Patrick McNamara Named Chief Commercial Officer at Yunu, Driving Growth in Trial Imaging for Pharma
McNamara's appointment reinforces Yunu's commitment to advancing transformative clinical trial imaging solutions at scale. His deep industry knowledge is built upon years of hands-on leadership as the prior VP of Business Development for the clinical endpoint division of a major CRO as well as key oversight of commercial and operational teams. His extensive experience and strategic vision accelerate Yunu's ability to deeply engage with sponsors and CROs in Yunu's industry-wide effort to transform trialimaging workflows, accelerate new therapies, and improve data quality.
"We are thrilled to appoint Patrick McNamara as our Chief Commercial Officer," said Jeff Sorenson, CEO & Co-founder of Yunu. "Patrick's unique perspective allows Yunu to orient our teams around the specific needs and processes of pharma while also fine-tuning our go-to-market as we continue to deliver game-changing trial acceleration and transparency."
Yunu recently unveiled a groundbreaking software release that empowers pharma sponsors to rapidly configure new studies, connect to readers, and ensure real time access to their imaging data within their primary data systems. This advancement underscores Yunu's role as an innovator and leader in harmonizing multi-site trials, reducing complexity, and accelerating trial imaging timelines.
Yunu is also managing all imaging endpoints delivered to sponsors at more than 25% of NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The platform's impact will be discussed during a special session with City of Hope leadership in addition to showcasing these latest advancements during the 17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting in Chicago from Monday, June 23rd, to Wednesday, June 25th.
ABOUT YUNUYunu enables life sciences organizations to streamline imaging workflows, improve accuracy, and accelerate timelines. Yunu's platform supports clinical trials across various therapeutic areas, offering scalability and flexibility for organizations of all sizes. For more information, visit yunu.io and follow us on LinkedIn or X @Yunu_Inc.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
12 hours ago
- Gizmodo
What Seemed Like a Pregnancy Was Actually Something Far More Dangerous
A woman's supposed pregnancy turned out to be something much stranger. In a recent report from her doctors, they detail how the woman had developed an incredibly rare form of ovarian cancer that mimicked the symptoms of pregnancy, even causing a positive pregnancy test. Doctors in India described the case of mistaken identity earlier this July in the journal Oncoscience. After first suspecting the woman had an ectopic pregnancy, the doctors instead discovered a large and rare type of tumor in her right ovary. Thankfully, the cancer was removed before it spread elsewhere, and the woman seems to have responded well to treatment. According to the report, the 36-year-old woman visited doctors three months into having intermittent bouts of heavy menstrual bleeding. She tested positive for a pregnancy on a urine test, and when doctors performed a physical examination, they felt a solid mass along her abdomen consistent with having a 20-week-old fetus. An initial ultrasound appeared to show that the woman was experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, a condition where the embryo forms outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube (ectopic pregnancies are inherently non-viable). After conducting more extensive imaging, they found that she actually had cancer in her right ovary, most likely a choriocarcinoma. Choriocarcinomas are tumors mainly formed from the cells that become the placenta during a pregnancy. It's an especially dangerous cancer since the tumors tend to grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body. The woman's doctors soon performed surgery to assess the progression of her cancer and to treat it if possible. They successfully removed the tumor, along with the woman's uterus, ovaries, and surrounding lymph nodes. Though relatively large, the tumor was still in an early stage of development and hadn't metastasized. When the doctors looked closer, though, they found her cancer was even weirder than first thought. Choriocarcinomas are usually gestational, meaning they're linked to pregnancy; oftentimes, the tumor will even arise from an abnormal and non-viable pregnancy. But the woman's cancer was a non-gestational ovarian choriocarcinoma (NGOC), which only accounts for 0.6% of all reported ovarian germ cell tumors (a germ cell being the actual egg). What's more, the cancer was a pure NGOC, an 'exceedingly rare' subtype made completely out of germ cells and not any other kinds of tissues. An image of the woman's tumor, as well as her uterus and a benign ovarian cyst, can be seen here, but be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. While these cancers aren't tied to pregnancy, they do cause the body to produce high levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Women also produce high levels of hCG during pregnancy, and some tests detect pregnancy through measuring hCG, explaining the woman's positive result. 'NGOC is a rare, distinct, and highly aggressive tumor that predominantly affects young, reproductive-aged women,' the authors wrote. Fortunately, in this case, the cancer appears to have been caught early enough in time. Following surgery, the woman was placed on chemotherapy. And her most recent tests showed that her hCG level had returned to normal, indicating a complete treatment response, according to the doctors. She will need to have regular follow-up tests, including CT imaging, to make sure the cancer isn't staging an unwelcome comeback.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Research Suggests An Alarming Relationship Between COVID, Flu And Breast Cancer
Why some cancers recur after years of dormancy is a question scientists have been racing to answer. Past evidence suggests that stress, chronic inflammation and hormonal changes may reawaken sleeping cancer cells. Now, in the case of breast cancer, new research published in the medical journal 'Nature' suggests that common respiratory viruses, like the flu and COVID, can reactivate dormant cancer cells in the lungs and lead to metastatic disease within a couple of weeks. But it may not be the actual viruses themselves that stir up cancer cells, but rather our immune responses. Related: Dr. Karishma Kollipara, a breast surgeon at Northwell's Staten Island University Hospital, says the report shows that symptoms on the surface aren't the only threat. 