Cleveland Clinic

Evvy Logo (PRNewsfoto/Evvy) MicroGenDX Leveraging metagenomics next-gen sequencing (mNGS), the Evvy Vaginal Health Test is the most comprehensive vaginal health test available. NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Evvy, a female-founded startup on a mission to close the gender health gap by discovering and leveraging female-specific biomarkers, announced today its partnership with MicroGenDX, a CLIA/CAP certified laboratory that has been pioneering the use of NGS testing for physicians for over a decade. Evvy and MicroGenDX have partnered to relaunch the Evvy Vaginal Health Test as the world's first and only CLIA-validated mNGS vaginal microbiome test. The Evvy Vaginal Health Test leverages mNGS to screen for every microbe isolated from the vaginal and urinary tract (excluding microbes related to reportable STIs). The test was developed and validated at MicroGenDX, the lab in which all samples will be processed. —------------------ Vaginal discomfort is one of the leading reasons women seek healthcare advice, and over 90% of these cases can be attributed to imbalances in the vaginal microbiome. Despite the high prevalence of vaginitis and the rapid adoption of DNA testing into many other branches of medicine, vaginitis testing remains limited. Most clinicians diagnose based on the Amsel score criteria, which is oftentimes unreliable and subjective as it is based on factors such as a "whiff test" of vaginal odors, a wet mount, and a review of patient symptoms. When point of care DNA testing is leveraged, current clinical tests look for a limited list of 3-10 microbes via binary negative/positive PCR panels, which are unable to provide a complete list of microbes present in the vaginal microbiome. Without a comprehensive, objective picture of the vaginal microbiome, it is unsurprising that both physicians and patients often misdiagnose vaginal complaints. In a study of 220 physician-diagnosed patients with vaginal symptoms, the diagnoses for 61% of bacterial vaginosis and 77% of yeast infection cases were incorrect. Dealing with vaginal infections can significantly impact both a patients' quality of life and long term health outcomes. People with yeast infections have a 2.5x higher rate of anxiety than the general population, and people with bacterial vaginosis experience significantly reduced self-esteem, sexual activity, and quality of life. Additionally, in terms of long term health outcomes, research suggests that imbalances in the vaginal microbiome (such as bacterial vaginosis) can be associated with increased risk of a variety of adverse health outcomes, such as STI acquisition, pelvic inflammatory disease, preterm birth, and infertility. But even though vaginal infections are highly prevalent, drastically affect quality of life, and can impact long term health outcomes, accessible, comprehensive, and validated vaginal microbiome testing has not been available — until Evvy. The Evvy Vaginal Health Test Evvy's relaunched Vaginal Health Test was developed and analytically validated at MicroGenDX, the lab in which samples will be processed. Evvy has also partnered with a physician network to authorize all test requisitions in every state where they offer their testing kits. The analytical validation of the Evvy Vaginal Health Test was completed with rigorous quality metrics, threshold values, and limits of detection for all reported organisms. The test demonstrated improved analytical sensitivity and specificity over traditional methods — finally bringing in the power and precision of metagenomics to vaginal healthcare. All results for the Vaginal Health Test are delivered through Evvy's platform, alongside personalized education and actionable insights based on unique learnings from Evvy's data. Each test also comes with a 1-1 call with one of Evvy's certified health coaches. Through accessible testing and straightforward insights that help consumers understand their own vaginal health, the Evvy Vaginal Health Test enables consumers to get an accurate, comprehensive picture of their vaginal microbiome at a transparent price using convenient at-home collection. "I'm thrilled that Evvy's groundbreaking test and educational platform is supported by CLIA validation," said Dr. Rebecca Nelken, OB/GYN and Evvy's Founding Physician. "Patients can get direct access to personalized, scientifically sound education on their bodies, enabling them to participate in shared decision making about their health. Clinicians see a patient's entire vaginal microbiome composition from one swab that can be collected in the comfort of a patient's home. Vaginal healthcare has been hugely overlooked for decades, and I'm so excited that Evvy is continuing to pioneer a new standard of care for women and people with vaginas everywhere." Since its launch in 2021, Evvy has been committed to improving the standard of female healthcare through biomarker discovery and accessibility in collaboration with leading OB-GYNs and vaginal microbiome researchers with decades of experience at UCSF, Stanford, Harvard, Cleveland Clinic, and more. "At Evvy, we're committed to leveraging the best technology to provide anyone with a vagina with the most comprehensive, scientifically validated, and personalized information on their vaginal health," said Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder & CEO of Evvy. "We're extremely excited about partnering with MicroGenDX to advance the available tools for overlooked, yet highly important women's health issues." "We've been committed to bringing NGS testing to improve healthcare outcomes for over a decade, and we're very excited to partner with Evvy to bring advancements to vaginal health — a field that has been overlooked for too long," said Rick Martin, CEO of MicroGenDX. "We're proud to partner with Evvy to bring their Vaginal Health Test to market, providing answers and hope to the millions of women suffering from vaginitis." The Evvy Vaginal Health Test is exclusively available at evvy.com. Providers interested in partnering with Evvy can reach out to [email protected]. About Evvy Evvy is on a mission to close the gender health gap by discovering and leveraging female-specific biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. Evvy's first product — the Evvy Vaginal Health Test — is the first-ever at-home vaginal microbiome test to use metagenomic sequencing to tell you what's up down there, why it matters, and what you can do about it. Simultaneously, Evvy is uncovering how female biomarkers can be better leveraged to diagnose, treat, and predict risk for complex health conditions in the female body. About MicroGenDX Our mission at MicroGenDX is to improve clinical outcomes by offering clinicians and their patients the most informative and impactful microbial diagnostic tests that science can provide. MicroGenDX laboratory has run over 700,000 next-gen DNA sequencing tests at our state-of-the-art, CAP-accredited, CLIA-licensed molecular diagnostic facility. Our laboratory is supported by a team of molecular biologists, biochemists, bioinformaticians, computer scientists, and physicians. SOURCE Evvy

