Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

New collaboration will help strengthen access to essential medicines for more than 1 million people served by Carillion LEHI, Utah, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Civica, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company formed to help provide a sustained supply of essential generic medicines to hospitals across the United States, today announced that Carilion Clinic has joined Civica as a Founding Member. Civica was founded in 2018 by philanthropies and leading U.S. health systems that experienced firsthand the impact of drug shortages, which affect all aspects of the healthcare delivery system. Through its collaborative model, Civica works to support more predictable supplies of essential medicines and help ensure that patients and their needs come first in the generic drug marketplace. Since its founding, Civica has provided enough medication to treat more than 100 million U.S. patients. As a Founding Member, Carilion will participate in Civica's member-led model, including helping identify medications that are priorities for hospitals and patients. Civica's member hospitals prioritize medicines that are frequently in shortage. Shortages can delay medical care and negatively impact patient outcomes. In a recent survey of primary care physicians (PCPs), 88% reported drug shortage challenges in the preceding six months. Shortages adversely impacted one in every five of their patients.1 "Carilion Clinic's decision to join Civica reflects our shared commitment to ensuring patients have dependable access to essential medicines," said Jennifer Spalding, Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel of Civica. "By bringing together mission-driven health systems and partners, we can help reduce the impact of drug shortages, improve supply chain reliability and better serve patients and communities." "Carilion's partnership with Civica will allow us to access the organization's supply chain to help us combat drug shortages and ensure our patients and communities continue to receive essential medications," said Chad Alvarez, System Pharmacy Director for Carilion. "The partnership also allows us to help Civica select medications that can be made in the United States, creating additional domestic options we can depend on to obtain medications that are in short supply." About Civica Founded in 2018 by innovative health care leaders nationwide, Civica is a pharmaceutical nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the accessibility, affordability and quality of essential generic injectables and biosimilar insulins. By committing to long-term contracts and targeting six months of safety stock, Civica helps stabilize the market and reduce the impact of shortages. Hospitals of any size can benefit from being a member of Civica. About Carilion Clinic Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit health system serving more than 1 million people in Virginia and West Virginia. Headquartered in Roanoke, Carilion provides high-quality, patient-centered care through a network of hospitals, physician practices and specialty services. Through education, research and innovation, including the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Radford University Carilion's allied health programs, Carilion advances its mission to improve the health of the communities it serves. As a nonprofit organization, Carilion also relies on the generosity of donors to help advance patient care, education and research. Learn more at CarilionClinic.org, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 1" Drug Shortages Affect 88% of Primary Care Physicians." AMA Association. 4 February 2026. SOURCE Civica Rx 21% more press release views with Request a Demo

