MCI
Male Contraceptive Initiative's logo

Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has partnered with the pharmaceutical company Eppin Pharma to provide a Program Related Investment (PRI) of up to $800,000 to support clinical trial activities for the company's novel short-term, non-hormonal oral male contraceptive pill.

This is the latest PRI from Male Contraceptive Initiative and represents the organization's continued evolution as it seeks to expand its support of the male contraception research and development community. "We are very excited about adding additional program related investments to our portfolio as a means of accelerating male contraceptive product development through a collaborative, 'team science' approach. Returns on these investments will go directly back into supporting research efforts to continue driving the field of non-hormonal male contraception forward," said MCI Executive Director Heather Vahdat. "Eppin Pharma is a particularly exciting investment opportunity as they have been integral at advancing the non-hormonal male contraceptive field in an effort to revolutionize family planning by providing reproductive equity to men who still have to rely on only two methods of birth control: condoms and vasectomy," Ms. Vahdat added.

Eppin Pharma's lead male contraceptive candidate is a small organic compound that binds to EPPIN, a protein on the surface of human sperm, resulting in the loss of the sperm's ability to properly function. The non-hormonal treatment Eppin Pharma is developing is intended to be fast-acting and does not affect the production of sperm. 

MCI's investment in Eppin Pharma will be used to establish proof-of-concept of safety and feasibility of their contraceptive method as they prepare for human clinical trials. This is an important first step prior to conducting a larger efficacy study required for gaining regulatory approval and widespread consumer access to the therapeutic. 

"We have been excited about Eppin's work since 2019, when we provided them with an initial grant to advance their work. Given the success of their science to date, we are pleased to expand our collaboration as Eppin Pharma represents the forefront of pharmacologic, non-hormonal male contraceptive methods," said MCI Research Director Dr. Logan Nickels. 

"We are grateful to MCI for their dedication to supporting innovation in male contraception and for recognizing the transformative potential of our work," said Dr. Michael O'Rand, Eppin Pharma's President & Chief Executive Officer. "At Eppin Pharma, we are dedicated to developing new options for men who desire to take control of their fertility and we look forward to advancing our method to clinical trials in the near future," added Dr. O'Rand.

With over $10 million invested in product development, MCI seeks to advance male contraceptive research projects to market in order to achieve its organizational vision of "Reproductive Autonomy for All". MCI's mission is, "To empower men, and couples, to fully contribute to family planning goals by providing them the resources they need for reproductive autonomy."

Selux Diagnostics
Selux Diagnostics Logo

Selux Diagnostics, a biotech startup in Boston whose mission is to combat superbug infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its proprietary Next Generation Phenotyping (NGP) System — a rapid antibiotic susceptibility (AST) testing platform that provides targeted therapeutic results days faster than the current standard of care. 

The FDA clearance is for Selux Diagnostics' in vitro antimicrobial resistance test, which determines a bacteria's susceptibility to 14 specific antimicrobial agents on the Selux Gram-Positive Panel. Selux's NGP Gram-Negative panel is currently under review by the FDA. 

"This clearance represents a significant advance in infectious disease care and the fight to address antibiotic resistance. Our groundbreaking Selux NGP System holds the potential to save lives and decrease overreliance on broad-spectrum antibiotics, a key factor contributing to the rise of superbugs. We thank all our employees, partners, and advisors who contributed to this tremendous accomplishment," said Steve Lufkin, CEO of Selux Diagnostics.

"We have been waiting for true innovation in AST technologies to deliver rapid results that are accurate according to the latest FDA guidelines and include newly approved antibiotics," said James S. Lewis II, PharmD, FIDSA, co-director of antibiotic stewardship at Oregon Health and Science University, and chair, CLSI Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Subcommittee. "I am enthusiastic that the Selux NGP System addresses these critical needs and will become an essential tool for directing personalized therapies for infected patients."

Experts predict that without a significant change in today's treatment options, deaths from superbugs will surpass deaths from cancer by 2050. Selux is confronting this global health crisis head-on by redefining the speed and performance of AST, the critical diagnostic test that informs personalized antibiotic therapy.

For more information on the Selux NGP System, visit www.seluxdx.com.

Acknowledgment

This platform has been supported in whole or in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under contract number HHSO100201800013C.

About Selux Diagnostics 

Selux Diagnostics is transforming patient care by accelerating the selection of personalized antimicrobial therapy for all Infectious Disease patients. This advance will save lives, shorten hospital stays, and combat the growing antibiotic resistance epidemic by decreasing the overuse of broad-spectrum agents. Learn more at www.seluxdx.com.

AGFA HealthCare, That's life in flow.

AGFA HealthCare is proud to announce that it has been named to the Leaders Category in the IDC MarketScape: U.S. Enterprise Medical Imaging 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment (doc #US48168021e, November 2022). According to the IDC MarketScape report, vendors should:

"Consider AGFA when you are a medium-sized to large healthcare provider looking for a platform-based solution with a differentiated level of intelligence that promotes a more collaborative medical imaging work environment."