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading investment banking and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce a new partnership between Synergy Plastic Surgery, a highly regarded plastic surgery practice based in Austin, Texas, and Pinnacle Dermatology. BGL's Healthcare investment banking team initiated the transaction and acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Synergy Plastic Surgery. The specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Continue Reading This transaction furthers BGL's deep knowledge of plastic surgery M&A and more broadly, the provider services sector. Tweet this Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), a leading investment banking and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce a new partnership between Synergy Plastic Surgery, a highly regarded plastic surgery practice based in Austin, Texas, and Pinnacle Dermatology. BGL’s Healthcare investment banking team initiated the transaction and acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Synergy Plastic Surgery. This transaction furthers BGL's deep knowledge of plastic surgery M&A—and more broadly, the provider services sector—and represents its ninth completed transaction involving dermatology and cosmetic services providers. Synergy Plastic Surgery (Synergy) consists of a team of twelve providers, led by six highly regarded, board-certified plastic surgeons who specialize in cosmetic plastic surgery at their four offices in the Round Rock and Austin areas. The doctors also specialize in body contouring procedures, including plastic surgery after weight loss, liposuction, and tummy tucks. In addition, Synergy provides a full array of MedSpa services. Synergy serves the communities surrounding Austin, San Antonio, and other cities, including Killeen, Cedar Park, Leander, and Pflugerville. With more than 145 locations in 17 states, Pinnacle Dermatology (Pinnacle) is the nation's largest female-founded and owned dermatology network in the United States. Pinnacle is the premier source of all aspects of skin care and appearance enhancement care. Their combination of talented dermatological and plastic surgery professionals are focused on the highest quality care, convenient access, and superior outcomes. The new partnership with Synergy furthers Pinnacle's commitment to growing its national organization through partnering with market leaders in dermatology and cosmetic services. BGL's Healthcare Provider Services Group is one of the most experienced and respected financial advisory teams in the U.S. for physician practice M&A, plastic surgery M&A and related technical services, with a long track record of expertise in physician practice valuation and in successfully advising physicians and alternate site providers through strategic transactions like selling a physician practice. With healthcare investment banking industry expertise, tenacious processing, and creative deal structuring, coupled with global access to the most active healthcare and life sciences investors, BGL's advisors execute transactions effectively and efficiently, and consistently exceed our clients' expectations. About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, business valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and New York, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, LLC, an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com. SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company

TAMPA, Fla.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 76% of pediatric inpatient beds are occupied across the U.S., and pediatric intensive-care beds are above 80%. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States started showing up in the spring and are now 60% higher than 2021's peak week. As a result, pediatric hospitals across the country are under immense strain. Edgility's 'Pediatric Lens' helps health systems across the country respond to the surge of flu and RSV patients overwhelming their pediatric populations. EdgeAi, Edgility's native Artificial Intelligence, curates data from multiple sources to orchestrate 'levers of action' in real-time so staff can respond effectively and quickly to the surge in patients. The Peds lens includes information that identifies if the patient's plan of care is effective by bringing real time visibility into the many critical components of pediatric care. “As we respond to this unprecedented surge in critically ill children, the Edgility Pediatric Lens is an exceptional instrument for identifying patient conditions and appropriate levels of care,” said Dr. Steven L. Shein, Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and the Linsalata Family Chair in Pediatric Critical Care and Emergency Medicine at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland. “This lens helps providers effectively manage the transition of pediatric patients from ICU to a lower level of care, creating capacity in highly utilized pediatric ICUs.” “Edgility's rapid human-centered design-based approach can respond instantly to emerging conditions. Imagine the power to foresee the surge, prepare and manage the surge, and most importantly, help kids recover in the quickest, safest way possible," says Joy McFate, RN, BSN, MHA, Outcomes Director at Edgility. With clinician burnout at all-time high levels, it is critically important that we provide useful tools to providers, especially in a high-stress environment, such as a pediatric ICU. According to a Wall Street Journal article , “Other respiratory viruses, including Covid-19, and high demand from pediatric mental-health patients are contributing to the strain at pediatric hospitals, doctors said. Nursing shortages and a decrease in pediatric beds have compounded the crunch.” Across the U.S., the number of flu cases has also been increasing earlier than usual. Some schools have seen large absences, and medical offices say they are seeing more people sick with other respiratory viruses at times that don't fit the usual patterns. The Peds lens complements Edgility's other Systems Operations modules, including its suite of patient access and throughput modules that move patients through health systems as efficiently as possible. About Edgility Edgility provides health systems with a platform for operational intelligence to relieve care teams of administrative burden and improve patient experience while reducing operational costs. Edgility’s AI-based platform seamlessly integrates with existing EMR systems and technology investments to orchestrate operational processes so providers can focus on patient care. Edgility has partnered with health systems across the country to help tackle their biggest operational challenges. For more, visit www.edgilityhealth.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .