Latest news with #XPRIZEHealthspan
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Weekly Recap: 14 Health Press Releases You Need to See
A roundup of the most newsworthy healthcare press releases from PR Newswire this week, including the 2025-2026 Best OTC Medicine & Health Products, Lilly's collaboration expansion with Purdue University, and a breakthrough in gene editing. NEW YORK, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help healthcare journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. World's First Patient Treated with Personalized CRISPR Gene Editing Therapy at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia "We want each and every patient to have the potential to experience the same results we saw in this first patient, and we hope that other academic investigators will replicate this method for many rare diseases and give many patients a fair shot at living a healthy life," said Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, the Barry J. Gertz Professor for Translational Research in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. $101M XPRIZE Healthspan Awards First Milestone Winners Driving Toward Revolutionary Healthy Aging Advances Launched in November 2023, the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan is the first health-focused competition of its kind, incentivizing teams to develop proactive, accessible therapeutic solutions that restore muscle, cognition, and immune function by a minimum of 10 years, with a goal of 20 years, in persons aged 50-80 years, in one year or less. U.S. News Announces the 2025-2026 Best OTC Medicine & Health ProductsThe brands with the most No. 1 products among the 2025-2026 rankings are Nature Made (7), followed by CeraVe (6) and Neutrogena (5); the companies with the most No. 1 products are Haleon plc, followed by Kenvue Inc., Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company and L'Oreal Usa, Inc. FDA Approves Teal Health's Teal Wand™--The First and Only At-Home Self-Collection Device for Cervical Cancer Screening, Introducing a Comfortable Alternative to In-Person ScreeningWomen can now collect their own sample from the privacy of home, no speculum required, and mail it to a certified lab to be tested on the same test as the doctor's office, with the same accuracy. Pager Health and Protera Health Team Up to Expand Access to Value-Based, Virtual-First MSK Care Pager Health's omnichannel care navigation solution will rapidly identify members with potential MSK-related issues and connect them seamlessly to Protera Health's virtual MSK program. From there, members will be directed to in-home care, in-network physical therapy or orthopedic surgical consults as appropriate. Sanofi to invest at least $20 billion in the US through 2030, growing investments in science and expanding domestic manufacturing "Sanofi's 13,000 US-based employees are pioneering the research and development of first- and best-in-class medicines across numerous therapeutic areas. Our expected investments in the US will be substantial and will help ensure the production of key medicines in the US," said Paul Hudson, Sanofi Chief Executive Officer. In new SELECT trial analysis, early reduction in cardiovascular events was observed with Wegovy®, before clinically meaningful changes in body weight "For people with obesity and existing cardiovascular disease, preventing another heart attack or stroke is vitally important. Seeing this SELECT secondary data demonstrate that patients experienced MACE risk reduction within three months is remarkable," said Dr. Jason Brett, MD, Principal Medical Head at Novo Nordisk Inc. Lilly plans to expand Purdue University collaboration with up to a $250 million investment to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation The Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative aims to achieve several key goals, including discovering and accelerating the delivery of medicines to patients; bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications; creating more resilient, efficient and sustainable supply chains; and deploying innovative, scalable approaches to workforce development. Guardian adds over 20 new and innovative benefits to its hospital indemnity insurance policy, designed to inspire well-being® Guardian's enhanced hospital indemnity insurance policy becomes one of the industry's most comprehensive offerings, going further to support workers' mental, physical, and financial well-being needs. As part of these additions, Guardian becomes the first carrier to include fertility health, family-building, and caregiving wellness solutions directly in hospital indemnity insurance. U.S. Drug Spending Up 10.2% in 2024, with Weight Loss Drugs Remaining Top Driver Clinic drug spending rose sharply — up 14.4% to $158.2 billion — while nonfederal hospitals saw a more modest 4.9% increase to $39.0 billion. With GLP-1 shortages largely resolved, continued growth in this category is expected, though direct-to-consumer channels may complicate efforts to track usage trends. American College of Lifestyle Medicine Announces Integration of First Set of Lifestyle Behavior Assessment Tools Into Epic Electronic Health Records The new tools include ACLM's lifestyle medicine short form assessment tool, a clinical survey to capture patient lifestyle behaviors and readiness for change; ACLM's Diet Screener, which helps clinicians quickly capture a picture of a patient's diet during routine medical appointments; the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) tool for assessing physical activity in adults; as well as additional tools to capture lifestyle behaviors and opportunities for change. Hearing Wellness Pioneer Eargo Launches Eargo 8 As Its Newest