On Friday, November 1, from 9am - 5pm, EMPOWER is hosting a luggage drive to provide children in foster care with their own luggage. 

Luggage can be donated by dropping off in person at EMPOWER’s offices (Dallas and Allen locations), or by shopping the Amazon wish list here.

• Dallas office: 1820 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75235

• Allen office: 760 North Watters Road, Suite 100, Allen, TX 75013

Every 45 seconds, a child enters foster care in the United States and is removed from everything they have ever known. In Texas, there are currently more than 13,000 children in the foster care system. 

EMPOWER is the Community-Based Care (CBC) contractor in Metroplex East region, a nine-county area in North Texas including Dallas, Grayson, Fannin, Collin, Hunt, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis and Navaro counties. The goal is to collect 400 brand new suitcases, providing luggage for children in foster care within the Metroplex East region. 

Many of these children have to carry their belongings in an old backpack, a laundry basket or a garbage bag, inadvertently sending a message that their personal possessions lack value. With the luggage drive, the goal is to provide children with luggage so it is one less thing they have to worry about during this difficult transition.

BioNTX, the bioscience and healthcare innovation trade organization serving North Texas, is pleased to introduce D. Jeff Keyser, RPh, JD, PhD as the recipient of the 2024 Dennis K. Stone Award. The award recognizes an individual’s contributions to the North Texas biotechnology industry, and the recipient is introduced at the annual iC³® Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit. This year, Dr. Keyser will be acknowledged as the recipient at the Summit on Thursday, October 3 at 5:25 p.m. The 10th Annual iC³® Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit will take place on October 3-4, 2024, at the Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center at 888 Nolan Ryan Expressway, Arlington, TX 76011. Registration for the Summit can be completed here. 

Dr. Keyser is a veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with 40 years of leadership experience in developing and commercializing new medical therapies. He currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Renibus Therapeutics and Chairman of the Board for Lantern Pharma. Throughout his career, Dr. Keyser has invented products leading to significant improvements in patient care and has numerous patents issued by the USPTO in healthcare. He has a track record of success in developing new companies from start-up, through IPO and M&A exits. 

Dr. Keyser is President and CEO of Renibus Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to treating, improving, and extending patients’ lives by developing products to prevent disease progression, improve outcomes and protect against organ damage associated with cardio, renal and metabolic diseases. He also co-founded ZS Pharma, which was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2015 for $2.7 billion. He invented the Mucinex product line for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics and developed and executed the R&D and Regulatory strategy for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics as Vice President of Development and Regulatory Affairs. 

“Jeff has been a steadfast and energetic leader and mentor for our industry and for the teams that have been fortunate enough to work alongside him,” says Panna Sharma, CEO of Lantern Pharma. “His energy and productivity in biopharma is contagious and inspiring, and many of the milestones at Lantern would not have been possible without his guidance and acute insight. The bioscience community in North Texas is grateful to him for the impact he has made on the industry.”

Dr. Dennis K. Stone was an accomplished scientist and pivotal figure in biotechnology development at UT Southwestern and throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His leadership in life sciences, commitment to training physician-scientists, and transformative work continues through his wife and colleague, Dr. Helen H. Hobbs, who shares his dedication to advancing the field. Every year, BioNTX honors Dennis K. Stone’s memory and work by awarding an individual who has positively affected the North Texas biotechnology industry and contributed awareness and funds to life science research.

For more information about the Dennis K. Stone Award and iC³® Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit, visit biontx.org.

EMPOWER is pleased to announce Ariel Jones as the newest Director of Permanency Support. Jones will office at EMPOWER’s Dallas office at 1820 Regal Row.

EMPOWER, a non-profit child welfare collaborative, serves as the Community-Based Care (CBC) contractor in Metroplex East. This nine-county region includes Dallas and surrounding communities. EMPOWER oversees foster care, case management, kinship, and reunification services. 