'These findings underscore the importance of vaccination and preventative strategies in patients with cancer, particularly in those with a history of metastatic disease,' Kollipara told HuffPost. Cancer cells became active in response to viral infections. During the pandemic, scientists noticed an uptick in death and metastatic lung disease among breast cancer survivors who had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. For example, one study found that people who actively had breast cancer and tested positive for COVID faced a doubled risk of dying compared to people with breast cancer who tested negative for COVID. Another report discovered that people with breast cancer who tested positive for COVID were nearly 50% more likely develop metastatic disease in their lungs compared to those with breast cancer who didn't get COVID. Past evidence has shown that inflammation — caused by other illnesses, aging and trauma — may reactivate some dormant cancer cells, according to Dr. Jennifer Wall Forrester, an infectious diseases specialist and professor of clinical internal medicine at UC Health. And some scientists have postulated that viral infections may similarly trigger inflammation that reactivates disseminated dormant cancer cells (DDCs) — cancer cells that previously broke away from the original tumor, then settled down and laid dormant for an extended period of time. To test this theory, the researchers exposed mice to either SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. They found that both viruses stirred DDCs in the lungs. Within days, the cells had metastasized; within two weeks, metastatic lesions had formed. In a press release, one of the researchers, Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D., director of MECCC's Cancer Dormancy Institute, likened DDCs to embers leftover from an abandoned campfire. 'Respiratory viruses are like a strong wind that reignites the flame,' he stated. Interestingly, the reawakened cancer cells became dormant again once the infection was resolved. That said, those cells were more awakened than they had been — and were therefore more likely to multiply in the future. In theory, each future infection would increase the risk that dormant cancer cells could wake up and proliferate. It's worth noting that the study was conducted in rodents, and while a similar effect may occur in humans, this has not definitely been proven, Kollipara said. In addition, the study only examined cancer cells in the lungs, so it's unclear if the infections impacted cells located in other parts of the body, she added. Related: Why might COVID and the flu have this effect on cancer cells? When you contract the flu or COVID, your body releases inflammatory cytokines that help fight the pathogen and heal damaged tissue. According to the Cleveland Clinic, cytokines also tell immune cells where to go so they can attack and clear out an infection. While inflammatory cytokines are essential for fighting infections, they're also known to 'promote cancer malignancy and metastases,' the study states. One specific kind of inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), appeared to activate the DCCs and allow them to multiply. At the same time, other components of the immune system, including a type of white blood cell called T cells, became impaired. CD4, a type of T cell, affected functioning of CD8, a T cell that typically suppresses tumor cell growth. As a result, tumor cells were able to persist in the body, Kollipara explained. To better understand this effect, the researchers deactivated IL-6 in the mice and found that far fewer cancer cells reawakened. To the research team, this ultimately suggests that the surge in IL-6 that follows an infection plays an essential role in igniting sleeping cancer cells. Forrester suspects the link between viral infections and cancer recurrence is multifactorial. More research is needed to understand how viral infections impact cancer recurrence, but this report offers some important clues as to why breast cancer recurrence has increased since the COVID pandemic. 'This study may lead to more research to determine if this type of immune response in humans has contributed to that finding,' Forrester said. What does this mean for breast cancer survivors? According to Forrester, the new findings reinforce how important it is for cancer survivors and people with cancer to take extra precautions to avoid getting the flu or COVID. She recommends staying up to date with your vaccines and washing your hands thoroughly when you're out and about. If you develop respiratory symptoms, book an appointment with a health care provider. There are prescription treatments for both COVID and the flu that can shorten the duration of the illness, and reduce the intensity of the symptoms. Related: Kollipara said everyone should consider wearing a face mask in public if they have respiratory symptoms to help prevent the spread to cancer survivors. 'Simple measures like vaccinations, masks and early treatment already provide a known benefit with minimal risk and should therefore be encouraged,' she said. Related... We're Heading Toward A COVID Surge — Here's When It's Predicted To Peak Covid Rates Are Rising Again, Stock Up On N95 Masks For A Dollar Each Yes, You Still Need At-Home COVID Tests — And These Are 40% Off
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Verastem Advances with Phase 3 Trial Progress and Product Launch Boosting Prospects
Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) is one of the 11 Best Short Squeeze Stocks to Buy Now. The company progresses with its Phase 3 ovarian cancer trial while AVMAPKI FAKZYNJA CO-PACK generates revenue. A doctor consulting a patient about the efficacy of the biopharmaceutical company's drugs. Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM), operating from its headquarters in Massachusetts, is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company. Its focus is on discovering and commercializing novel cancer therapies, particularly those targeting cancer stem cells and RAS pathway–based malignancies. On August 8, 2025, Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) announced an update Phase 3 study in ovarian cancer. The company is engaged in a Phase 3 clinical trial, RAMP 301, to test a new combination therapy for recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). It announced that the study will focus on assessing the safety and effectiveness of the oral drugs avutometinib and defactinib against standard treatments. It's an open-label, randomized trial, and participants can switch to the new drugs if their disease progresses. The study, which began in March 2024, is crucial for exploring new treatment options for this challenging cancer. It has the potential to impact on the competitive environment in oncology. Additionally, in its earnings call, Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) also highlighted securing FDA approval for its AVMAPKI FAKZYNJA CO-PACK nearly two months ahead of schedule. With this approval, the company enters the first-ever treatment for KRAS-mutated recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). The product helped generate $2.1 million in net product revenue within just six weeks of its launch. The company has a short float of 37.03%, suggesting elevated bearish bets that position the stock for significant gains if a bullish trigger were to materialize. While we acknowledge the potential of VSTM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best REIT Stocks to Buy Right Now and 10 Stocks with Huge Catalysts on the Horizon Disclosure. None.
