Acorn Biolabs Partners with The Leslie Group to Offer On-Site Live-Cell Collection for Employees

TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2019 /CNW/ - Toronto-based Acorn Biolabs Inc., which recently launched the world's first easy and affordable live-cell collection kits, announced today it's partnered with healthcare benefits consultancy The Leslie Group Limited to offer on-site cell collection to employees.

Cell collection is integral to enabling, advancing and providing stem cell therapy and regenerative medicines to patients around the world. Until now, collecting cells has typically meant expensive and painful trips to clinics for complex medical procedures such as bone marrow harvesting, liposuction or venous blood draws.

Seeing the potential for cell therapy to revolutionize the future of healthcare, Acorn has developed a non-invasive method of collecting cells that involves simply plucking a few hair follicles from a person's head. Acorn uses a proprietary method of keeping cells viable during transport and storage, turning collected hair follicles into a highly valuable and accessible resource for regenerative medicine and genetics.

Acorn's method allows for full genome collection, all without needing a physician or surgery, making live-cell collection significantly more affordable and accessible for everyone.

"Partnering with The Leslie Group was a natural fit given the organization's innovative approach to providing health benefits programs and their emphasis on wellness solutions," said Dr. Drew Taylor, Acorn's Co-Founder and CEO.

"Our teams agree that cell therapy will play a major role in the future of healthcare, and The Leslie Group's employees will now have the ability to tap into this revolutionary technology that will ultimately help people live longer and healthier lives."

The Leslie Group is the first health benefits consulting company in Canada to offer on-site live-cell collection to its employees, further positioning the firm as an industry leader in delivering leading-edge healthcare benefit solutions.

"A core philosophy at The Leslie Group is delivering an innovative approach to benefits for our clients -- one that is tailor-made for companies looking for a program that goes above and beyond the industry standard," said Shawn Leslie, The Leslie Group's President and CEO. "That's why we decided to partner with Acorn to enable our employees to have their cells collected and cryopreserved."

Leslie added: "Simply put, we want to practise what we preach, particularly when it comes to developing effective wellness strategies that will assist in improving employees' health over the long-term. That is exactly what Acorn is providing."

Building on the initial success of the on-site live-cell collection program at The Leslie Group's head office, Acorn is now offering The Acorn Partner Program to companies across Canada. Acorn's discounted cell collection fee is custom-built with HR budgets in mind, enabling them to bring the service to their employees at affordable rates that include collection, a cell viability report, cell image and a report outlining your genetic age. 

About Acorn Biolabs, Inc.
Founded in 2017 by Steven ten Holder, Patrick Pumputis and Dr. Drew Taylor and borne out of years of research, Acorn is a healthcare technology company. Based at Johnson & Johnson INNOVATION JLABS in Toronto, Acorn is focused on giving every human being the best chance to experience more healthy years with its easy, affordable and non-invasive live-cell collection, analysis and cryopreservation service. Acorn helps you live a longer, healthier tomorrow by freezing the clock on your cells today. For more information, visit www.acorn.me

About The Leslie Group Limited
The Leslie Group Limited is a boutique employee benefits consulting firm, with a staff of senior employee benefits specialists, account managers, client services representatives and marketing coordinators with offices located in Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Simcoe-Muskoka and Calgary. The company also has strategic alliances in the United States and the United Kingdom and currently manages more than $150 million of group insurance premiums and over $600 million in group retirement plan assets. For more information, visit www.lesliegroup.com

SOURCE Acorn Biolabs

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