logo
EarlyHealth Group and UWI Launch Breakthrough Research Partnership to Tackle Caribbean Genetic Disorders

EarlyHealth Group and UWI Launch Breakthrough Research Partnership to Tackle Caribbean Genetic Disorders

Yahoo11 hours ago

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EarlyHealth Group (EHG), a global pharmaceutical company, and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) have announced a landmark partnership to accelerate clinical research and biomarker innovation throughout Barbados and the wider Caribbean.
This collaboration aims to accelerate advanced biobanking infrastructure and incorporate genotype-based biomarkers into regional clinical and translational research. The initiative will focus on identifying the genetic basis of hereditary disorders that disproportionately affect Caribbean populations, including hemoglobinopathies, oncogenic mutations, and metabolic syndromes.
By leveraging the region's distinct genomic diversity and The UWI's strong research capacity, the partnership is poised to drive precision medicine approaches tailored to Caribbean communities. This will improve diagnostic accuracy, enhance therapeutic targeting, and lead to better health outcomes across the region.
'This collaboration represents an important step forward in The UWI's mission to elevate health research in the Caribbean,' said Dr. Damian Cohall, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. 'Through this partnership, EarlyHealth will not only support capacity-building efforts, such as laboratory enhancements and regulatory training, but help empower our scientific community to bring cutting-edge research closer to the people of the Caribbean, while contributing to the global scientific landscape.''We are excited to leverage our global sponsor network alongside The UWI's deep understanding of Caribbean health needs, to create new clinical research opportunities for the region,' said Mr. Shaquille Williams, Director of Business Development for the Caribbean Region.
This strategic alliance underlines EHG's and The UWI's commitment to advancing evidence-based healthcare solutions for the Caribbean, while positioning the region as an emerging contributor to global pharmaceutical and biomedical innovation.
This initiative, facilitated by the Embassy of Barbados in the United Arab Emirates, highlights the growing importance of commercial diplomacy in a fast-changing multi-polar world.
About EarlyHealth Group
EarlyHealth Group is a global pharmaceutical company specializing in research, clinical trial management, and commercialization, driven by a core mission to make healthcare accessible.
Learn more at www.early-health.com
About The University of the West Indies
The UWI has been central to Caribbean development for over 75 years. Today, it is an internationally respected institution with five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, with global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Learn more at www.uwi.edu
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c05e5bc6-18e8-4683-9579-c17d3b248e3e
CONTACT: For media inquiries, please contact: EarlyHealth Group Communications Email: press@early-health.comSign in to access your portfolio

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Interplus Re Limited
AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Interplus Re Limited

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Interplus Re Limited

MEXICO CITY, June 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of B (Fair) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bb+" (Fair) to Interplus Re Limited (Interplus) (Barbados). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Interplus' balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Interplus is a reinsurance company incorporated under the Laws of Barbados on Aug. 11, 2021, as a Class 2 License Insurance Company. Interplus is 98% owned by INTEHO Limited, based in Barbados. Interplus offers reinsurance products mainly focused on property business, which accounts for almost 79% of its gross written premium portfolio, followed by surety and credit lines (12%), accidents and health (8%) and the remaining (less than 1%) in life. Two thirds of the businesses underwritten by Interplus originates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with moderate concentration in Ecuador (29% of gross written premiums as of December 2024). The remaining 34% of its portfolio is distributed across Asia (25%), Africa (5%), Europe (4%) and Oceania (less than 1%). Interplus reached USD 34.9 million in gross written premiums during 2024, its third year of operation. AM Best assesses Interplus' business profile as limited due to the recent creation of the company and its small size within a highly competitive global market. Interplus' balance sheet strength is assessed as strong, reflecting the expected volatility of a startup company, its developing investment strategy and adjusting risk profile. The company's capital base has grown since its foundation, to USD 25.1 million as of December 2024, reflecting two years of positive net results and shareholder support from significant capital infusions. AM Best expects Interplus to continue strengthening its capital base through profitable results and prudent capital management. Interplus reported positive bottom-line results of USD 16 million as of December 2024. Reserve adjustments benefited technical results, allowing for a combined ratio of 32%, well within premium sufficiency levels. AM Best expects Interplus to remain profitable through adequate risk selection and stable expenses. The stable outlooks reflect AM Best's expectation that Interplus will continue strengthening its capital base, through prudent capital management and profitable results, to sustain its business plan to maintain current rating levels. Negative rating actions could take place if Interplus' operating performance deteriorates to a point no longer supportive of the adequate assessment and losses further weaken the company's balance sheet strength. Positive rating actions could take place if Interplus is able to consistently strengthen its capital through reinvestment of earnings or capital infusions, demonstrating stability at levels that support the current ratings, according to Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on Contacts Inger Rodriguez Financial Analyst +52 55 1102 2720, ext. 108 Alfonso Novelo Senior Director, Analytics +52 55 1102 2720, ext. 107 Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 882 2310 Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 882 2318

EarlyHealth Group and UWI Launch Breakthrough Research Partnership to Tackle Caribbean Genetic Disorders
EarlyHealth Group and UWI Launch Breakthrough Research Partnership to Tackle Caribbean Genetic Disorders

Yahoo

time11 hours ago

  • Yahoo

EarlyHealth Group and UWI Launch Breakthrough Research Partnership to Tackle Caribbean Genetic Disorders

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EarlyHealth Group (EHG), a global pharmaceutical company, and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) have announced a landmark partnership to accelerate clinical research and biomarker innovation throughout Barbados and the wider Caribbean. This collaboration aims to accelerate advanced biobanking infrastructure and incorporate genotype-based biomarkers into regional clinical and translational research. The initiative will focus on identifying the genetic basis of hereditary disorders that disproportionately affect Caribbean populations, including hemoglobinopathies, oncogenic mutations, and metabolic syndromes. By leveraging the region's distinct genomic diversity and The UWI's strong research capacity, the partnership is poised to drive precision medicine approaches tailored to Caribbean communities. This will improve diagnostic accuracy, enhance therapeutic targeting, and lead to better health outcomes across the region. 'This collaboration represents an important step forward in The UWI's mission to elevate health research in the Caribbean,' said Dr. Damian Cohall, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. 'Through this partnership, EarlyHealth will not only support capacity-building efforts, such as laboratory enhancements and regulatory training, but help empower our scientific community to bring cutting-edge research closer to the people of the Caribbean, while contributing to the global scientific landscape.''We are excited to leverage our global sponsor network alongside The UWI's deep understanding of Caribbean health needs, to create new clinical research opportunities for the region,' said Mr. Shaquille Williams, Director of Business Development for the Caribbean Region. This strategic alliance underlines EHG's and The UWI's commitment to advancing evidence-based healthcare solutions for the Caribbean, while positioning the region as an emerging contributor to global pharmaceutical and biomedical innovation. This initiative, facilitated by the Embassy of Barbados in the United Arab Emirates, highlights the growing importance of commercial diplomacy in a fast-changing multi-polar world. About EarlyHealth Group EarlyHealth Group is a global pharmaceutical company specializing in research, clinical trial management, and commercialization, driven by a core mission to make healthcare accessible. Learn more at About The University of the West Indies The UWI has been central to Caribbean development for over 75 years. Today, it is an internationally respected institution with five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, with global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Learn more at A photo accompanying this announcement is available at CONTACT: For media inquiries, please contact: EarlyHealth Group Communications Email: press@ in to access your portfolio

Fast Five Quiz: Cancer Diagnostics and Precision Medicine
Fast Five Quiz: Cancer Diagnostics and Precision Medicine