Jones is a proud graduate of Jackson State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Mississippi College. Jones brings a wealth of professional experience, having worked as a Counseling/Behavior Specialist with the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, and as a Supervisor at Our Community Our Kids.

Outside of her professional life, Jones enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She has been married for eight years and is a devoted mom to two children who bring joy and excitement to her life. 

“We are thrilled to have Ariel join the EMPOWER family and we are eager to see her succeed in this role as she continues her service to families and children,” said Brittany Pearson, Vice President of Permanency at EMPOWER. 

Many local children in foster care need a safe, loving place to call home. To learn more about how you can help these children in need, please visit https://3empower.org/fosterfutures/. 

BioNTX is pleased to announce the finalists for the 3rd Annual Tech Transfer Showcase, set for Friday, October 4th, at the 2024 iC³ Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit. The Tech Transfer Showcase shines the spotlight on life science innovation that may be sitting on the shelf and strengthens the development of future leaders and entrepreneurs. This program is designed to assist academic institutions in presenting technologies available for licensing, collaboration and acquisition. 

The goal of the Tech Transfer Showcase is to connect Texas based academic institutions with Texas-based investors and industry executives that can help provide valuable insight into commercial readiness, market fit, business models, strategic partnerships, and commercial viability of all technologies. The 2024 competition was open to all Texas Universities. After submission, a panel of experienced judges reviews each university’s featured technology and selects the top six finalists to advance to the pitch showcase at the BioNTX annual Summit. 

In 2024, BioNTX has seen a 50% increase in applicants for this opportunity. A panel of knowledgeable judges have selected the top six finalists to advance to the pitch event at the iC³ Summit. The 2024 Tech Transfer Showcase finalists are:

• Baylor University

• Rice University

• Texas Tech University

• The University of Texas at Austin

• The University of Texas at Dallas

• The University of Texas Medical Branch

“BioNTX is proud to provide a platform for university faculty and inventors to test their technology and receive expert guidance for commercialization of their innovation,” reports Kathleen Otto, CEO, BioNTX.

Each finalist will collaborate with a Tech Transfer judge to refine their pitch and will present their technology at the iC³ Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit for a chance to win a cash prize.

“The BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase is a perfect opportunity to get a glimpse into early-stage technologies coming out of the top universities in Texas. As a mentor and judge, it is very rewarding to see the progression and growth of the presenter and their pitches throughout the process.” Chad Ronholdt, Co-founder, CEO of ASC Biosciences and Managing Director of NVB Ventures.

Paul J. Corson, Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer for the University of Texas at Arlington, is the moderator of the Tech Transfer Office Showcase and Pitch Competition at the iC³ Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit on Friday, October 4, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Corson states, “North Texas is a great place for life science startups, as evidenced by the amazing work I see at UT Arlington every day.” The Tech Transfer winner will be announced after the showcase and pitch competition at the Summit.

To register for the 2024 iC³ Life Science & Healthcare Innovation Summit, please click here.

EMPOWER is pleased to announce Ariel Jones as the newest Director of Permanency Support. Jones will office at EMPOWER’s Dallas office at 1820 Regal Row.

EMPOWER, a non-profit child welfare collaborative, serves as theCommunity-Based Care (CBC) contractor in Metroplex East. This nine-county region includes Dallas and surrounding communities. EMPOWER oversees foster care, case management, kinship, and reunification services. 

Jones is a proud graduate of Jackson State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Mississippi College. Jones brings a wealth of professional experience, having worked as a Counseling/Behavior Specialist with the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, and as a Supervisor at Our Community Our Kids.

Outside of her professional life, Jones enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She has been married for eight years and is a devoted mom to two children who bring joy and excitement to her life. 

“We are thrilled to have Ariel join the EMPOWER family and we are eager to see her succeed in this role as she continues her service to families and children,” said Brittany Pearson, Vice President of Permanency at EMPOWER.

Many local children in foster care need a safe, loving place to call home. To learn more about how you can help these children in need, please visit https://3empower.org/fosterfutures/.