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Euractiv
15-07-2025
- Health
- Euractiv
EU health security planning prioritises protective equipment
The EU is putting personal protective equipment (PPE) at the heart of its health security strategy. With the launch of its first-ever Stockpiling Strategy and Medical Countermeasures Strategy, the European Commission aims to ensure swift access to PPE and other essential tools to protect workers and citizens in future crises. Europe faces rising threats from pandemics, armed conflicts, chemical, biological and radiological exposure and nuclear (CBRN) attacks, and PPE is now viewed as critical not only for healthcare professionals, but also for care home staff, civil protection teams and humanitarian workers. Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said, 'We know the threats we face. And we know we can handle them. Hybrid attacks, power blackouts, extreme weather, and spreading diseases. These are no longer distant risks. That is why we are moving preparedness from the sidelines to the frontline of our defence.' The Preparedness Strategy, adopted in March 2025, reflects this shift toward resilience, placing PPE on equal footing with vaccines and diagnostics. It also introduces preparedness roadmaps, a priority list of medical countermeasures, and sentinel systems like wastewater monitoring. To support rapid deployment, the Commission is reinforcing its industrial base through EU FAB's ever-warm production and the new RAMP UP partnership. From strategy to action The Stockpiling Strategy establishes an EU network to coordinate reserves across Member States, improve visibility, reduce duplication, and guide joint recommendations. In a statement to Euractiv, 3M welcomed stronger EU coordination on health preparedness. 'The two EU strategies underscore the critical importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in safeguarding frontline workers and the general population,' said Maxime Bureau, 3M Director of EU Government Affairs. 'The EU Stockpiling Network shows the EU's commitment to enhancing coordination among EU countries, ensuring transparency in the management and procurement of critical medical countermeasures, including PPE. As we move forward, it is essential to centralise actions at EU level to ensure a unified and efficient response to health emergencies, leveraging collective resources and expertise for the benefit of all Member States,' said Bureau. The Commission expects this network to map national reserves, including their locations, contents and management, to improve coordination and crisis response. Strengthening EU PPE reserves As part of its wider preparedness push, the EU is expanding rescEU, originally created for wildfire response, to include pandemics and CBRN threats. 'One lesson learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic was the importance of developing and sustaining comprehensive medical stockpiles.' These reserves now cover PPE, vaccines, medical devices and countermeasures for threats like zoonotic diseases and burns. To improve sustainability, the EU is testing virtual stockpiling and vendor-based models to reduce waste and ensure access without constant replenishment. In emergencies, rescEU allows direct or joint procurement and can cover up to 100% of transport costs. Mobilising partnerships The strategy also promotes public-private and civil-military partnerships to streamline logistics and supply chains. These collaborative models are seen as critical to delivering PPE and other stockpiled goods effectively during crises. This includes enhanced logistics and a fresh supply chain assessment for countermeasures not on the Union's critical medicines list, such as PPE or diagnostics. 'We will work with European companies in every Member State to make sure essential supplies, like food, water, medicines, masks, and testing kits, are ready when we need them,' said Commissioner Lahbib. Driving innovation, preparedness To improve readiness, HERA will continue to lead emergency procurement, manufacturing and R&D. Its 2026 Medifence initiative aims to stockpile reusable PPE and support innovation in biosensors and drug platforms. Meanwhile, the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator will help close innovation gaps in PPE, diagnostics, vaccines and treatments, offering regulatory and financial support. HERA is also piloting a shelf-life extension scheme to reduce PPE waste. Together, HERA and the Accelerator show the EU's broader shift from stockpiling alone to long-term innovation and preparedness. The pandemic demonstrated the need for consistent funding. In response, the Commission has allocated over €5 billion from 2021–2027 via EU4Health, Horizon Europe and rescEU. Future funding will be debated during the next EU budget round. MEP Nicolás González Casares warned that funding must match ambition. 'The truth is that the EU relies heavily on imports from China for much of its required PPE,' he said. 'While Horizon Europe and EU4Health can support R&D for more sustainable and scalable PPE, there should be European-specific funds for these needs. Otherwise, we risk diverting investment away from medical needs that are no less important.' He called for financial tools to ensure both rapid response and long-term security. 