Headline-making technology news in brief:

  • Two business units of Bayer Environmental Science are sold
  • INC plans an ideathon to improve clinical trials
  • Durham-based Teamworks strikes a deal with Major League Lacrosse
  • LabCorp launches a recently approved bladder cancer test

The details:

  • Two business units of Bayer Environmental Science are sold

Source: Bayer

Bayer and SBM Développement (SBM) today announced the signing of an agreement for the sale of the Consumer business of Bayer’s Environmental Science unit to SBM. The Consumer business encompasses the Bayer Garden and Bayer Advanced businesses in Europe and North America. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bayer Garden and Bayer Advanced provide innovative home and garden solutions for hobby gardeners and homeowners. SBM is a leader in the home and garden market in France and develops, formulates and produces crop and non-crop solutions for professionals and consumers.

“For SBM, the acquisition of the Bayer Garden and Bayer Advanced businesses represents a major milestone in our journey toward global leadership in the consumer home and garden industry,” said Jean-Paul Simmler, chairman of SBM. “We are committed to growing these businesses over the long-term by providing customers in Europe and the U.S. with an innovative range of solutions that leverages the strengths of both SBM and Bayer.”

  • NC plans an ideathon to improve clinical trials

Source: INC Research

INC Research Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:INCR), a leading, global Phase I to IV contract research organization, today announced a strategic collaboration with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging the public and patients as partners in the clinical research process. Through this collaboration, INC and CISCRP will jointly develop and implement educational initiatives designed to bring greater awareness to the importance of clinical trial participation in advancing public health.

“Continuing to make patients valued partners in the clinical research process is vital to accelerating the delivery of new medicines to market,” said Clare Grace, PhD, Vice President, Site and Patient Access. “CISCRP has been doing great work in this area for more than a decade and INC Research is proud to support their efforts to further increase awareness of the critical role patients play in clinical research and the value that this research brings to the development of new therapies. By furthering the connection that patients have with the clinical research community, we can better understand their perceptions about clinical research and the barriers that are potentially preventing them from participating in trials for which they may be suited.”

  • Durham-based Teamworks strikes a deal with Major League Lacrosse

Source: Teamworks

Teamworks, the industry leader of mobile collaboration and communication software for athletic organizations, is happy to announce a new partnership with Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional lacrosse league. As the League’s Official Collaboration Software Provider, Teamworks will centralize player and staff information for the front office and all nine teams, as well as modernize MLL’s internal communication approaches. The app’s expansion into professional lacrosse reflects a larger movement across all sports, as more organizations adapt to millennial players’ heavy reliance upon mobile devices, and highlights Teamworks’ position as the go-to solution for teams and organizations looking to increase internal efficiency.

“For 15 years, we have implemented many different dynamics to the game of lacrosse that have helped bring our sport into this modern age, but our commitment to remain agile extends beyond the field of play,” said David Gross, Major League Lacrosse Commissioner. “We are pleased to invest in a communication platform that offers us returns by keeping the league office more directly connected with our players, coaches and staff as we continue to develop the game of lacrosse.”

  • LabCorp launches a recently approved bladder cancer test

Source: LabCorp

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings [has] announced the nationwide availability of the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP142) Assay as a complementary diagnostic for TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab), a new immunotherapy treatment for patients with urothelial cancer, the most common form of bladder cancer in the U.S. The test was developed by Roche Diagnostics and was approved on May 18, 2016 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify patients who may benefit from treatment with Genentech’s TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab). The availability of this important new test demonstrates LabCorp’s commitment to provide world-class diagnostics to physicians and their patients.

“LabCorp is dedicated to improving health and improving lives through the introduction of new tests and by bringing innovative medicines to patients faster,” said David P. King, LabCorp’s chairman and chief executive officer. “LabCorp is particularly focused on the development of immunotherapies and tests that pair with these medicines to change the way care is provided to cancer patients, and we are pleased to be among the first laboratories to offer the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP142) assay.”