Flagship Hearing Aid Eargo 8 was thoughtfully engineered with premium features, technology, and design while delivering essential post-purchase assistance for a seamless integration into users' lives. Eargo 8 is FDA cleared and its MSRP is $2,699. AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals Announce Collaboration and License Option Agreement to Develop Next-Generation siRNA Therapies Across Multiple Therapeutic Areas The strategic collaboration will leverage ADARx's RNA discovery expertise and proprietary siRNA technology, which has the potential to enable sustained and precise mRNA silencing. AbbVie will contribute its expertise in antibody engineering, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and tissue delivery approaches as appropriate, to augment ADARx's discovery efforts. MavriX Bio Announces FDA Clearance of IND Application to Initiate First-in-Human Study of Gene Therapy for Angelman Syndrome "We are thrilled to achieve this critical milestone and move one step closer to delivering the first gene therapy to individuals living with Angelman syndrome," said Allyson Berent, DVM, DACVIM, Chief Development Officer of MavriX Bio. "The clearance of our IND signals a key transition point for our development program and our unwavering commitment to advance novel therapeutic options and a potential single treatment therapy for the Angelman community." For more news like this, check out all of the latest health-related releases from PR Newswire. Do you have a health press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE PR Newswire
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GI Innovation and GI Biome Advance to the Semi-finals of XPRIZE Healthspan with Anti-Aging Potential of GI-102 and GIB-7 Combination Therapy
GI Innovation and GI Biome have been selected as a Top 40 semi-finalist in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition among 600 registered teams from 58 countries Selected as one of 8 teams to pitch at the XPRIZE Investor Summit in New York The team is now competing for one of the largest prize pools in the history of XPRIZE SEOUL, South Korea, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GI Innovation, a South Korean biotech company, announced on May 13 that it has been selected as a semi-finalist in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition in collaboration with its sister company GI Biome. The XPRIZE Healthspan semi-finals ceremony is taking place in New York from May 12 to 14, with the top 40 semi-finalist teams out of more than 600 registered teams among 58 countries invited. The company has not only advanced to the semi-finals but has also been selected as one of 8 teams among the 40 semi-finalists to earn an exclusive opportunity to present its vision and innovations to high-profile, institutional global investors. XPRIZE, a U.S.-based nonprofit foundation, is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Semi-finalists are selected by an expert committee using rigorous guidelines and advancement into this elite group is seen as recognition of exceptional scientific vision and execution. The XPRIZE Healthspan competition, in which the joint GI Innovation - GI Biome team is competing, aims to discover breakthrough treatments that can slow or prevent age-related degeneration. The competition offers a record-breaking total prize pool of approximately USD $101 million. Selected as a semi-finalist team, GI Innovation will receive a prize of USD $250,000 to support the next clinical trial stage. Only the top 10 teams from the semi-finals round will advance to the grand finals. 'Anti-Aging' Strategy with Immune Booster GI-102 and Microbiome-Based GIB-7 Combination The GI Innovation-GI Biome joint team proposed a combination therapy consisting of GI-102, an immune-boosting drug, and GIB-7, a microbiome-based synbiotic, as a novel anti-aging approach. Clinical studies have shown that GI-102 potently activates CD8+ T cells and NK cells at high doses, allowing those immune cells to safely attack a range of tumor types including melanoma, kidney, lung and bladder cancers. However, at a low dose, it selectively expands and activates NK cells, which are critical for clearing senescent cells and cellular debris, playing a vital role in delaying aging and maintaining physiological functions. Based on this mechanism, GI Innovation is pursuing the use of low-dose GI-102 as an NK cell enhancer. GIB-7 is a premium synbiotic developed using GI Biome's proprietary Microbiome+ Herbal Therapy platform. It combines three patented probiotic strains with herbal ingredients. Clinical trials in elderly volunteers at Seoul National University Hospital have already been completed. In an aging mouse model, GIB-7 elicited an increase in beneficial gut microbiota, improved regulation of circadian rhythm, and improved muscle strength. "We entered this competition with the goal of winning, and it is a great honor to have passed the first gateway, highlighting the scientific innovation of both GI Innovation and GI Biome," said Dr. Myoung-Ho Jang, CEO and Founder of GI Innovation. "The upcoming clinical trial will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Katherine Samaras, a key opinion leader in anti-aging research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia. Through this competition, we will do our utmost to realize our global vision of progressing from treatment to prevention." View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE GI Innovation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Global longevity competition for $101 million names semifinalists—here are their ideas for extending life by 10 years or more