'We have been discussing how to reinforce Europe's security strategy. Let's allocate targeted funds for the short-term and long-term reinforcement of strategic supply resources.' Leaving no one behind Equity is central to the EU's PPE strategy. González Casares stressed that distribution must go beyond hospitals, saying: 'There are two levels at which this issue is addressed: one related to ordinary shortages and the other related to crisis management' 'Obviously, the supply strategy must address both needs, as well as distribution. Not only is direct healthcare at hospitals a need, but so are other things. Care homes, humanitarian actors, and civil protection teams must also be covered.' This reflects the Commission's commitment to ensuring shared EU resources benefit all Member States. Looking ahead, the success of both strategies will hinge on implementation. Key milestones now include the operational launch of the EU Stockpiling Network, deployment of the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator, and upcoming initiatives like Medifence in 2026. With funding discussions tied to the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the coming weeks will be crucial to ensure the EU's ambition for strategic autonomy and crisis resilience translates into concrete preparedness on the ground. [Edited By Brian Maguire | Euractiv's Advocacy Lab ]
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The OhmX RAMP UP Grant Awarded to 15 Laboratories to Advance Genomic Research
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 21, 2025 /CNW/ -- Nabsys 2.0, LLC (Nabsys) and Hitachi High-Tech America, Inc. (HTA) have revealed the awardees of their OhmX Rapid Application to Market Penetration User Partnership, or OhmX RAMP UP, Grant Program. The program is focused on making structural variation detection more accessible to human genomics researchers by providing Nabsys' OhmX platform on consignment to selected labs. Fifteen (15) RAMP UP grants were awarded in total, with participants currently progressing through various stages of the consignment agreement process. Upon completion, participants will use the OhmX platform to analyze structural variants (SVs) for various applications, including rare disease, cancer, and cell and gene therapy. Some specific applications include the analysis of repeat expansions, orthogonal confirmation of long-read sequencing calls, determining detection sensitivity for rare SVs, and enhanced cytogenetic profiling. "I look forward to establishing electronic genome mapping as a core service for the Boston Children's Hospital research community. The technology seems promising for high-resolution analysis of structural variants" said Dr. Catherine Brownstein, a RAMP UP recipient at Boston Children's Hospital and Director of the Genomics Core. The institutions participating in the program include: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Dr. Miriam Bornhorst) Be Biopharma (Dr. Huei-Mei Chen) Boston Children's Hospital (Dr. Catherine Brownstein) Brigham and Women's Hospital (Dr. Phillip Michaels) Drexel University (Dr. Ming Xiao) Labcorp (Dr. Adam C. Smith) Seattle Children's Hospital (Dr. Cate Paschal and Dr. Anica Wandler) Stanford University (Dr. Alexander E. Urban) Texas A&M University (Dr. Kenneth S. Ramos) The Jackson Laboratory (Dr. Mark Adams, Dr. Charles Lee, Dr. Feyza Yilmaz) The Translational and Advanced Medicine Center (Dr. Kevin P. Clancy) University of Florida (Dr. Eric Wang) Yale University (Dr. Ryan B. Jensen) "Collaborations through the OhmX RAMP UP Grant Program represent our commitment to advancing genomic research by empowering the world's leading institutions with cutting-edge technology," said Craig Kerkove, President & CEO, HTA. "We are proud to support the groundbreaking work of these researchers, who are at the forefront of understanding and addressing the complexities of genetic diseases and cancer." "In awarding OhmX instruments to these prestigious laboratories, we have made a significant step forward in our mission to democratize access to genomic tools," noted Nabsys CEO, Dr. Barrett Bready. "This collaboration between Nabsys and HTA exemplifies our shared vision of powering innovation to drive transformative advancements in genomics and healthcare." OhmX's electronic nanochannel-based platform allows researchers to conduct targeted and whole-genome structural-variant analysis, leading to a better understanding of disease mechanisms, gene disruption, and complex genomic regions. This improved understanding empowers precision medicine with the potential to create more effective and personalized treatments, while also overcoming the cost and complexity barriers that are typically associated with SV analysis. About Nabsys 2.0, LLCThe Nabsys 2.0, LLC ("Nabsys") mission is to advance the understanding of disease, increase diagnostic yield, and improve patient outcomes by enabling routine, accurate, cost-effective analysis of genomic structural variation. Located in Providence, RI, Nabsys employs a growing interdisciplinary group of dedicated scientists, engineers, and other professionals committed to the advancement of genomic analysis. For more information, visit About