Medscape

time11 hours ago

  • Medscape

Fast Five Quiz: Cancer Diagnostics and Precision Medicine

Over the past decade, precision medicine has transformed cancer diagnostics and treatment by tailoring therapy to a patient's tumor biology based on molecular alterations rather than histologic subtypes or origins. Precision oncology often relies on molecular profiling through next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify genomic events that can guide management. Techniques like targeted panels, whole-exome sequencing (WES), and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provide different analysis levels, chosen based on tumor type, tissue, and therapy relevance. How much do you know about cancer diagnostics and precision medicine? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. WGS is an NGS method that analyzes the entire DNA sequence of an organism, including both coding and noncoding regions. WGS offers broad genomic coverage, detecting structural variants, intergenic mutations, and copy number changes often missed by targeted methods. Clinically, it has been useful in identifying ERBB2 ( HER2 ) amplifications in breast cancer or complex epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) alterations in lung cancer that might not be captured by smaller panels, helping guide targeted therapy. However, its lower sequencing depth (30-60×) typically limits the detection of low-frequency variants in heterogeneous tumors, such as a subclonal TP53 mutation affecting a small subset of cells and potentially impacting treatment response, which WGS may miss due to its lower depth. WES focuses only on the protein-coding regions, offering greater depth than WGS but limited breadth; however, it misses important regulatory and noncoding mutations. For example, TERT promoter mutations in glioblastoma are clinically relevant but lie outside the exome and would be missed by WES. Targeted panels are NGS tests that focus on specific disease-related genes and, until recently, were the predominant method used for comprehensive genomic profiling in clinical settings. They offer high depth for detecting low-frequency, actionable mutations but have limited coverage and might miss rare alterations outside the selected genes. Sanger sequencing is a method that reads DNA by generating fragments of varying lengths using chain-terminating nucleotides. It is accurate for small regions but has low throughput and cannot detect low-frequency mutations, making it unsuitable for large-scale cancer genomics. Unlike WGS, which surveys the entire genome, Sanger covers only targeted regions, so it does not offer broad genomic coverage and is therefore not the correct answer. Learn more about molecular profiling in oncology diagnostics. TS panels analyze specific genes relevant to oncology, and by focusing on a smaller subset of the genome (a few dozen to a few hundred genes), these panels require fewer sequencing data, resulting in faster turnaround times and simplified data interpretation compared with WGS or WES. This targeted approach enhances sensitivity for detecting clinically actionable somatic mutations, especially in small or heterogeneous tumor samples. For example, targeted NGS panels in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can rapidly detect EGFR mutations, ALK rearrangements, and other actionable alterations, allowing oncologists to initiate targeted therapies based on the mutation profile promptly. TS also demands less data storage and computational processing compared with WGS or WES, resulting in faster turnaround times and lower costs. These attributes make TS especially well-suited for clinical settings where accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness are paramount Learn more about clinical practice guidelines in the use of precision medicine in oncology. Tissue is generally preferred for initial genomic profiling because it contains a higher concentration of tumor DNA, allowing for more accurate detection of somatic mutations. This is especially important in early-stage cancers or tumors that do not shed much DNA into the bloodstream to be detectable by liquid biopsy. The tissue also allows for additional analyses like immunohistochemistry for PD-L1 or assessment of tumor histology to guide therapy. Further, immunohistochemistry plays an important role in precision medicine by identifying protein biomarkers to help determine the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC, triple-negative breast cancer, and urothelial carcinoma. Blood-based tests (ie, liquid biopsies) generally yield lower tumor DNA and do not inherently offer deeper sequencing but are generally more cost-effective than tissue biopsies. Regulatory agencies currently accept blood-based tests (eg, FDA-approved liquid biopsies), but they are typically used when tissue is unavailable or there is insufficient tissue. Learn more about tissue-based profiling Liquid biopsy, particularly through the analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring MRD after treatment. By detecting small amounts of tumor-derived genetic material in the blood, liquid biopsy enables early identification of molecular relapse, often before clinical or radiographic evidence of recurrence is apparent. This makes it particularly useful in post-treatment surveillance of cancers such as colorectal, breast, and NSCLC. Diagnosing lymphomas typically requires tissue biopsy to assess architectural patterns and immunophenotyping; it is also commonly regarded as the standard for diagnosis. PD-L1 expression is a protein-based biomarker typically measured by immunohistochemistry on tissue samples, not usually through ctDNA. However, researchers have stated, 'ctDNA response is a potential biomarker for predicting the efficacy and prognosis of first-line PD-1 inhibitor therapy combined with chemotherapy' in patients with advanced gastric cancer. ctDNA also has been shown to predict responses in patients using PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Tumor staging usually relies on imaging modalities and pathologic evaluation rather than ctDNA analysis alone. Learn more about clinical practice guidelines in the use of precision medicine in oncology. A high TMB is considered useful because it is associated with abnormal proteins that make the tumor more recognizable to the immune system. TMB is measured using NGS by counting the number of somatic, nonsynonymous mutations per megabase of DNA; it is typically assessed using WES or large targeted panels. A TMB of 10 or more mutations per megabase is considered 'high,' based on data from the KEYNOTE-158 trial. This led to the FDA approval of an immune checkpoint inhibitor for TMB-high solid tumors, for example. High TMB is not usually linked to fewer side effects; side effect profiles tend to depend on the therapy, not mutation count. Low TMB has been shown to lead to fewer neoantigens and typically less immune visibility. Typically, TMB directly measures the number of mutations, not PD-L1 protein expression. Learn more about immunotherapy diagnostics.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store