WINSTON-SALEM, N.C./January 18, 2023 —PHC Group is expanding its presence in regenerative medicine by joining the RegeneratOR Innovation Accelerator. The RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO) and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) are two organizations accelerating the discovery and translation of regenerative medicine therapies.
PHC Group was an early partner of ReMDO’s RegeneratOR Test Bed, providing advanced tissue processing technology and support to help researchers with prototyping and product development. The Innovation Accelerator, another ReMDO program, was created to provide space and support for companies with new or emerging regenerative medicine technologies. PHC Group is now establishing a local office within the Innovation Accelerator for itself and its holding companies and partners, including Epredia, a precision cancer diagnostics company owned by PHC Group whose products are used by pathologists and researchers 44 times every second, and Aiforia, a medical software company that provides artificial intelligence (AI) software for image analysis in pathology. Epredia is a global distribution partner for Aiforia’s portfolio of preclinical and clinical pathology tools.
Together, the companies provide slide imaging and AI–based solutions that allow researchers to explore and extract information beyond human visual perception. Diagnostic microscopic imaging and AI have formed a bridge between drug discovery, translational, and clinical research programs striving to better understand the disease state.
The presence of PHC Group, including Epredia, and Aiforia’s advanced technological support at the Innovation Accelerator will also pave the way for RegeneratOR’s newest program – the RegenMed Clinical Trials Catalyst.
“The Catalyst will enable research teams and regenerative medicine companies with potential therapies to conduct FDA human clinical trials,” said Gary Green, EdD, Chief Operating Officer of ReMDO.
As part of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the academic core of the newly combined Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health, the Catalyst will have access to 5.5 million patients, serving 67 hospitals throughout Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Illinois.
Digital diagnostics and AI have become important tools in research, translational medicine, and clinical practice, according to WFIRM Director Anthony Atala, MD. “PHC Group’s expansion into the Innovation Accelerator, combined with the advanced technology, equipment and onsite support and expertise of their teams, provides valuable resources to all of the regenerative companies in the RegenMed Hub,” Atala said. “We are looking forward to working more closely with PHC Group with the addition of Epredia and Aiforia.”
“As a global leader in anatomical pathology, Epredia is committed to providing precision health care tools and information, and expanding our presence in the ecosystem of the RegenMed Hub just makes sense,” said Steven Lynum, president of Epredia, who spoke at the event. “We are excited to grow our partnership to more directly engage with leading scientists and innovators, to potentially speed up clinical translation endeavors and have a greater impact on health.”