Hitachi High-Tech America, High-Tech America, Inc. (HTA) is a privately-owned global affiliate company that operates within the Hitachi Group companies. HTA sells and services semiconductor manufacturing equipment, analytical instrumentation, scientific instruments, and bio-related products, as well as industrial equipment, and electronic and industrial materials. HTA is dedicated to successful and profitable collaboration with leading companies worldwide, with a direction towards providing customers with superior quality products and services at fair and competitive prices. For more information, please visit Contact InformationElise Benson Director of MarketingNabsysbenson@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Nabsys View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
21-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
The OhmX RAMP UP Grant Awarded to 15 Laboratories to Advance Genomic Research
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 21, 2025 /CNW/ -- Nabsys 2.0, LLC (Nabsys) and Hitachi High-Tech America, Inc. (HTA) have revealed the awardees of their OhmX Rapid Application to Market Penetration User Partnership, or OhmX RAMP UP, Grant Program. The program is focused on making structural variation detection more accessible to human genomics researchers by providing Nabsys' OhmX platform on consignment to selected labs. Fifteen (15) RAMP UP grants were awarded in total, with participants currently progressing through various stages of the consignment agreement process. Upon completion, participants will use the OhmX platform to analyze structural variants (SVs) for various applications, including rare disease, cancer, and cell and gene therapy. Some specific applications include the analysis of repeat expansions, orthogonal confirmation of long-read sequencing calls, determining detection sensitivity for rare SVs, and enhanced cytogenetic profiling. 'I look forward to establishing electronic genome mapping as a core service for the Boston Children's Hospital research community. The technology seems promising for high-resolution analysis of structural variants' said Dr. Catherine Brownstein, a RAMP UP recipient at Boston Children's Hospital and Director of the Genomics Core. The institutions participating in the program include: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Dr. Miriam Bornhorst) Be Biopharma (Dr. Huei-Mei Chen) Boston Children's Hospital (Dr. Catherine Brownstein) Brigham and Women's Hospital (Dr. Phillip Michaels) Drexel University (Dr. Ming Xiao) Labcorp (Dr. Adam C. Smith) Seattle Children's Hospital (Dr. Cate Paschal and Dr. Anica Wandler) Stanford University (Dr. Alexander E. Urban) Texas A&M University (Dr. Kenneth S. Ramos) The Jackson Laboratory (Dr. Mark Adams, Dr. Charles Lee, Dr. Feyza Yilmaz) The Translational and Advanced Medicine Center (Dr. Kevin P. Clancy) University of Florida (Dr. Eric Wang) Yale University (Dr. Ryan B. Jensen) 'Collaborations through the OhmX RAMP UP Grant Program represent our commitment to advancing genomic research by empowering the world's leading institutions with cutting-edge technology,' said Craig Kerkove, President & CEO, HTA. 'We are proud to support the groundbreaking work of these researchers, who are at the forefront of understanding and addressing the complexities of genetic diseases and cancer.' 'In awarding OhmX instruments to these prestigious laboratories, we have made a significant step forward in our mission to democratize access to genomic tools,' noted Nabsys CEO, Dr. Barrett Bready. 'This collaboration between Nabsys and HTA exemplifies our shared vision of powering innovation to drive transformative advancements in genomics and healthcare.' OhmX's electronic nanochannel-based platform allows researchers to conduct targeted and whole-genome structural-variant analysis, leading to a better understanding of disease mechanisms, gene disruption, and complex genomic regions. This improved understanding empowers precision medicine with the potential to create more effective and personalized treatments, while also overcoming the cost and complexity barriers that are typically associated with SV analysis. About Nabsys 2.0, LLC The Nabsys 2.0, LLC ('Nabsys') mission is to advance the understanding of disease, increase diagnostic yield, and improve patient outcomes by enabling routine, accurate, cost-effective analysis of genomic structural variation. Located in Providence, RI, Nabsys employs a growing interdisciplinary group of dedicated scientists, engineers, and other professionals committed to the advancement of genomic analysis. For more information, visit About Hitachi High-Tech America, Inc. Hitachi High-Tech America, Inc. (HTA) is a privately-owned global affiliate company that operates within the Hitachi Group companies. HTA sells and services semiconductor manufacturing equipment, analytical instrumentation, scientific instruments, and bio-related products, as well as industrial equipment, and electronic and industrial materials. HTA is dedicated to successful and profitable collaboration with leading companies worldwide, with a direction towards providing customers with superior quality products and services at fair and competitive prices. For more information, please visit
