New York State Department of Health

New York State Department of Health Funding Supports Healthcare Access and Employment Readiness BRONX, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Montefiore AIDS Center, one of New York's largest HIV prevention and treatment programs, has been awarded a $1 million, five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health. Funding will support engagement of approximately 200 women of color in the Bronx, ages 16 and up, by offering HIV testing, sexual and reproductive health workshops, mental health and supportive services as well as employment readiness opportunities, including vocational counseling, interview preparation, clothing vouchers and referrals to childcare resources. Continue Reading Funding will support engagement of approximately 200 women of color in the Bronx, ages 16 and up, by offering HIV testing, sexual and reproductive health workshops, mental health and supportive services as well as employment readiness opportunities, including vocational counseling, interview preparation, clothing vouchers and referrals to childcare resources. Photo by Lori Adams "Comprehensive healthcare for women of color is essential to break the cycle of HIV transmission in our communities," said Barry Zingman, MD, medical director of the Montefiore AIDS Center, professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and clinical director, infectious diseases, at the Moses division of Montefiore Health System. "With this funding, we are building upon decades of our team's experience in HIV counseling, testing, linkages to care, patient education and outreach work. These strategies were chosen because we've successfully used many of them to engage and empower historically stigmatized individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing." Impact of HIV on Women of Color in the Bronx Since the conclusion of Project HEAL (Healing Environment Altering Lives) in 2015—that screened 1,400 women for HIV over 12 years—there has been a significant lack of supportive services to reach and protect HIV negative women in the Bronx, where the prevalence of HIV and AIDS far exceeds other NYC boroughs. According to the latest NYC Community Health Profile, new Bronx HIV and diagnoses were approximately 50% higher than NYC overall One in four new HIV diagnoses in New York City happens in the Bronx Black and/or Hispanic women make up nearly 90% of new HIV diagnoses and 90% of women living with HIV in NYC Among Bronx women living with HIV, only 68% were in continuous care and 78% were virally suppressed and untransmissible This funding allows Montefiore to employ a dedicated community health worker (a trained local expert) and support other Montefiore AIDS Center staff in screening for social determinants of health, including conditions that people are born into, work and live in, that impact health outcomes such as housing, transportation, and education. With the goals of preventing HIV infections, streamlining HIV treatment within three days of a positive test, and connecting patients to support services, Montefiore aims to provide affirming and supportive care that will in turn reduce disparities throughout the Bronx. About Montefiore Health System Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information, please visit . Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and LinkedIn, or view us on Facebook and YouTube. SOURCE Montefiore Health System WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

BALTIMORE, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sysmex Inostics Inc., a subsidiary of Japan's Sysmex Corporation and Baltimore-based biotechnology firm and CLIA-certified lab, announced that its RAS-RAF-SEQ Laboratory Developed Test has been granted the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program approval for clinical trial use. RAS-RAF-SEQ is a clinical grade, CLIA-validated liquid biopsy assay for the identification of the five most relevant targets for cancers impacted by the RAS-RAF and PI3K signaling pathways such as colorectal, pancreatic, gallbladder, ovarian, and lung cancers. "NY State CLEP approval for RAS-RAF-SEQ will provide pharma and clinical trial investigators who want to test samples from the New York State with a non-invasive tool to uncover deeper insights in assessing novel therapies for various RAS-RAF and/or PI3K-associated cancers," said Shinichi Sato, President, and CEO of Sysmex Inostics. "This approval shows our commitment in expanding access of our ultrasensitive assays to all patients fighting cancer with liquid biopsy services that are compliant with clinical regulations." Genetic mutations along the RAS-RAF pathway (KRAS, NRAS, BRAF) are common across numerous cancer types, and often play a significant role in cancer development, progression, as well as treatment resistance.1-3 Following initial diagnosis, understanding a patient's specific genomic alterations along the RAS-RAF pathway helps inform therapy selection, monitor treatment response, and identify emerging resistance. Moreover, mutations in the PI3K pathway (PIK3CA, AKT1) are known to modulate signaling through the RAS-RAF pathway and may provide additional information to guide therapeutic decision-making.1-3 The RAS-RAF-SEQ panel tracks key mutations in the RAS-RAF and PI3K pathways with maximum efficiency for optimizing therapy, avoiding over-treatment, and maximizing quality of life during treatment. Plasma-Safe-SeqS technology utilized in the RAS-RAF-SEQ assay is expertly designed to preserve all input molecules for analysis, leading to ultrasensitive detection of low-level genomic mutations. "The RAS-RAF-SEQ assay achieves ultra-sensitivity, while maintaining robust specificity for the targeted mutations in RAS-RAF or PI3K signaling pathway," said