WESTCHESTER COUNTY LIFE SCIENCES UPDATE

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

• Interested in Applying to the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator? Join Us for Our Next Info Session Today at Noon!
• WCBA Alum PNI Therapeutics Featured in Study Surrounding the Impact of Meditation & VR in Cancer Treatments
• Can't Miss Webinar Outlining New Rules and Requirements for Ventures Applying for SBIR/STTR Funding
• EU to Review Regeneron's Lymphoma Drug Odronextamab
• Regeneron Announces Updates to Board of Directors
• Cognition Therapeutics Releases New Podcast Episode on Therapeutic Strategies to Protect the Retina in Dry AMD
• Upcoming Events & More

Interested in Applying to the

Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator?

Just Us for Our Next Info Session Today at Noon!

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: 

2024 Program Info Sessions

Date: September 14

Time: 12:00 PM

Register

Date: September 20

Time: 12:00 PM

Register

Date: September 26

Time: 12:00 PM

Register

Strengthening Your Application Workshops

Date: September 19

Time: 12:00 PM

Register

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.  

WCBA Alum PNI Therapeutics Featured in Study Surrounding the Impact of Meditation & VR in Cancer Treatments

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Virtual Reality has found that virtual reality (VR) meditation can be an effective way to reduce cancer-related anxiety, stress, and fatigue.

The study features the PNI Thrive VR mediation app. Developed by Mamaroneck's PNI Therapeutics, a graduate of the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator, PNI Thrive is a 10-minute VR meditation app that uses guided meditations to help users relax, reduce stress, and improve their well-being. The study’s findings suggest that VR meditation could be a valuable addition to the treatment of cancer-related anxiety, stress, and fatigue. VR meditation is a safe and easy-to-use intervention that can be delivered in a clinical setting or at home. This makes it a promising option for cancer patients who are looking for ways to improve their quality of life.

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Can't Miss Webinar Outlining New Rules and Requirements for Ventures Applying for SBIR/STTR Funding

Following reauthorization by Congress of the SBIR/STTR Programs in 2022, there are new rules companies should familiarize themselves with concerning required disclosures of foreign affiliations or relationships with foreign countries. In addition to mandating disclosures prior to receiving SBIR awards, companies must also regularly update NIH following any changes to a disclosure. Join BIO for a comprehensive discussion on September 19 at 2:00 PM on how to effectively navigate these new rules as you apply for SBIR awards.

"New SBIR Foreign Disclosure Requirements: How Does it Impact Your Company?" will be co-hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Seed Office.

Speakers:

• Stephanie Fertig, Program Lead, Health and Human Services Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Patricia Valdez, Chief Extramural Research Integrity Officer, Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Register

EU to Review Regeneron's Lymphoma Drug Odronextamab

Westchester-headquartered Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted for review the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for its lymphoma treatment Odronextamab.

Odronextamab is designed for adult patients with the two most common subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) and R/R diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Odronextamab is an investigational CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody designed to bridge CD20 on cancer cells with CD3-expressing T cells to facilitate local T-cell activation and cancer-cell killing.

According to Regeneron, the EMA previously granted odronextamab Orphan Drug Designation for FL and DLBCL. The MAA is supported by data from a Phase 1 and pivotal Phase 2 trial (ELM-1 and ELM-2) investigating odronextamab in FL and DLBCL, which were presented last December at the 64th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

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Regeneron Announces Updates to Board of Directors

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that Kathryn Guarini, Ph.D., and David P. Schenkein, M.D., have joined Regeneron’s Board of Directors effective September 8, 2023.

Kathryn Guarini, Ph.D., who will serve as an Independent Director, recently retired as Chief Information Officer of IBM. Prior to her role as CIO which began in 2021, Dr. Guarini served in multiple executive leadership roles at IBM over more than 20 years, including Chief Operating Officer of IBM Research and Vice President of Product Management for IBM Systems. 

David P. Schenkein, M.D., is a General Partner and Co-lead of the Life Sciences team at GV (Google Ventures). Prior to joining GV in 2019, Dr. Schenkein served as Chief Executive Officer for Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for 10 years. He is currently a Board Member of Prime Medicine, Inc., Denali Therapeutics, Inc. and Agios.

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Cognition Therapeutics Releases New Podcast Episode on Therapeutic Strategies to Protect the Retina in Dry AMD

Purchase’s Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., has released its sixth “Conversations” video podcast, which features an interactive discussion with retinal specialists about dry age-related macular degeneration (Dry AMD) and the current treatment landscape. Dry AMD is caused by a degeneration of the macula and gradual loss of central vision. An estimated 1.5 million people in the United States are affected by late-stage dry AMD, which can result in permanent vision loss.



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UPCOMING EVENTS & MORE

Westchester County Multilingual Job Fair

Date: September 28

Time: 9 AM — 12 PM

Venue: Little Theatre, County Center, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains

The event aims to connect businesses, municipalities, colleges, hospitals, schools and other institutions with skilled individuals who possess the valuable ability to speak multiple languages.

Job seekers can register by clicking on the below flyer.

Biosciences Business Development Masterclass

Presented by ELabNYC & FirstxFounder

Join the online Biosciences Business Development Masterclass, September 27 — 29, to gain invaluable insights and strategies for success. The Masterclass is ideal for ventures seeking growth and profitability strategies to sell to customers, corporate partners, or recruiting new team members

Register

Have good news to share with

Westchester’s life sciences ecosystem?

Please let us know.

Email lifesciences@westchestergov.com.