Hunter College

VALENCIA, Calif., Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nusano, a physics company transforming the production of radioisotopes, today announced it will host a virtual key opinion leader (KOL) panel discussion on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 1:00 PM ET to preview the year ahead in radiopharmaceuticals. Interested participants can register here. The moderated discussion will feature Elcin Zan, MD (Cleveland Clinic) and Brian Zeglis, PhD (Hunter College), who will discuss emerging trends shaping the radioligand therapy (RLT) landscape, including the latest advancements and exciting developments on the horizon for 2025. The educational event is designed to be of interest to investors, emerging biotech companies, and all interested in learning more about how radiopharmaceuticals are changing the way cancers are detected and treated. A live Q&A session will follow the formal discussion, offering attendees the opportunity to interact directly with the experts. About Elcin Zan, MDElcin Zan, MD is dual board-certified radiologist specializing in neuroradiology and nuclear medicine. She currently serves as Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Prior to her current role, Dr. Zan worked in Molecular Imaging and Therapy at Weill Cornell Medicine, and as the Director of Nuclear Theranostics at NYU Langone Health. About Brian Zeglis, PhDDr. Brian Zeglis is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hunter College, New York. His research focus is biochemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and radiochemistry. Dr. Zeglis received his BA from Yale University and a PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He completed a postdoc at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The research in the Zeglis Laboratory at Hunter focuses on the design, synthesis, preclinical validation, and clinical translation of novel pharmaceuticals for the imaging and therapy of disease, particularly cancer. In most, if not all of its work, the members of the Zeglis Laboratory work closely with their fellow collaborators in the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. About NusanoNusano is a privately held physics company committed to bringing stability and innovation to the rapidly emerging and critically undersupplied medical radioisotopes market. Nusano’s proprietary ion source is smaller and more efficient than existing production methods. This results in significantly greater yields and allows for the simultaneous manufacturing of multiple radioisotopes. Nusano’s technologies will supply the fight against cancer and support diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical development. The company’s state-of-the-art production facility opens in 2025 in West Valley City, Utah. For more, please visit www.nusano.com. Contacts: Media: Scott Larrivee, Nusano, 608-345-6629, scott.larrivee@nusano.comInvestor Relations: Joyce Allaire, LifeSci Advisors, LLC, 212-915-2569, jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com

Findings from a four-year study of a U.S. national cohort of 6,059 sexual and gender minority individuals who have sex with men NEW YORK, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a far-reaching effort to understand the factors contributing to HIV transmission among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and improve HIV prevention strategies, a team of scientists at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) and the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (CUNY ISPH) led a four-year national cohort study of 6,059 cisgender men and transgender individuals who have sex with men. Key among their aims was uncovering the reasons why many SGM individuals are not fully benefitting from highly effective HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a powerful means of preventing HIV infection among groups that experience disproportional HIV burden, with the capacity to reduce transmission on a massive scale. It's been available for over a decade, but its uptake among those who could benefit the most has been slow and inequitable, with significant racial and ethnic disparities – White SGM individuals have been adopting PrEP at higher rates than persons of color. Getting on PrEP is challenging, requiring regular clinical appointments, bloodwork, and pharmacy coordination. Staying on PrEP can be even more challenging, requiring continued access to healthcare through, for example, job stability that provides health insurance, as well as reliable transportation for PrEP-related appointments. Socioeconomic factors like housing instability further hinder consistent use. Substance use, particularly methamphetamine, amplifies HIV risk and can interfere with PrEP adherence. The Together 5,000 (T5K) cohort study recruited 6,059 cisgender men and transgender individuals who have sex with men, aged 16-49, who were not using PrEP at enrollment but were clinically indicated for it, and followed them from 2017 - 2022. All were given an HIV test at study enrollment. Those with negative HIV tests were given information about PrEP and how it might protect them, and (if desired) help in beginning the regimen. The study examined potential factors associated with HIV infection, including demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, behaviors, and PrEP usage. Participants completed annual online surveys and at-home self-sampling kits for HIV testing over four years. In this cohort of HIV-vulnerable SGM individuals, the study team observed high HIV incidence over four years of follow-up (n=303, 5% of the cohort or 1.64% each year). PrEP use was a major factor in preventing HIV infection: individuals on PrEP were 80% less likely to become HIV positive. Notably, starting and then discontinuing PrEP proved to be a greater risk factor than never having started it: individuals who had started and then stopped PrEP had the highest rate of infection in the cohort. Prior studies have likewise found higher HIV infection risk following gaps in PrEP use. Methamphetamine (meth) use in the past year increased risk of acquiring HIV infection by nearly four-fold. In fact, for every person who became infected, meth use was reported in the year prior 42% of the time. Findings from this and other studies demonstrate that meth use is disproportionately impacting SGM individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic groups, and accounts for one in three new HIV infections among SGM individuals. "Our findings point to the urgent need to do more research into this potentially causal connection and provide more resources to people who use meth," said CUNY SPH Professor Christian Grov, the study's lead author. Race and ethnicity played a role in HIV risk. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latinx participants were significantly more likely to become infected than non-Hispanic white participants. "Researchers and policymakers have feared for years that disproportionate PrEP uptake by race—where white individuals adopt PrEP at higher rates than other groups—would have the potential to make existing racial disparities in HIV even worse," said Grov. "Thus, while our finding is not novel, it underscores the need for PrEP implementation strategies with more equitable reach that engage Black and Latinx SGM individuals." Housing instability increased risk. SGM individuals experiencing housing instability were at higher risk for both meth use and HIV infection. Greater education was, predictably, a protective factor. "The findings related to meth use are particularly concerning given that SGM who use meth are increasingly injecting it, raising the possibility of increased infection risk through needle sharing in addition to any of the stimulant's effects on sexual behavior," said CUNY SPH Distinguished Professor Denis Nash, a co-author on the study. The study highlights the critical need for interventions to improve PrEP uptake and retention among sexual and gender minority individuals, particularly Black/Latinx individuals, those with housing instability, lower education levels, and people who use methamphetamine. Enhanced PrEP implementation strategies and addressing structural barriers are essential for reducing HIV incidence in these vulnerable populations. Equally important are interventions to support the long-term maintenance of individuals currently on PrEP and to re-engage those who may fall out of care, given the exceptionally high risk of infection in these groups. This study, led by CUNY SPH and CUNY ISPH, is the product of a broad collaboration with investigators from Florida International University, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Florida, University of Memphis, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Hunter College, SUNY Downstate, and Rutgers University. Media contact: Ariana Costakes [email protected] About CUNY SPH The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all. sph.cuny.edu About CUNY ISPH The CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) was founded on the notion that substantial improvements in population health can be efficiently achieved through better implementation of existing strategies, policies, and interventions across multiple sectors. We study how to translate and scale-up evidence-based interventions and policies within clinical and community settings in order to improve population health and reduce health disparities. CUNY ISPH. Pursing population health gains through better implementation. . Follow us on Twitter: @CUNYISPH. SOURCE CUNY SPH

