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Nashville, Tenn., USA
- Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI)
and Immunetrics Inc. today announced they have
entered into a joint development agreement to
explore future-generation approaches to the problem
of infectious disease in critical care. This
announcement was made at the annual Congress of the
Society of Critical Care Medicine, taking place
January 31 – February 4 in Nashville, Tenn. Philips
currently owns a 29% stake in Immunetrics, a
biosimulation company based in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, USA.
The partnership unites Philips’ strength in patient
monitoring and the design and implementation of
applications to help clinicians make more informed
care decisions, and Immunetrics’ strengths in the
dynamic modeling and simulation of complex
biological systems. Under the joint development
agreement, Philips Research and Immunetrics will
study the combination of advanced bioinformatics and
computer modeling to identify opportunities to
reduce the incidence and improve the management of
systemic infection, a major complicating factor
among many critically ill patients.
Critical care is a branch of medicine that involves
the specialized treatment of patients with acute,
life-threatening illness or injury. It is an area of
persistent unmet need and significant consumption of
healthcare resources. For example, critical care
expense in the USA represents the equivalent of
nearly one percent of its gross domestic product.
Sepsis, a life-threatening, systemic inflammatory
response to infection, is an example of a key
medical challenge for which Philips Research and
Immunetrics seek to develop new mechanisms for early
and effective intervention. In the USA and Europe
sepsis afflicts more than two million people each
year and incidence of the condition is growing.
Despite the best currently available treatment,
approximately one in every three patients with
severe sepsis will die.
“The management of the condition of critical care
patients involves the monitoring and control of a
multitude of parameters, a field in which Philips
has a leading position. Yet, we see patient outcomes
that are frequently unpredictable and sub-optimal,”
said Henk van Houten, senior vice president of
Philips Research and head of its Healthcare Research
program. “Through our collaboration with
Immunetrics, a leader in computational modeling of
pathophysiology and treatment, we will broaden our
portfolio of research approaches directed to
assessing infection risk and optimizing
intervention, with the goal of improving the quality
of care and reducing the mortality of critically ill
patients.”
“Immunetrics is excited to team with Philips
Research and its significant technology resources
with the goal of advancing patient care across the
acute care setting,” said Steven Chang, president
and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Immunetrics. “This
collaboration recognizes the potential of
bioinformatics and computational modeling in
providing breakthrough solutions to enable
clinicians to improve the assessment, care and
outcomes of patients.”
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