Strategic Role Focused on Direct Dealer Support


UK-based Elemental Microanalysis is pleased to announce the promotion of Natasha Jeynes to Key Account Manager, a dealer- focused role including sales campaign planning, pricing support and leadership for the company, a leading global supplier to the elemental analysis market sector.


Technical expertise and communication skills were key attributes required by the management team for this major role which, as part of Elemental’s strategic plan to increase lines of communication from Elemental directly to dealers, will allow for additional joint focus on product development and regional growth to support dealers’ success. As Laboratory Analysis Manager, Natasha had both technical expertise and on-site access to the entire team at Elemental Microanalysis.


“I’ve enjoyed getting to know our dealers on a personal level and fi nding out more about what they need to support their growth,” said Natasha Jeynes. “At Elemental, we have spent the last few years focused on quality initiatives and growing our product lines. Working with dealers to help grow their businesses by leveraging my technical knowledge and Elemental’s quality products is something


I’m looking forward to.”


Natasha joined Elemental Microanalysis in 2017 as Laboratory Analysis Manager, where her experience with creating technical written documents and status as


a Trained Auditor were


immediately put to use spearheading Elemental’s drive for ISO17034 certifi cation. She has worked in various business environments within the scientifi c industry since 2010, including at a commercial laboratory and in research lab management. Natasha holds an MChem Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Surrey where she held 1st Class Honours. She is also a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.


Dealers with Elemental Microanalysis are encouraged to directly contact Natasha, (Natasha.Jeynes@Microanalysis.co.uk) with any questions or concerns.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/BBJe 60472pr@reply-direct.com


Natasha Jeynes


Contract Win to Develop Portable Breath Device


(VOCs) on breath. Under the EXHALE project the company will develop a handheld device capable of non-invasive detection of pre- symptomatic respiratory infectious disease.


For warfi ghters operating in remote environments where access to medical personnel is limited, the risk of detecting and contracting a respiratory disease is high and can have a severe impact on mission readiness. Most current diagnostic testing platforms are unsuitable to be deployed in the fi eld and so there is a signifi cant need for a portable solution.


Billy Boyle


The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), a division of the US Department of Defense (DoD), has awarded Owlstone Medical a contract for ‘Exhaled Breath Diagnostics’, focused on the early detection of human infection using volatile organic compounds


The portable device by Owlstone will be adapted to work off battery power to detect VOCs present in exhaled breath, reducing the risk of disease transmission wherever deployed, providing a strategic advantage to the force.


Based on the Company’s proprietary FAIMS technology, the device will be developed over a two-year period, supported by clinical studies to be performed at Duke University. Initial work will focus on identifying and validating breath biomarkers for viral and bacterial pathogens and defi ning performance requirements for the device.


If successful, there is potential for a second phase to the project for further development of the device to the point of being ready for high- volume manufacturing by Owlstone and global deployment in the fi eld.


Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, said: “We have completed multiple studies in lung infl ammation and bacterial and viral infectious disease (including COVID) with major pharma and academic partners, providing us with a broad list of candidate biomarkers for consideration in this project. We have a proprietary technology in FAIMS and extensive experience with device development and sensor design, including in small handheld devices. With proven expertise and technology in both areas, we believe Owlstone is uniquely positioned to support the EXHALE project and are pleased that the DIU agrees and has awarded us this contract.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/0Q0k 60630pr@reply-direct.com


Third Company Launch Underpinned by Promising Opthalmic Programmes


With £96 million Series A fi nancing, Lifescience company developer Syncona has launched Beacon Therapeutics Holdings, a leading ophthalmic gene therapy company focused on restoration and improvement of vision of patients with retinal diseases. The new portfolio company has been created through the combination of Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation’s (AGTC’s) late-stage programme in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP), with two other innovative pre-clinical programmes.


Syncona’s holding value in Beacon Therapeutics is £60 million, having committed £75 million to the company, including the capital already invested to acquire and restructure AGTC. When all current commitments are invested, Syncona will have a 65.3% stake in the business. The fi nancing round was led alongside additional investors including Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).


The Series A fi nancing will advance Beacon Therapeutics’ gene therapy candidates through to key value infl ection points, including its lead programme AGTC-501, currently in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of XLRP, an inherited monogenic disorder leading to progressive vision loss in males; 12-month data from its Phase II SKYLINE trial is expected in H2 CY2023.


Two other promising pre-clinical programmes include an intravitreally delivered gene therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over 60; and in- licensed from the University of Oxford, a project targeting cone-rod dystrophy (CRD), a group of inherited vision loss disorders affecting


the retina. Beacon Therapeutics is Syncona’s third ophthalmic gene therapy company, following Nightstar, which sold for $877 million, at a 4.5 multiple of cost, and Gyroscope, which was sold for up to $1.5 billion, at a potential 5.1x multiple of cost.


David Fellows will lead Beacon Therapeutics as Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO), bringing 40 years’ experience in ophthalmology to the management team, including fi ve years as Nightstar’s CEO. “Beacon Therapeutics combines a broad development pipeline, a deep scientifi c foundation, a strong clinical network, and a highly experienced management team to drive forward a unique late-stage clinical and pre-clinical pipeline,” he said.


“With the 12-month data from our Phase II SKYLINE trial for AGTC-501 expected shortly and two highly innovative and differentiated pipeline assets for prevalent and rare blinding diseases, we are excited to be building a new leader in the ophthalmic gene therapy space.”


He will be joined by Chief Medical Offi cer (CMO) Dr Nadia Waheed, a retinal expert and former Chief Medical Offi cer of Gyroscope and gene therapy expert Dr Abraham Scaria, who has joined as Chief Scientifi c Offi cer.


Professor Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford and Co-Founder of the new company commented: “Beacon Therapeutics is quite unique in being a company that at launch is already underpinned by excellent clinical trial data. The company has both highly innovative retinal gene therapy programmes and the means to target them to the main causes of blindness in both the young and old.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/16eW 60631pr@reply-direct.com


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