The government health program's simplified payment system helps keep its payroll lean, as opposed to a private sector that employs hundreds of thousands more to secure or enhance its revenues, researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open. The healthcare system’s private sector could learn a thing or two about efficiency from the government’s Veterans Health Administration, which employs about 30% less administrative staff across clinical, insurance and logistical settings, according to a recent study in JAMA Network Open. According to the analysis of Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and VHA personnel records, 22.5% of VHA employees hold administrative roles compared to 29.3% of healthcare workers in the private sector. The VHA runs 171 medical centers and about 1,100 outpatient sites, providing care for 9 million enrolled veterans, researchers wrote. Applying the administration’s staffing patterns to the private sector (as of 2019) would translate to 900,000 cut administrative staff across the nation—in other words, fewer roles that do not directly deliver patient care but contribute to higher healthcare spending. The researchers wrote that their findings clashed “with the common perception (even our own) that the VHA is excessively bureaucratized.” Rather, they said, it appears that the administration’s simplified payment system relieved the government program from hiring on staff to approve claims, calculate risk or deliver other “revenue-enhancing administrative activities that add little clinical value.” “Our profit-oriented system rewards providers for devoting more resources to gaming the payment system,” said Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., professor of public health and health policy at the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College and the study’s lead author, in a release from the school. Woolhandler and colleagues’ study doesn’t directly speak to the costs and quality of VHA care versus that of the private sector. Prior findings from the past decade cited by the team found “suggestive but not conclusive evidence” that the VHA’s care was cheaper, while a 2023 review listed by the researchers found “VHA care was generally of equal or better quality compared with the private sector.” Still, the researchers noted that most VHA funding comes in lump-sum budgets. The administration does not bill Medicare or Medicaid and collects 2.7% of revenues from private insurers and 0.3% from patients. All of its facilities are in network, few services require prior authorization and a single formulary applies to all patients. Each of these is a contrast to the private sector, where individual patients and services require payer-provider interactions with varying requirements or calculations to navigate, they wrote. Numerous studies and reports have also pegged administrative burdens as a contributor to the U.S. health system’s higher costs compared to other nations. Here the researchers turned their attention to the 6.8% absolute difference between administrative personnel share between the VHA and private sector, which is smaller than the reported administrative cost differences between the U.S. and other single-payer nations. The researchers said could be a reflection of administrative inefficiencies that the VHA is still beholden to, such as veterans’ care eligibility determinations and the 20% of its budget that’s spent purchasing private sector care for covered veterans. “The high administrative costs of US healthcare have elicited proposals for simplifying payment via single-payer reform, as well as more modest reforms that would standardize and automate billing,” the researchers wrote. “Implementing uniform credentialing, eligibility determination, and especially payment rates across all payers, as in some other nations, may achieve some administrative savings. However, more fundamental reforms that eliminate per-patient payments and minimize incentives for financial manipulations are likely needed to realize the bulk of potential savings on bureaucracy, savings that could be redirected to improving coverage and care.”