WESTCHESTER COUNTY LIFE SCIENCES UPDATE

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

• Westchester County Office of Economic Development Awards Contract for Strategic Enhancements to Life Sciences Cluster
• Teladoc Health Releases 2023 Virtual Transformation Index
• Teladoc Health Appoints Leading Healthcare and Hospitals Executive Eric Evans to Board of Directors
• Sapience Therapeutics Announces Presentation of ST101 Clinical Data at Leading Industry Conference
• ContraFect Announces Submission of IND Application to the FDA for New Drug for HABP/VABP
• Westchester Institute for Human Development to Debut Mobile Medical Clinic
• Join the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator Community: Apply Today!
• Upcoming Events & More

Westchester County Office of Economic Development Awards Contract for Strategic Enhancements to Life Sciences Cluster

The Westchester County Office of Economic Development has awarded a 6-month contract to fortify its life sciences cluster to BJH Advisors, a real estate advisory and planning firm. The chosen firm has assembled a team with deep regional and national life sciences expertise to support this project including: East Egg Project Management, FCA Architects, JLL and WSP Engineering. The selection was finalized following a competitive RFP process which was conducted earlier this year.

The four key areas on which BJH Advisors will focus over the next 6-months, include:

• life sciences talent pipeline and workforce development, including plans to address academic and achievement gaps;
• real estate needs, including new facilities to support industry growth;
• access to investment capital for life sciences companies; and,
• supply chain development, including expansion of infrastructure.

The final deliverable will be an implementation plan that is backed by the life sciences industry and local leadership. The project is slated to begin immediately with plans to conclude in early 2024.

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Teladoc Health Releases 2023 Virtual Transformation Index

In new research released by Purchase’s Teladoc Health, the global leader in whole-person virtual care, U.S. employers with 2,500 or more employees reported a 21% increase in the implementation of additional virtual care offerings over the past 18 months, with 77% stating they plan to increase their investment in virtual care over the next three years.

The findings are part of the company’s second annual Virtual Care Transformation Index, a survey of more than 300 human resource decision makers that highlights the perception, adoption and advancement of whole-person virtual healthcare in benefits programs.

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Teladoc Health Appoints Leading Healthcare and Hospitals Executive Eric Evans to Board of Directors

Teladoc Health has appointed former Tenet Healthcare executive Eric Evans to its board of directors. Evans, who is currently the CEO and director of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Surgery Partners, previously served as president of hospital operations at Tenet Healthcare, where he oversaw 68 acute care hospitals and 161 hospital-affiliated facilities. He served as president of hospital operations from 2016 to 2018.

Evans is replacing former Sen. William Frist, who retired earlier this year, and will serve on the board’s compensation committee.

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Sapience Therapeutics Announces Presentation of ST101 Clinical Data at Leading Industry Conference

Tarrytown’s Sapience Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of peptide therapeutics to address oncogenic and immune dysregulation that drive cancer, announced that an abstract on ST101 has been accepted for a poster presentation at the upcoming AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, taking place October 11-15, 2023 in Boston, MA. 

ST101 is a first-in-class antagonist of C/EBPβ that has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept in advanced solid tumors. ST101 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 2 portion of an ongoing Phase 1-2 clinical study in patients with advanced unresectable and metastatic solid tumors (NCT04478279). The poster to be presented will summarize clinical data from ST101's recurrent Glioblastoma (rGBM) Phase 2 expansion cohort of 30 patients.

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ContraFect Announces Submission of IND Application to the FDA for New Drug for HABP/VABP

Yonkers’ ContraFect, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of direct lytic agents (DLAs), including lysins and amurin peptides, announced that it submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 15, 2023. The IND application supports a proposed indication for its intravenous (IV) antibacterial agent, CF-370, for treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP).

HABP/VABP are serious, potentially life-threatening infections that are associated with high mortality and substantial morbidity. New therapies to treat these infections are critically important to meet patient needs, particularly because of increasing antimicrobial resistance. HABP/VABP occurs in patients in hospitals or other health care facilities and can be caused by a variety of bacteria. 

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Westchester Institute for Human Development to Debut Mobile Medical Clinic

The Westchester Institute for Human Development will debut a mobile medical truck next month. The Mobile Medical Clinic will provide primary care, podiatry, occupational therapy, laboratory testing, and vaccinations to people with disabilities living in group residential programs throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley. The vehicle is the size of a large food truck, and it will be wheelchair accessible.

In a statement, the WIHD stated that people with disabilities living in group residential programs often miss appointments at health care centers because of inadequate transportation and limited driver staffing.

The mobile clinic is expected to serve nearly 40 group residential programs. WIHD expects to provide 1,000 healthcare visits with the mobile clinic within the first year.

The vehicle will debut at a ceremony on Oct. 18 at WIHD’s headquarters in Valhalla.

Join the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator Community: Apply Today!

Life science ventures at any stage of development are still able to apply for the 2024 cohort of the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator! Join a community of nearly 50 founders and expert mentors that has raised over $15 million in funding. 

Apply (Deadline: October 24)

Upcoming Information Sessions

Learn more about the program, meet alumni and hear what you stand to gain from becoming a 2024 venture at an upcoming information session: 

Strengthening Your Application Workshops

Date: October 4

Time: 12:00 PM

Register

If you have questions and would like to learn more about WCBA, contact Doris Alcivar, Assistant Program Manager, WCBA at doris@firstxfounder.com.  

Have good news to share with

Westchester’s life sciences ecosystem?

Please let us know.

Email lifesciences@westchestergov.com.