Finalists invited to pitch ideas to panel of judges including Robert Herjavec, technology entrepreneur, passionate cancer caregiver and star of the hit television shows Dragon's Den and Shark Tank
MARKHAM, ON, April 26, 2016 /CNW/ - Astellas Oncology today launched the C3 Prize™, a challenge designed to inspire non-medicine innovations that improve the cancer care experience for patients, caregivers and loved ones. Entries will be accepted through August 8 following a live pitch to a panel of judges including Canadian entrepreneur and star of Dragon Den and Shark Tank, Robert Herjavec. Three winners will be awarded a total of $100,000 in grants as well as membership to healthcare technology incubator MATTER to bring their ideas to life. The C3 Prize was announced today to a group of 1,100 global leaders in cancer care gathered at the World Medical Innovation Forum organized by Partners HealthCare.
By 2030, the global cancer burden is expected to grow to 22.2 million cancer cases.[1] Despite significant advances in cancer treatments, patients with cancer and their caregivers face significant obstacles to receiving or providing optimal care through all phases of living with cancer.
"Astellas Pharma Canada is excited to be part of the C3 Prize, a challenge that is certain to inspire novel approaches to help patients and their caregivers navigate the journey from diagnosis to care to hopefully, survivorship," said Michael Tremblay, President of Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc. "As the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer rises so does the need for innovative thinking and fresh solutions, perhaps one that comes from our Canadian backyard".
The C3 Prize seeks submissions in four areas where patients living with cancer and the cancer community face the toughest obstacles along the cancer continuum: navigating the health care system, adhering to complex medical care requirements, coordinating care and surviving life post-treatment.
Five finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas in front of a live panel of judges including Herjavec at the Stanford Medicine X conference on September 17, 2016 in Stanford, California.
Grants will then be awarded to the three leading ideas – one $50,000 grant to the grand prize winner and two $25,000 grants to two additional winners. Additionally, winners will receive mentorship from Astellas and a one year membership to MATTER.
C3 Prize submissions can be made at C3Prize.com and are due by midnight Central Time on August 8, 2016. Entries will be evaluated based on plausibility of idea, creativity and originality of innovation and the ability of the entrant to operationalize/implement the innovative idea for future application.
For more information, visit www.C3Prize.com.
About Astellas
Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AstellasUS or like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS.
About Astellas Pharma Canada
Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc., headquartered in Markham, ON, is a Canadian affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. In Canada, Astellas has an intense commercial focus on five therapeutic areas – Urology, Immunology, Infectious Disease and Oncology. For more information about Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc., please visit the corporate website: www.astellas.ca
About the World Medical Innovation Forum
The World Medical Innovation Forum is a global gathering of more than 1,000 senior health care leaders hosted by Partners HealthCare in the heart of Boston. It was established to respond to the intensifying transformation of health care and its impact on innovation. The Forum is rooted in the belief that no matter the magnitude of that change, the center of health care needs to be a shared, fundamental commitment to collaborative innovation and its ability to improve patient lives. For more information, please go to www.worldmedicalinnovation.org
About Stanford Medicine X
Stanford Medicine X is a catalyst for new ideas about the future of medicine and health care. The initiative explores how emerging technologies will advance the practice of medicine, improve health and empower patients to be active participants in their own care. The "X" is meant to encourage thinking beyond numbers and trends — it represents the infinite possibilities for current and future information technologies to improve health. For more information about MedX, visit www.medicinex.stanford.edu
About MATTER
MATTER is a community of entrepreneurs, innovators and industry leaders working together to harness technology to improve health and healthcare. MATTER connects and promotes collaboration between entrepreneurs, scientists, physicians, investors and industry leaders in order to bring next-generation products and services to market that improve quality of care and save lives. For more information, visit www.matterchicago.com
___________________________
| [1] Bray F, Jemal A, Grey N, Ferlay J, Forman D. Global cancer transitions according to the Human Development Index (2008-2030): a population based study. Lancet Oncol. 2012;13: 790-801. |
SOURCE Energi PR
Video with caption: "VIDEO: Astellas Oncology C3 Prize™ to Bring Bright Ideas in Cancer Care to Life with $100,000 in Grants". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160426_C5095_VIDEO_EN_672426.mp4&posterurl=http%3a%2f%2fphotos.newswire.ca%2fimages%2f20160426_C5095_PHOTO_EN_672426.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160426&cnum=C5095
For Media: Michelle Reale, (905) 946-5621, [email protected]; Carol Levine, energi PR, 1-888-764-6322 ext. 226, [email protected]
Share this article