Quest Diagnostics Sells Ownership Interest in Q² Solutions to IQVIA

On April 1, 2021 Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, reported the sale of its minority share in Q2 Solutions to IQVIA (NYSE: IQV), a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry, for $760 million in an all-cash transaction (Press release, Quest Diagnostics, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577533]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Q2 Solutions is a leading global clinical laboratory services organization that provides comprehensive testing, project management, supply chain, biorepository, biospecimen and consent tracking solutions for clinical trials. IQVIA and Quest established Q2 Solutions as a joint venture in 2015. IQVIA previously owned a 60 percent majority share and Quest Diagnostics owned a 40 percent minority share.

"Divesting from Q2 Solutions supports our vision to be focused on empowering better health with diagnostic information services," said Steve Rusckowski, Quest Diagnostics Chairman, CEO and President. "We are proud of our contributions to the growth of Q2 Solutions, and are confident that IQVIA has the strategic vision and agility to lead Q2 Solutions on the next phase of its journey as a global leader in central lab services."

Under a multi-year agreement, Quest will remain the strategic preferred laboratory provider for Q2 Solutions’ clients, providing a range of complementary lab testing capabilities to augment Q2 Solutions’ core offerings and extend its industry leading suite of services.

Up Therapeutics received NCI Phase 1 STTR grant

Up Therapeutics in collaboration with Tuskegee University received NCI STTR phase 1 award to study Up284 efficacy against TNBC.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!


Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation awards $1 million grant to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

On April 1, 2021 The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation—continuing Mt. Sinai Medical Center’s century-old tradition of caring for Northeast Ohio—reported that has expanded its commitment to the region through a $1 million challenge grant to the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Press release, Case Western Reserve University, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577499]). With this grant, the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation has provided over $31 million in lifetime support for Case Western Reserve.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The grant will benefit the Dean’s Catalytic Fund, designed to provide resources for the school’s leader to invest in new opportunities to advance medicine, such as emergency student scholarship support, bridge funding to advance promising early-stage research, and recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty.

In this instance, Interim Dean Stan Gerson will use Mt. Sinai’s support to inspire additional philanthropic commitments for recruitment of the next chair of the school’s department of pharmacology.

Within the school, the Department of Pharmacology is a core basic science department which historically and currently houses some of the schools most accomplished scientists, investigators, and educators of both graduate students and medical students. Expertise within the department ranges from basic pathway discovery of physiologic, organelle and disease processes to the discovery of interventions in diseases, from drugs to peptides to gene correction strategies, and across a wide spectrum of diseases. Technology expertise from structural biology, CRYOEM, imaging technologies, DNA and energy metabolism, cell biology and drug metabolism all reflect the wide range of capabilities that will be expanded with the recruitment of the new department chair.

"Funds generated through this new challenge will help us expand on existing strengths in pharmacology," Gerson said, "and help ensure our continued success as a leader in research, medical and graduate education. Expansion of the department will enhance coordination with our hospital affiliates, to improving the health of our community."

That dedication to improving care for the people of Cleveland and beyond is a core principle of the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation. It’s the same commitment to people and partnerships that earned the former medical center a national reputation.

"For 25 years, the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine has been among Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation’s highest-performing grantee partners," said Mitchell Balk, president of The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, the philanthropic legacy of the former nonprofit health care center. "We know that when we invest in the School of Medicine, our investments will increase many fold and that the dividends paid will benefit not only Case Western Reserve, not only Cleveland’s bioscience sector, but indeed, all of humankind."

Gerson is grateful to the foundation and its shared vision for bolstering Northeast Ohio’s reputation as a global biomedical leader. "On behalf of the School of Medicine," he said, "I cannot thank Mitch and the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation enough for their incredible support."

TYME Announces Appointment of Dr. Jan M Van Tornout as Acting Chief Medical Officer

On April 1, 2021 Tyme Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYME), an emerging biotechnology company developing cancer metabolism-based therapies (CMBTs), reported the appointment of Jan M Van Tornout, MD, MSc, as acting Chief Medical Officer, effective April 1, 2021 (Press release, TYME, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577516]). Dr. Van Tornout will provide leadership and direction for all medical and related preclinical programs in development. He will be replacing Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore. "On behalf of the board of directors, we truly appreciate Giuseppe’s many contributions towards advancing our programs and we wish him continued success in his future endeavors," said Richie Cunningham, TYME’s CEO.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Dr. Van Tornout brings over 25 years of medical experience in academia and industry, including over 15 years of global drug development in pharmaceutical and biotech settings and encompassing preclinical, IND, FIH, phase II-IV, (s)NDA, BLA, safety, medical affairs, clinical operations and regulatory experience. He has led clinical management and oncology teams at Natera, INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma, Bristol Myers Squibb and Amgen. Dr. Van Tornout has also served as a medical strategy consultant for various biotech companies including Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Puma Biotechnology, Maverick Therapeutics, ERT, Huya Bioscience, and Gradalis.

Dr. Van Tornout previously held academic appointments at the University of Southern California (USC) with clinical appointments at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as attending pediatric hematologist-oncologist. Dr. Van Tornout received his MD from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium, an MS in classical philosophy from KUL, and a BS from the Faculté Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium. He obtained his certification as a paediatrician from the Gasthuisberg University Hospitals, KUL, and subsequently completed his training as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC. He earned an MSc. in applied biometry from USC and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular epidemiology at USC. Subsequently his National Institutes of Health-sponsored laboratory focused on genetic epidemiology of childhood cancer (EWS) and the application of neural networks to the analysis of large pediatric cancer datasets.

"We are delighted and fortunate to be able to bring on an individual with Dr. Van Tornout’s vast experience at this important juncture for TYME. Jan has played an integral role in the approval of multiple drug candidates and has served as a key advisor in all facets of drug development. We will greatly benefit from his expertise on how best to advance our pipeline, as well as his guidance on the components that comprise high quality submissions to the FDA. We expect the end result to benefit both TYME and the patients we intend to help," said Richie Cunningham. Dr. Van Tornout stated, "I am excited to work with TYME and its leadership team during this pivotal period. TYME has multiple novel programs underway that have the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of many people with unmet medical needs. I am confident my background is very well-suited to help guide TYME in the next phase of clinical development across its various clinical and preclinical compounds."

Synlogic to Present at Upcoming Virtual Banking and Industry Conferences

On April 1, 2021 Synlogic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYBX), a clinical stage company bringing the transformative potential of synthetic biology to medicine, reported that Aoife Brennan, M.B. Ch.B., Synlogic’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and other members of the executive team will present at the following virtual banking and industry conferences (Press release, Synlogic, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577534]):

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

20th Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference: Dr. Brennan and Daniel Rosan, SVP & Head of Finance, will present at 3:00 pm on Monday, April 12, 2021.
Jefferies Microbiome-based Therapeutics Summit: Dr. Brennan will participate in a Fireside Chat that will become available on Thursday, April 22, 2021.
These are virtual events. A live webcast of the presentations, if available, can be accessed under "Event Calendar" in the Investors & Media section of the Company’s website. An archived copy of the webcast will be available on the Synlogic website for approximately 30 days after the event.