Latest news with #Hedgehog
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bigfork native and World War II vet celebrates his centennial
Apr. 21—The Glacier Park Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars celebrated World War II veteran Donald "Bud" Robinson with its first Centurion challenge coin last week. The freshly minted challenge coin was gifted to commemorate the Bigfork native's 100th birthday. Bigfork Seniors Club and Kalispell Assisted Living have additional celebrations planned for this week to honor the longstanding community figure known to many as "Uncle Bud." Born April 21, 1925, at the Kalispell General Hospital, Robinson spent his childhood in the budding town of Bigfork. In his free time, he hunted in the nearby mountains or fished on the Flathead River with his younger brother, John. As he grew up, Robinson took on a series of odd jobs, starting with a position hawking papers for the Daily Inter Lake. "[They] hired me for $6 a month and then I got half of anything I sold for the papers," Robinson recalled in an interview with the Bigfork History Network. "The papers sold for, I think, five or ten cents apiece, and I got half of that. I had about 35 customers. I guess it probably took almost a year for me to accumulate enough money to buy a bicycle." Robinson later worked night shift on the ferry that ran out of Holt before taking a job servicing cars at a gas station. By then, the United States had entered World War II, and the town's population began to dwindle. Robinson remembered starting high school with about 45 classmates, but only 17 remained by graduation. "The population went down to almost nothing during the war," he said. "It was really a skimpy town." ROBINSON SAID his goodbyes to Flathead Valley in 1943, when his draft card was pulled. He entered the Navy hoping to work on submarines. The military had other plans for the 18-year-old, and Robinson instead boarded the USS Coronis. Less than a month into Robinson's deployment, a submarine blinked onto the ship's sonar. The crew immediately launched four or five "Hedgehog" projectiles at the unidentified vessel, ending the skirmish before it could even start. Robinson watched as a trail of oil drifted up from the ocean depths and unspooled on the water's surface. "Right then, I thought, by God, I'm lucky I didn't get into the submarines," he told the Bigfork History Network. But Robinson soon discovered his own position was just as dangerous. While Robinson's main role on the ship involved manning its distillation machine, which transformed seawater into potable freshwater for the sailors to drink, he also manned a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun when the ship entered enemy territory. As a gunner, he was a prime target for Japanese kamikaze pilots, who purposefully crashed their planes into Allied navy ships. In 1945, Robinson's crew joined 1,600 other U.S. naval ships off the coast of Okinawa. For three months, the crew weathered a near-constant maelstrom of Japanese aircraft while ground forces battled inland. "These pilots would come in at night, just one plane after another," said Robinson. "You didn't know for sure if you grounded them or not." With over 4,900 casualties and nearly as many wounded, the Battle of Okinawa was the U.S. Navy's costliest fight during World War II. Japanese aircraft sank 32 U.S. Navy ships, but the Coronis weathered the firestorm without any damage. The Allied victory expediated the war's end, and, by 1946, Robinson was making his way back across the Pacific. "I was glad to get out of there," he said of his discharge. BACK IN Bigfork, Robinson opened Bud's Bar next to his mother's cafe on Electric Avenue. The saloon became a favorite watering hole for locals, and Robinson gained his own reputation as a hometown hero, earning the nickname of Uncle Bud. Robinson said he wasn't sure where it came from, but it seemed to stick, even after he left the bar business. In the late 1950s, Robinson started a home construction company with his friend, Bill Henry, and he co-founded the nonprofit now known as the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork in the early 1960s. Along the way, Robinson met and married Lila Baker, a waitress at a restaurant in nearby Woods Bay. The two remained together until Baker's death in 2002. Robinson met the second love of his life, Maxine Gates, a few years later. In his 80s by then, Robinson decided to build a house from scratch for him and his wife. It took him about six months to build the home and another six months to plant 4,000 trees near the house. In the following years, the couple sold the trees to landscapers and homeowners. Robinson said finishing the project at the age of 83 was one of the proudest moments in his life. Gates died in 2020, and Robinson now lives full-time at Kalispell Assisted Living, but he still visits the house from time to time. He enjoys sitting by the pond, which he dug out himself, and watching the ducks and geese drift across the water. The peace is well-earned. "It's quite an accomplishment," Robinson said of turning 100 years old. "I sure never thought I'd last this long." Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433. Robinson is the first person to receive a centurion challenge coin from the Glacier Park Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. (Hailey Smalley/Daily Inter Lake) Donald "Bud" Robinson in his U.S. Navy uniform.
