LOS ANGELES – (April 6, 2017) – LA BioMed will honor the pioneering work of distinguished researchers Ruey-Kang Chang, MD; Richard Casaburi, PhD, MD, and Michael Yeaman, PhD, at its 2017 Spirit of Innovation Gala on May 4 at the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles.
"This year's gala will celebrate the spirit of innovation that drives LA BioMed researchers to create the new treatments and technologies that improve the health of people here and around the globe," said David I. Meyer, PhD, LA BioMed president and CEO. "We will be honoring three of LA BioMed's lead investigators who have put their discoveries to work by creating exciting new innovations to prevent hospital-acquired infections, to devise simple and cost-effective strategies to improve the health of people living with chronic respiratory disease and to invent devices to monitor the cardiac status of at-risk newborn babies."
LA BioMed is honoring Dr. Casaburi for his groundbreaking work to improve the lives of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who suffer daily from shortness of breath. His research has shown that exercise programs, among other more cost-efficient interventions directed at the muscles, are substantially more beneficial than lung-based therapies in making COPD patients' lives more fulfilling.
Dr. Chang exemplifies the growing entrepreneurial spirit within LA BioMed that creates innovations with a significant impact on research and clinical care. As a pediatric cardiologist trained in public health and clinical research, Dr. Chang is passionate about research to advance the heart health of infants and children. Alone, and through his startup company, QT Medical, Dr. Chang has invented modern medical solutions to prevent complications and death due to diseases like arrhythmia, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and congenital heart disease.
Dr. Yeaman is being honored for his leadership in discovering, formulating and translating innovative approaches to meet the challenges of drug-resistant infections. He is an inventor on more than 15 issued patents and a founder of two biotech startups: NovaDigm Therapeutics, Inc., which has completed Phase II clinical trials of its initial vaccine candidate, and Tegos Therapeutics, which aims to develop new anti-infective biologics to defeat deadly infections.
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The gala will begin at 6 p.m. at Vibiana, 214 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA, 90012. For tickets to the event, please contact: Danielle Wagner, 310-974-9569, [email protected]
About LA BioMed
Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and therapies for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit http://www.LABioMed.org
Media Contact
Laura Mecoy
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http://www.LABioMed.org
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Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag
