PITTSBURGH, PA—Periprosthetic joint infections are serious complications that can sometimes happen following joint replacements. The only treatment up to this point was to do surgery. Biotech startup Peptilogics has just gotten FDA clearance to test its product, called PLG0206, as a treatment option. PLG0206 comes from molecule development work by Peptilogics founder and CEO Jonathan Steckbeck, who started as a biochemistry graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
ANN ARBOR, MI—The ALK gene is in your body when you’re an embryo but gets turned off while you are still in the womb. For some people, the gene gets turned back on and fuses with another gene, a change that can cause cancer that can become resistant to standard therapy over time. A $7.6 million gift from Judith L. Tam and the Richard Tam Foundation has launched an accelerated research initiative at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center that may lead the charge toward transformative new therapies for ALK-positive lung cancer.
Fast Future COUNTRY—Microsoft has announced a new group called the Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C), which will be aimed at accelerating AI innovation and adoption in healthcare. Groups participating in AI3C include the Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, and Novant Health. The goals include new AI innovations, gathering industry-specific data on how AI is used, developing best practices for AI implementations, and preparing students for careers in AI and data science.
