Latest news with #PhilipHuang
South China Morning Post
04-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Pharus, an AI-powered cancer test developer backed by Li Ka-shing, taps Hong Kong funds
Pharus Diagnostics, a Li Ka-shing -backed developer of diagnostic tests for cancer powered by artificial intelligence (AI), said it would tap into fundraising channels in Hong Kong. Advertisement The Taiwan-based start-up aims to complete a round of fundraising and a clinical study on lung cancer by the end of the year, said CEO Philip Huang. 'Currently, we have received commitment from just over half the target of our next round of fundraising,' Huang said in an interview on Tuesday, without divulging the target. 'Hong Kong is a great place for raising funds, piloting innovative diagnostic tests and accessing the mainland China market.' Pharus, whose investors include Li's CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Life Sciences, is also developing a test for early screening of individuals at risk for pancreatic cancer. It adopts microRNA biomarkers licensed from City of Hope, a top US cancer research hospital. In March, Pharus won this year's Jumpstarter technology start-up competition organised by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF), a part of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the Post. The fund seeks to support Hong Kong's start-up ecosystem. Advertisement AEF CEO Cindy Chow said potential investors have approached Pharus through AEF and expressed interest in taking part in its next fundraising. AEF has invested in a string of biotech start-ups in the city and it is also interested in investing in Pharus, she said.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dozens of free measles vaccine clinics close in Texas as federal funding is cut
Steep federal funding cuts have forced public health officials in one of Texas' most populous counties — Dallas — to cancel dozens of vaccination clinics and lay off 21 workers on the front lines of combatting the state's growing measles outbreak. 'I just had to tell our commissioners this morning that we've had to cancel over 50 different clinics in our community,' said Dr. Philip Huang, director and health authority for the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department. Many of the clinics had been planned for schools in areas with low vaccination rates, he said. The vaccines, which included measles, mumps and rubella shots, were meant to be given free to families. The money being cut — $11.4 billion nationwide — was originally allocated to aid community health departments during the pandemic. Local public health officials have more recently been using the Covid funds for other public health initiatives, such as measles prevention, surveillance and testing. Last week however, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would 'no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.' 'That's very short-sighted and not understanding of the way public health works,' Huang said. 'Being prepared for Covid helps build our capacity to be able to respond to other issues.' Huang said his team was still assessing the exact amount of money slashed in his budget, but estimated it to be in the millions. As of Tuesday, 422 measles had been reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. None are in Dallas County, but Huang said the cuts would leave his community vulnerable to cases. Eleven full-time and 10 part-time staffers were let go, he said. The majority were health care providers giving vaccines, epidemiologists and lab staff involved with measles surveillance and prevention. Staff operating vaccine clinics in West Texas, which remains the epicenter of the measles outbreak, said those clinics are continuing as planned for now. Other states reporting measles outbreaks include Kansas with 23 cases, Oklahoma with 10 cases, and New Mexico with 48 cases. And public health officials in Ohio have identified at least a dozen cases. This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Dozens of free measles vaccine clinics close in Texas as federal funding is cut
Steep federal funding cuts have forced public health officials in one of Texas' most populous counties — Dallas — to cancel dozens of vaccination clinics and lay off 21 workers on the front lines of combatting the state's growing measles outbreak. 'I just had to tell our commissioners this morning that we've had to cancel over 50 different clinics in our community,' said Dr. Philip Huang, director and health authority for the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department. Many of the clinics had been planned for schools in areas with low vaccination rates, he said. The vaccines, which included measles, mumps and rubella shots, were meant to be given free to families. The money being cut — $11.4 billion nationwide — was originally allocated to aid community health departments during the pandemic. Local public health officials have more recently been using the Covid funds for other public health initiatives, such as measles prevention, surveillance and testing. Last week however, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would ' no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.' 'That's very short-sighted and not understanding of the way public health works,' Huang said. 'Being prepared for Covid helps build our capacity to be able to respond to other issues.' Huang said his team was still assessing the exact amount of money slashed in his budget, but estimated it to be in the millions. As of Tuesday, 422 measles had been reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. None are in Dallas County, but Huang said the cuts would leave his community vulnerable to cases. Eleven full-time and 10 part-time staffers were let go, he said. The majority were health care providers giving vaccines, epidemiologists and lab staff involved with measles surveillance and prevention. Staff operating vaccine clinics in West Texas, which remains the epicenter of the measles outbreak, said those clinics are continuing as planned for now. Other states reporting measles outbreaks include Kansas with 23 cases, Oklahoma with 10 cases, and New Mexico with 48 cases. And public health officials in Ohio have identified at least a dozen cases.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dallas County Health loses $70M in federal funding
The Brief Dallas County Health and Human Services has lost two federal grants totaling $70 million. It could mean layoffs for as many as 80 employees, including nurses, lab scientists, educators, and administrative support staff. It may also mean a reduction in services related to immunizations and immunization research. DALLAS - Dallas County's health department is scrambling to save jobs after losing two federal grants totaling $70 million. The funding cuts could result in as many as 80 county employees losing their jobs. Public health services in Dallas County may also be impacted. What we know The federal grants that have been frozen or rescinded are part of the Trump administration's effort to reduce government spending. Last week, Dallas County Health and Human Services got word from the Texas Department of Health Services that it would immediately lose funding from two federal COVID-19 grants. The county was getting about $70 million from those two grants for immunizations and immunization research. While the grants may have originated during the pandemic, the funding was being used for more than just the county's COVID-19 response. The cuts are expected to impact flu vaccinations, childhood immunizations, and efforts to prevent HIV and STDs. About 80 jobs will also be affected, including nurses, lab scientists, educators, and administrative support staff. What they're saying "This is a really big hit and we're one of the ones that's being impacted," said Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang. "There was no preparation, no way to scale down, no way to plan for this. It's really very shortsighted in the way this is being handled." Commissioner John Wiley Price had been sounding the alarm for more than a month. However, no one was sure when or if the cuts would actually occur or what they might look like until last week. "The anvil has been dropped, and we've got to make some very drastic kind of decisions," he said. "There are definitely going to be local cuts. We're assessing the exact magnitude of it and looking at how we're going to be able to try to move forward. But definitely there are significant cuts that we're facing," Dr. Huang said. What's next Dallas County sent out notices on Friday about potential layoffs. The county is exploring other grants that may be available to help save some, if not all, of the jobs. Some vaccinations may also go unfilled so vital staff can stay in place. The loss of the grants also means planned purchases are on hold right now. The Source FOX 4 reporter Shaun Rabb talked to Commissioner John Wiley Price and Dr. Philip Huang to gather information for this story. Some details also come from a notice the county received from the state health department.
The Hill
28-03-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Texas measles outbreak surges
Nearly all the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. At least 41 people have been hospitalized so far. An unvaccinated, but otherwise healthy child, died of measles in February, becoming the first measles fatality in the U.S. in a decade. Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated, according to the data. Friday's updates come after the Trump administration abruptly canceled more than $11 billion in COVID-era public health grants, a move that state and local health departments said could harm Texas's measles response. Departments are already operating on thin margins and need to balance sometimes competing public health priorities. Due to the loss, some health departments are already starting to cancel contracts and lay off workers. Grants were used for information modernization, as well as to hire people to help with vaccinations, testing and disease tracking. But that work had to stop immediately. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said grant money was going to be used to help equip a new lab that is being built. The new equipment would have expanded the lab's testing capacity for COVID-19, as well as other pathogens, like measles. 'This is going to stop work in its tracks that was really important for their communities,' said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. 'Work to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in nursing homes, for example, or to be able to track measles cases … the work has to stop, and yet the needs in the community remain,' Casalotti said.