AGFA HealthCare has been recognized by the IDC MarketScape for the following strengths:

Converged Platform
Enterprise Imaging Platform builds on AGFA's long-standing domain experience in medical imaging IT. The solution combines connected (cross) enterprise care, converged multispecialty support, an adaptable automated workflow, and disease-oriented augmented intelligence across the platform. The resulting capabilities (e.g., real-time collaboration and communication, multidisciplinary imaging for 15+ service lines, anytime-anywhere access, AI-enabled rules-based workflow automation, modular deployment) differentiate AGFA's solution. One customer said, "I took a trip a few times to RSNA and HIMSS, and AGFA was the only vendor at the time that seemed to understand the concept of enterprise imaging." This perception of AGFA having a robust, vendor-neutral platform with capabilities that can scale with modern-day requirements stood out in interviews.

Augmented Intelligence
AGFA's RUBEE for AI embeds "augmented intelligence" capabilities (advanced visualization, workflow orchestration, automated triage, smart hanging protocols, automated reporting, critical finding notifications, and specialty imaging packages) into the solution. Combining AI-driven automation with disease-oriented AI analytics helps customers generate more insight and practice better evidence-based medicine than traditional imaging workflows.

Ecosystem Integration
AGFA's XERO modules help enable enterprisewide collaboration between local healthcare professionals and external stakeholders. The XERO Exchange Network (XEN) allows image and report sharing at any time, which promotes regional and local collaboration between stakeholders (e.g., clinicians, patients, and other providers).

Furthermore, the solution is FHIR-enabled and has an open API ecosystem, which simplifies the ability for the vendor and its customers to integrate and improves interoperability. AGFA also holds many alliances and partnerships, which extend its ecosystem orientation even further, including with Microsoft Azure, AWS, Oracle, and Google, in addition to hardware OEMs (Dell, HPE, and Barco) and others (Philips Forcare, Qaelum, TOMTEC, Ascend, Cordiana, and MediReport).

About AGFA HealthCare

AGFA HealthCare is transforming the role of medical imaging into a high-impact, data-driven enterprise-wide information flow - supporting health professionals across the globe with secure and scalable imaging data management.  

AGFA's preeminent product, the Enterprise Imaging Platform, creates an Imaging Health Record™, or IHR, to align with and fulfill a health system's EHR.  The IHR provides an unobstructed flow of patient imaging information to help clinicians achieve their clinical, operational, and business strategies.

AGFA HealthCare is a division of the AGFA-Gevaert Group and traded on Euronext Brussels (AGFB).

For more information, visit www.agfahealthcare.com, and on LinkedIn.

About IDC MarketScape 

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

Addison Group
Addison Group logo, various greens, blue, and white pinwheel

Addison Group, a national leader in professional services specializing in talent solutions and consulting, announces today that it has fully incorporated Beacon Resources, an Addison Group company, to move forward under the Addison Group brand name.

For current clients of Beacon Resources, its brand integration to Addison Group includes access to a robust network of talent with significantly greater reach and opportunities to secure highly qualified professionals. Beacon Resources' clients will also gain access to the full portfolio of Addison's recruiting capabilities beyond finance and accounting, including information technology, non-clinical healthcare, human resources, administration, and digital marketing.

In 2014, Beacon Resources, headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, was acquired by DLC group to make the larger more established finance and accounting professional services firm an ideal acquisition. Addison Group, seeking to expand its West Coast presence and grow its market share, acquired the group in 2019. Throughout the past decade via strategic partnerships and alignments, Addison Group has blended a multitude of relationship-based staffing and consulting firms into what is now a major market contender, and viable award-winning professional services consortium. 

Beacon Resources' Managing Directors and team retain their roles within the expanded organization:

"The entire Beacon Resources team is excited about the tremendous opportunities it gives to our clients. Our team remains committed to facilitating ideal connections between our clients and our candidates, and now formally as Addison Group, our recruiting experts will have access to even more resources to perform exceptional services on a larger scale." ~ Odeh Haddad, Managing Director, Beacon Resources

"Our transition to Addison Group has been completely synergistic because our motto and our methodology are aligned with our passion for people. While the Beacon Resources brand has officially retired, our commitment to building and maintaining meaningful relationships has only been strengthened with the increased reach and additional resources of Addison Group. Completely integrating with Addison will allow us to nurture existing connections and expand offerings into newly emerging markets." ~ Dana Carr Brown, Managing Director, Beacon Resources

Under the integration, the Beacon Resources brand will officially retire. All of its existing business relationships and activities continue under the Addison Group name while providing the same unparalleled level of service.

About Addison Group

Addison Group, a leading talent solutions and consulting company, provides expertise with a national reach and a localized touch. Addison offers a full suite of consulting and recruiting capabilities across multiple sectors, including information technology, finance and accounting, non-clinical healthcare, human resources, administrative, and digital marketing. Addison has been repeatedly recognized by the media as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States by Forbes' Top 200 America's Best Professional and Specialist Search Firms, America's Best Recruiters and Executive Search Firms, and America's Best Temporary Staffing Firms, SIA Top 100 Staffing Bold Leaders, and Inc. Best 100 Places to Work. Known for its people-first culture, Addison combines deep expertise, client and candidate relationships, and a growing network of offices across the U.S. to provide national reach with a localized touch.