Jonathan Craft, Associate Director, Translational Research, Sysmex Inostics. About RAS-RAF-SEQ RAS-RAF-SEQ is a clinical grade, CLIA-validated liquid biopsy assay for the identification of gene mutations in KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, as well as PIK3CA and AKT1 for cancers impacted by the RAS-RAF and PI3K signaling pathways. Applying ultrasensitive Plasma-Safe-SeqS technology to identify mutant molecules at low levels, RAS-RAF-SEQ identifies established and emerging predictive markers, resistance mutations, frequently occurring genetic alterations associated with various cancers, and mutations that may evolve during therapy. RAS-RAF-SEQ improves clinical trial efficiency by informing therapy selection, monitoring treatment response along with disease and clonal dynamics, as we strive to optimize cancer therapy development. About Sysmex Inostics Sysmex Inostics, Inc., a subsidiary of Japan's Sysmex Corporation, is a Baltimorebased biotechnology firm and CLIA-certified lab offering biomarker testing to accelerate the development of personalized medicine. Pioneering liquid biopsy technology with OncoBEAM™ in 2008, Sysmex Inostics now provides next generation sequencing Plasma-Safe-SeqS technology panels. The Plasma-Safe-SeqS panels empower more accurate detection of low-frequency biomarkers with ultra-sensitive 0.03% to 0.05% allele frequency from a simple blood draw to expedite studies and uncover deeper insights into therapy response. The company offers CLIA validated NGS testing services for HPV16/18 quantification, HNSCC, AML, breast cancer, and solid tumors impacted by RAS-RAF and PI3K signaling pathways. For more information, refer to References: Santarpia L, Lippman SM, El-Naggar AK. Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2012;16(1):103-119. doi:10.1517/14728222.2011.645805 Gimple RC, Wang X. Front Oncol. 2019;9:965. Published 2019 Sep 24. doi:10.3389/fonc.2019.00965 Cuesta C, Arévalo-Alameda C, Castellano E. Genes (Basel). 2021;12(7):1094. Published 2021 Jul 19. doi:10.3390/genes12071094 SOURCE Sysmex Inostics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Funding will support expanded commercialization efforts for PreciseBreast™ risk assessment NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PreciseDx®, a leading innovator in oncology diagnostics leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for new, morphology-driven disease analysis, today announced that it has raised $20.7 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to date to $31.5 million. The round was led by Eventide Asset Management ("Eventide"), which invests in biotech and life science healthcare companies seeking solutions for unmet clinical needs. Additional participants in the round include Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics, and GenHenn Capital Venture, along with existing investors. "Our team continues to advance breast cancer diagnostics by delivering faster, more accurate data, in a cost-efficient method. This allows clinical care teams to make better informed clinical decisions resulting in improved patient outcomes," said Eric Converse, Founding Board Member of PreciseDx. "This capital infusion sets the stage for our next phase of continued in-depth clinical trials to validate PreciseBreast™ in a specific clinical setting and market entry point." "We're excited about PreciseDx, the milestones accomplished to date, and the potential for improving patient care in the near future," said Westley Dupray, CFA, Research Analyst, Principal at Eventide. "We expect this financing will help accelerate the validation process for PreciseBreast™ and its potential to improve patient risk assessments, clinical outcomes, and healthcare efficiency." The funding comes on the heels of a number of key achievements by PreciseDx, including completion of two successful validation studies (analytical and clinical); receipt of CLIA Standard approval and CLEP NYSDOH review on the PreciseBreast™ assessment; a Cost Impact Study published by the Journal of Medical Economics; and the addition of new key collaborations, such as UCLA, COTA and Baptist Health South Florida, and Baylor Scott & White Health. "Securing Series B funding not only signals PreciseDx's continued achievements, but also underscores the trust and confidence in the Company's trajectory," added Converse. Aquilo Partners, L.P. acted as financial advisor and McDermott Will & Emery as legal advisor to PreciseDx. About PreciseDx® PreciseDx® is innovating oncology diagnostics, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for revolutionary, morphology-driven disease analysis. Combining AI with our patented Morphology Feature Array® (MFA), PreciseDx provides access to unmatched disease insights and accurate, actionable intelligence for more comprehensive decision-making throughout the cancer care continuum. To learn more about PreciseDx, visit About PreciseBreast™ PreciseBreast™ is an early-stage invasive breast cancer risk assessment, independent of HER2, and hormone receptor status. The AI-powered test utilizes standard H&E pathology slide images. Leveraging millions of data points, PreciseBreast™ analyzes, correlates, and quantifies those critical features that predict breast cancer recurrence and delivers a Risk of Recurrence Score. The test meets the rigorous Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards and has passed the Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP) Assay Validation Review by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). PDxBr will be available worldwide under the brand name of PreciseBreast™. For more information, please contact [email protected]. For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Hannah Davis 860-707-9461 [email protected] SOURCE PreciseDx