the US and Europe to enable the rapid acceleration of clinical trials through healthcare supporting all trial designs — traditional, hybrid, and direct-to-patient.”
IRB and IRC solutions provider Advarra has named Jonathan Shough to serve as president of technology solutions. He brings to the company more than 30 years of information technology experience, including more than 20 years in the clinical research industry.
Gadi Saarony, CEO of the company, said, "As we continue to evolve our technology offerings to empower sites and build connections across the clinical research ecosystem, Jonathan is a perfect fit to lead our efforts, and we're pleased to welcome him to Advarra. His proven expertise in developing and commercializing innovative technology solutions to improve the drug development process will further cement our position as the leader in practice management systems for clinical research and the preferred site technology partner for sponsors and CROs."
Virtual contract research organization Curavit Clinical Research has expanded its leadership roster with two leadership appointments: Jay Collier, chief operating officer; and Candice Del Rio, director of clinical operations. The company also announced a number of new appointments to its sales team.
“It’s an exciting time at Curavit as we grow along with the rapid evolution and adoption of decentralized clinical research,” said Joel Morse, co-founder and CEO. “We are taking it to the next level and our new team members will bring their collective expertise to help drive innovation and customer satisfaction, while delivering our scalable and purpose-built clinical trial platform to our clients.”
HexTransforma Healthcare has announced the appointment of Kevin Morris as chief technology officer. In the role, Morris will take ownership of the company’s technological capabilities and craft the vision for how technology will be used within the company to better serve clients and patients.
CEO Jean-Luc Bressard commented, “Not only does Kevin have a wealth of experience and a track record in driving technological innovation, but his cross-sector experience will also bring new perspective to our technology and operations. I have no doubt that Kevin will make a fantastic addition to the executive leadership team and look forward to seeing him make an impact within the organization, and with our partners and customers.”
eClinical platform provider uMotif has appointed Steve Rosenberg to serve as CEO. His life-science career spans more than four decades, with his most recent position being senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Health Sciences.
“Since uMotif was founded, the team has brought a unique patient-centered approach to trial management, transforming how those taking part in clinical research interact and engage with their care providers,” Rosenberg commented. “I look forward to leading the business through the next stage of growth and building further on the strength of its applications.”
Gastrointestinal treatment tech specialist Iterative Scopes has entered a partnership with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. The collaboration will focus on incorporating the foundation’s repository of data and exploration of AI-powered diagnostic tools, with the goal of improving patient care.
“We are excited to partner with the globally respected Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation as we recognize the importance of bringing the patient voice into the process of building the next generation of AI-driven IBD therapeutic tools,” said Sahir Raoof, vice president of growth for Iterative Scopes. “Current disease severity endpoints are subjective and lead to suboptimal clinical decisions; we will be able to learn from the deep expertise and clinical-trial grade datasets provided by the foundation’s IBD Plexus initiative, as we strive to improve the systematic collection of high-quality disease severity scores for IBD patients and build out our AI-driven models of predictive medicine.”
Ono Pharma USA (OPUS) has named David Trexler chief commercial officer. His duties include leading the firm’s commercial capabilities in preparation for the planned commercialization of its investigational lead compound, tirabrutinib hydrochloride (ONO-4059, "tirabrutinib"), a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor and potential treatment for patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
Kunihiko Ito, president and CEO of OPUS, said of Trexler, “He has a proven track record of establishing commercial organizations for various pharmaceutical companies as well as successfully executing oncology product launches and delivering impactful programs and services to patients and healthcare providers in the US.”
Cold-chain solutions specialist AeroSafe Global has promoted Rick Lozano to chief commercial officer. Lozano offers more than 20 years of industry experience, most recently servicing as a senior vice president with AmerisourceBergen.
Jay McHarg, CEO, said, "We are very excited to have Rick join our team; he brings a wealth of industry experience to the role and a passion for the work that we do to protect the integrity of medications during transit. With his penchant for relationship building, proven track record of commercial results, and interest in emerging digital technologies for a green supply chain, I am certain that Rick will be a strong contributor to our already impressive growth trajectory."
Contract research organization Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services has received a Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealer’s License from Health Canada. The license reportedly is the first to be awarded to a third-party, natural-products-focused CRO in the country.
“With fully developed study protocols, safe storage and management as well as an experienced QPIC (Qualified Person in Charge) recognized by Health Canada’s Office of Controlled Substances, Nutrasource is ready for controlled drug and substances projects,” said Ana Samborski, pharmacy manager for the company.