Globe and Mail
16-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Zynext Ventures Invests in Feldan Therapeutics to Drive Innovation in Intracellular Drug Delivery
PENNINGTON, N.J. and QUÉBEC , April 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- Zynext Ventures USA LLC (Zynext Ventures), the venture capital arm of Zydus Lifesciences (Zydus), today announced its investment in Feldan Therapeutics (Feldan), a Canada -based early clinical-stage pharmaceutical company pioneering the development of treatments based on intracellular delivery of therapeutics. Feldan's proprietary Shuttle peptide technology enables the efficient and targeted delivery of biomolecules into cells, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities. The company's lead candidate, FLD-103, is administered directly into basal cell carcinoma (BCC) lesions, where the Shuttle peptide facilitates the delivery of a Hedgehog inhibitor to its target within BCC cells. This innovative approach aims to provide BCC patients with a non-surgical treatment option that improves outcomes and significantly enhances their quality of life. Additionally, Feldan is advancing a pulmonary program that leverages the Shuttle's unique ability to transport biomolecules into hard-to-deliver lung cells to address the unmet and growing medical needs of patients with respiratory diseases. Speaking on the development, Dr. Sharvil Patel, MD of Zydus Lifesciences, said, "At Zydus, we are committed towards advancing the development of novel therapeutics to addressing critical gaps in healthcare through innovation. We are pleased to support Feldan in exploring a potentially safe and targeted option for patients with dermatological and pulmonary disease and help them lead a better quality of life." Jay Kothari , Director of Zynext Ventures, highlighted, "Feldan's platform has the potential to transform intracellular delivery and pioneer next-generation therapeutics, aligning with the disruptive innovations we aim to add to our portfolio." "This partnership with Zynext Ventures marks an exciting step forward in our commitment to improve patients' quality of life and address critical drug delivery challenges," said François- Thomas Michaud , CEO of Feldan Therapeutics. "With Zynext Ventures' strategic expertise and shared dedication to innovation, we are well-positioned to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies." About Zynext Ventures Zynext Ventures is the investment arm of Zydus Lifesciences. The venture capital firm focuses on identifying and investing in promising early-stage and growth-stage companies in the healthcare sector. Zynext Ventures provides financial support, strategic guidance, and industry expertise to its portfolio companies, helping them achieve their full potential and make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients. For more details visit: About Zydus Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. with an overarching purpose of empowering people with freedom to live healthier and more fulfilled lives, is an innovative, global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs 27,000 people worldwide, including 1,400 scientists engaged in R & D, and is driven by its mission to unlock new possibilities in lifesciences through quality healthcare solutions that impact lives. The group aspires to transform lives through path-breaking discoveries. Over the last decade, Zydus has introduced several innovative, first-in-class products in the market for treating unmet healthcare needs with vaccines, therapeutics, biologicals and biosimilars. For more details visit: About Feldan Feldan is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of treatments based on the intracellular delivery of therapeutics. Its proprietary peptide-based technology, the Feldan Shuttle, enables the safe and efficient delivery of antisense oligonucleotides into cells, unlocking the potential for a new generation of therapies. Feldan's lead product for BCC (FLD-103) is in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial, and the company's pipeline expansion is focused on skin and lung diseases. SOURCE Zydus Lifesciences Ltd
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zynext Ventures Invests in Feldan Therapeutics to Drive Innovation in Intracellular Drug Delivery
PENNINGTON, N.J. and QUÉBEC, April 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- Zynext Ventures USA LLC (Zynext Ventures), the venture capital arm of Zydus Lifesciences (Zydus), today announced its investment in Feldan Therapeutics (Feldan), a Canada-based early clinical-stage pharmaceutical company pioneering the development of treatments based on intracellular delivery of therapeutics. Feldan's proprietary Shuttle peptide technology enables the efficient and targeted delivery of biomolecules into cells, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities. The company's lead candidate, FLD-103, is administered directly into basal cell carcinoma (BCC) lesions, where the Shuttle peptide facilitates the delivery of a Hedgehog inhibitor to its target within BCC cells. This innovative approach aims to provide BCC patients with a non-surgical treatment option that improves outcomes and significantly enhances their quality of life. Additionally, Feldan is advancing a pulmonary program that leverages the Shuttle's unique ability to transport biomolecules into hard-to-deliver lung cells to address the unmet and growing medical needs of patients with respiratory diseases. Speaking on the development, Dr. Sharvil Patel, MD of Zydus Lifesciences, said, "At Zydus, we are committed towards advancing the development of novel therapeutics to addressing critical gaps in healthcare through innovation. We are pleased to support Feldan in exploring a potentially safe and targeted option for patients with dermatological and pulmonary disease and help them lead a better quality of life." Jay Kothari, Director of Zynext Ventures, highlighted, "Feldan's platform has the potential to transform intracellular delivery and pioneer next-generation therapeutics, aligning with the disruptive innovations we aim to add to our portfolio." "This partnership with Zynext Ventures marks an exciting step forward in our commitment to improve patients' quality of life and address critical drug delivery challenges," said François-Thomas Michaud, CEO of Feldan Therapeutics. "With Zynext Ventures' strategic expertise and shared dedication to innovation, we are well-positioned to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies." About Zynext Ventures Zynext Ventures is the investment arm of Zydus Lifesciences. The venture capital firm focuses on identifying and investing in promising early-stage and growth-stage companies in the healthcare sector. Zynext Ventures provides financial support, strategic guidance, and industry expertise to its portfolio companies, helping them achieve their full potential and make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients. For more details visit: LinkedIn: Zynext VenturesTwitter: @ZynextVentures About Zydus Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. with an overarching purpose of empowering people with freedom to live healthier and more fulfilled lives, is an innovative, global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs 27,000 people worldwide, including 1,400 scientists engaged in R & D, and is driven by its mission to unlock new possibilities in lifesciences through quality healthcare solutions that impact lives. The group aspires to transform lives through path-breaking discoveries. Over the last decade, Zydus has introduced several innovative, first-in-class products in the market for treating unmet healthcare needs with vaccines, therapeutics, biologicals and biosimilars. For more details visit: About Feldan Feldan is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of treatments based on the intracellular delivery of therapeutics. Its proprietary peptide-based technology, the Feldan Shuttle, enables the safe and efficient delivery of antisense oligonucleotides into cells, unlocking the potential for a new generation of therapies. Feldan's lead product for BCC (FLD-103) is in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial, and the company's pipeline expansion is focused on skin and lung diseases. For more details visit: Feldan Therapeutics Logo - View original content: SOURCE Zydus Lifesciences Ltd View original content: Sign in to access your portfolio