The contestants in a race to extend life are on their second lap. In a seven-year global competition, teams are rushing to discover novel therapeutics and interventions that can extend human life by a decade and help people age well. In 2023, Peter Diamandis, an entrepreneur, self-proclaimed futurist, and founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, launched the $101 million healthspan competition. Since then, over 600 teams from 58 countries have put their ideas in the ring, including medical devices, lifestyle interventions, and biological therapies. Today, the competition awarded each of the top 40 teams $250,000 to help them test their hypotheses in clinical trials. 'We're really pushing at a global scale for people to accelerate the process, so we can get real solutions in the hands of people who need them,' Jamie Justice, PhD, executive director of XPRIZE Healthspan, tells Fortune. Teams from all over the globe, composed of students, university researchers, and even a Nobel Prize winner, are competing for the coveted prize, which will amount to $81 million. One team of high schoolers from Malaysia pitched a community-based solution that includes facilitating drum circles with older adults. Another team is testing the potential life-extending benefits of popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs, GLP-1s. Still another is examining whether the drug Metformin can help prevent cognitive decline. By 2030, the winner will have shown that their therapy can restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in a one-year clinical trial of older adults. "The next breakthrough in aging could come from scientists and entrepreneurs, anywhere. With this prize, we're igniting a global healthspan revolution, and these semifinalists are leading the charge," said Diamandis, in a press release. "This competition isn't just accelerating progress, it's challenging our society's beliefs in what's possible when it comes to aging." Judges made up of leading researchers and scientists in the field assessed teams based on whether they illustrated 'really solid innovation [on a] potential breakthrough that could affect all of the processes that underlie how we age,' says Justice. Teams had to show a readiness for clinical trials with strong evidence of an intervention that can be scaled to the broader population. While people are living longer, there is still a decade-long gap, on average, between how well people live and how well they live in good health. This competition is hoping to reduce the gap and extend how long people live in good health. 'We're looking at solutions that can be proactive and can be generalized to a greater population, so that we can begin to address that gap at a population level,' Justice says. Teams will submit data from their clinical trials by April of next year, ahead of XPRIZE selecting the top ten finalists in July of 2026, followed by the grand prize winner selected in 2030. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Modalis has been selected as a finalist in the XPRIZE Healthspan FSHD Bonus Prize Competition and awarded research funds.
TOKYO & WALTHAM, Mass., May 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Modalis Therapeutics Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 4883), a pioneering company developing innovative products for the treatment of rare genetic diseases utilizing its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM® epigenome editing technology, announced its recognition as a top eight finalist in the prestigious XPRIZE Healthspan competition's FSHD Bonus Prize and award of $250,000 for demonstrating a feasible solution to treat Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) . XPRIZE, the world's leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity's grand challenges, launched the $101 million, 7-year global XPRIZE Healthspan competition in 2023. The competition's FSHD Bonus Prize is designed to ignite solutions for FSHD, a genetic disease that impacts muscular function that has limited treatment options due to its complexity. In the FSHD Bonus Prize Competition, the $8 million grand prize will be awarded to the team that successfully completes a clinical trial demonstrating significant advancements in FSHD treatment, making a major step toward finding a cure. FSHD is the third most common form of muscular dystrophy, affecting around 1 million people worldwide. FSHD is a genetic disorder in which the muscles of the face, shoulder blades, and upper arms are typically among the most affected. The onset is typically in the teenage and early adult years, but it can present in infancy, which tends to be a more aggressive course. The disease is slowly progressive and approximately 20% of patients are wheelchair bound by age 50. There are currently no FSHD-specific or disease-modifying treatments available. Modalis' proprietary CRISPR-GNDM®, is capable of specific modulation of the expression of disease-relevant genes, without introducing double-strand DNA breaks. Our MDL-103 is potentially the first-in-class therapeutics to solve the challenge and provide life-changing therapeutics for the patients of FSHD by suppressing expression of Dux4, the gene responsible for deleterious FSHD symptoms, across muscle tissues. "We are honored to be named as one of the top 8 finalists in the XPRIZE Healthspan FSHD Bonus Prize competition" said Haru Morita, CEO of Modalis. "This is not only an honor, but also a validation of our vision of developing treatments for patients suffering from diseases for which there is no cure and of our innovative epigenome editing technology (CRISPR-GNDM®). We are also excited about the opportunity to leverage the global innovation network provided by the XPRIZE and to explore potential collaborations with leading