DNA Script, a leader in Enzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS) and DNA on demand, signed a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract with Wellcome Leap to accelerate RNA products, including mRNA vaccines, and advance RNA therapies. Under Wellcome Leap’s RNA Response + Readiness (R3) program, DNA Script will work to develop a fully automated and deployable system to synthesize DNA templates for RNA production with a short turnaround time.
The R3 program, jointly funded with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, seeks to increase development and deployment of RNA-based biologic products as a standardized platform technology with reduced cost. Additionally, the program aims to create a global network of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that can quickly transition, in times of emergency, meeting future pandemic needs at local levels.
RNA development relies on the ability to rapidly design and produce genetic material. DNA Script’s SYNTAX Platform, employing Enzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS), is a benchtop nucleic acid printer that quickly produces synthetic nucleic acid without requiring the specialized infrastructure and waste management processes that traditional systems and services using phosphoramidite chemistry rely on. The SYNTAX Platform eliminates the bottleneck between designing genetic material in silico and synthesizing actual genetic material to use.
“RNA has shown tremendous promise in both vaccine and therapy development. We anticipate the development of this system to be particularly useful for personalized medicine, for which a new sequence needs to be synthesized for each patient, or to locally develop variant-specific mRNA vaccines for pandemic response.” said DNA Script CEO Thomas Ybert.
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Healthmine’s Executive Vice President of Consulting and Professional Services Melissa Smith recently shared her insights about how new regulations from CMS regarding rewards and incentives programs in Medicare Advantage may impact Star Ratings and compliance.
Read the article reprinted with permission from AIS Health on Healthmine’s Resource Center here.
Equiva Health, a pioneer in health relationship management, will host a digital health webinar titled Beyond Patient Education and PTX: Moving to Health Relationship Management, on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, from 1:00-1:45 PM ET. Presenters will highlight the evolution of patient education, patient experience and patient engagement, and explore key concepts in moving beyond “engagement” toward a more robust model that mobilizes individuals toward intelligent healthcare actions.
Webinar topics include 1.) healthcare’s evolution toward intelligence-driven, hyper-targeted digital health engagement;2.) key challenges facing today’s healthcare organizations in moving to digital;3.) health relationship management (HRM) as a concept to overcome these challenges;and 4.) lessons learned from real-world applications.
Presenters Nir Altman, Equiva CEO, and Diana Crai, Equiva director of strategic deployments, will also host a live Q&A.
“We’re pleased to provide this learning opportunity for healthcare organizations seeking to advance digital health initiatives,” said Altman. “Our customers are seeing the real-world value of leveraging engagement technologies in new ways, especially to support efforts to develop and retain long-term customer relationships. Devices such as tablets, mobile apps, kiosks, televisions, digital signage and remote patient monitoring solutions can be powerful when used strategically to support cohesive health relationship management initiatives.”
To learn more and register, click here.
Infermedica, an AI-based diagnosis and medical guidance platform, has raised $30 million in a Series B funding round.
One Peak led the round with support from karma.vc, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Heal Capital, and Inovo Venture Partners.
To read more, click here.
The Smart Health Innovation Lab has announced that teledermatology company SkinIO is the latest startup to join its Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based health tech accelerator. SkinIO allows patients to scan and securely map their skin using a smartphone app, collecting data for dermatologists to remotely review skin images and recommend appropriate follow-up.
The accelerator, a joint venture between Aspire Ventures, Capital Blue Cross, Clio Health, and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health to accelerate technology to market, recently re-opened after shutting its doors during the height of the pandemic.
Picture: akindo, Getty Images