research institutions and companies from around the world." About XPRIZE XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at About SOLVE FSHD SOLVE FSHD is a venture philanthropic organization established to catalyze innovation and accelerate key research in finding a cure for FSHD, established by renowned Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Chip Wilson. The Wilson family has committed $100 million to kick-start funding into projects that support the organization's mission to find a cure for FSHD by 2027. The goal of SOLVE FSHD is to find a solution that can slow down or stop muscle degeneration, increase muscle regeneration and strength, and improve the quality of life for those living with FSHD. If you want to find out more about our efforts at SOLVE FSHD, please see our website - About Modalis: Modalis Therapeutics develops precision genetic medicines using epigenome editing technology. Modalis is pursuing therapies for orphan genetic diseases using its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM® technology which enables the gene/locus-specific modulation of gene expression or epigenetic editing without the need for DNA cleavage or altering DNA sequence. Headquartered in Tokyo with laboratories and facilities in Waltham Massachusetts, the company is listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth market. For additional information, please visit View source version on Contacts Modalis Therapeutics CorporationCorporate Planning Departmentmedia@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Modalis has been selected as a finalist in the XPRIZE Healthspan FSHD Bonus Prize Competition and awarded research funds.
TOKYO & WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Modalis Therapeutics Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 4883), a pioneering company developing innovative products for the treatment of rare genetic diseases utilizing its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM ® epigenome editing technology, announced its recognition as a top eight finalist in the prestigious XPRIZE Healthspan competition's FSHD Bonus Prize and award of $250,000 for demonstrating a feasible solution to treat Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) . XPRIZE, the world's leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity's grand challenges, launched the $101 million, 7-year global XPRIZE Healthspan competition in 2023. The competition's FSHD Bonus Prize is designed to ignite solutions for FSHD, a genetic disease that impacts muscular function that has limited treatment options due to its complexity. In the FSHD Bonus Prize Competition, the $8 million grand prize will be awarded to the team that successfully completes a clinical trial demonstrating significant advancements in FSHD treatment, making a major step toward finding a cure. FSHD is the third most common form of muscular dystrophy, affecting around 1 million people worldwide. FSHD is a genetic disorder in which the muscles of the face, shoulder blades, and upper arms are typically among the most affected. The onset is typically in the teenage and early adult years, but it can present in infancy, which tends to be a more aggressive course. The disease is slowly progressive and approximately 20% of patients are wheelchair bound by age 50. There are currently no FSHD-specific or disease-modifying treatments available. Modalis' proprietary CRISPR-GNDM ®, is capable of specific modulation of the expression of disease-relevant genes, without introducing double-strand DNA breaks. Our MDL-103 is potentially the first-in-class therapeutics to solve the challenge and provide life-changing therapeutics for the patients of FSHD by suppressing expression of Dux4, the gene responsible for deleterious FSHD symptoms, across muscle tissues. 'We are honored to be named as one of the top 8 finalists in the XPRIZE Healthspan FSHD Bonus Prize competition' said Haru Morita, CEO of Modalis. 'This is not only an honor, but also a validation of our vision of developing treatments for patients suffering from diseases for which there is no cure and of our innovative epigenome editing technology (CRISPR-GNDM ®). We are also excited about the opportunity to leverage the global innovation network provided by the XPRIZE and to explore potential collaborations with leading research institutions and companies from around the world.' About XPRIZE XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at About SOLVE FSHD SOLVE FSHD is a venture philanthropic organization established to catalyze innovation and accelerate key research in finding a cure for FSHD, established by renowned Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Chip Wilson. The Wilson family has committed $100 million to kick-start funding into projects that support the organization's mission to find a cure for FSHD by 2027. The goal of SOLVE FSHD is to find a solution that can slow down or stop muscle degeneration, increase muscle regeneration and strength, and improve the quality of life for those living with FSHD. If you want to find out more about our efforts at SOLVE FSHD, please see our website - About Modalis: Modalis Therapeutics develops precision genetic medicines using epigenome editing technology. Modalis is pursuing therapies for orphan genetic diseases using its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM ® technology which enables the gene/locus-specific modulation of gene expression or epigenetic editing without the need for DNA cleavage or altering DNA sequence. Headquartered in Tokyo with laboratories and facilities in Waltham Massachusetts, the company is listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth market. For additional information, please visit