A new wearable patch may help people reach REM sleep faster and remain there longer without medication or surgery. In a study of 28 participants, the device shortened the time to REM by 43 minutes and extended it by about 16 minutes. Researchers also observed signs of improved stress regulation and changes in brain circuits tied to emotion.Researchers led by the University of Texas at Austin have created a soft wearable patch that improved REM sleep in real-world testing without medication or surgery. Known as NEUSLeeP, the device combines gentle ultrasound stimulation with electrodes that track brain activity as it happens. This allows the patch to influence deep areas of the brain involved in sleep while also monitoring the brain's response. "This is the first time we've been able to noninvasively target deep brain regions involved in REM sleep, while simultaneously monitoring brain activity," said Kai Wing "Kevin" Tang, a recent UT biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate who led the research effort. "Our skin-attached NEUSLeeP patch opens up new possibilities for understanding sleep and treating sleep disorders in home settings," added Huiliang "Evan" Wang, assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Biomedical Engineering, who supervised Tang's work and served as the principal investigator (PI) directing the overall project. Wearable Patch Helps People Reach REM Faster The researchers tested the technology in a study involving 28 people, with the results published in Nature Communications. On average, participants entered REM sleep 43 minutes sooner and remained in that stage for about 16 minutes longer. The benefits were observed in both healthy sleepers and participants experiencing some sleep difficulties. Users also described the patch as comfortable and safe, and the study reported minimal adverse effects. Possible Benefits for Stress and Emotional Health Among healthy participants, NEUSLeeP stimulation also increased heart rate variability, which is commonly used as an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress. Brain imaging revealed changes in circuits associated with emotion, raising the possibility that the technology could support mood regulation and psychological resilience. "REM sleep is not just about dreaming -- it's about emotional reset and stress adaptation," explained Gregory Fonzo, assistant professor in the Dell Medical School's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and one of the project's co-PIs. "By enhancing REM, we may help people better cope with stress and improve their overall well-being." REM sleep disruptions have been associated with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current approaches to sleep problems, including medication and behavioral therapy, may cause side effects or may not directly address the underlying factors that interfere with REM sleep. Future Trials for Insomnia, Depression and PTSD The team plans to conduct larger studies to verify the initial results and evaluate whether NEUSLeeP could help people with PTSD, depression and chronic insomnia. The researchers also see potential uses in home sleep monitoring, neuroscience research and personalized sleep treatments. "Our vision is a future where patients with mental health disorders can optimize their sleep with a noninvasive and safe treatment," said Vincent Mysliwiec, M.D., a professor at UT Health San Antonio, a leading expert in sleep disorders, and another co-PI on the project. "This technology could help millions of people get the restorative sleep they need." Researchers Move Toward Commercialization The team is collaborating with Discovery to Impact, UT's commercialization unit, in an effort to move the technology toward the market. A patent application has also been filed for the device. Other team members are William D. Moscoso-Barrera, Mengxia Yu, Mengmeng Yao, Jinmo Jeong, Ilya Pyatnitskiy, Anakaren Romero Lozano, Jiachen Wang, Ju-Chun Hsieh, Tony Sungjin Chae, Daniel Song, Julieta Garcia, Rithvik Mittapalli and Adam Bush of the Department of Biomedical Engineering; Benjamin Baird of the College of Natural Sciences' Department of Psychology; and Wynn Legon of Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.

A surprising discovery is overturning a long-held assumption about how the brain’s movement center works. Researchers found that two key cerebellar cell types—thought to be tightly linked—often don’t behave in predictable ways, even though one directly influences the other. The finding suggests scientists may have been relying on the wrong signals when studying disorders such as dystonia, ataxia, and tremor.New research from a Virginia Tech neuroscientist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is raising questions about a long-standing approach to studying chronic neurological conditions such as dystonia, ataxia, and tremor. These disorders originate from problems in the cerebellum, a region of the brain involved in coordinating movement. When the cerebellum is disrupted, people can experience symptoms including painful muscle contractions, abnormal postures, and uncontrollable shaking. For years, neuroscientists have focused on the relationship between two types of brain cells in the cerebellum. One group, known as Purkinje cells, suppresses activity in another group called deep cerebellar nuclei cells. Because of this connection, researchers have generally assumed that observing Purkinje cell activity provides a reliable picture of what is happening in the deep nuclei cells. A new study led by Meike van der Heijden suggests that assumption may not hold true. Published in the Journal of Physiology, the research found that activity in one cell type does not reliably predict activity in the other, despite their direct anatomical connection. "We see that there's not a clear linear relationship between activity in the Purkinje cells and in the deep nuclei cells. So there's very limited predictive power in monitoring one to understand what's going on in the other," said Van der Heijden, assistant professor at the institute. Implications for Dystonia, Ataxia, and Tremor The findings could have important implications for both research and treatment of cerebellar movement disorders. "Purkinje and cerebellar deep nuclei cell activity is disrupted in a disease state, and a better understanding of the relationship between these neuron types will ultimately help optimize treatments for diseases such as dystonia, ataxia, and tremor," said Alyssa Lyon, a doctoral candidate in Virginia Tech's Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program and the paper's first author. One reason Purkinje cells have received so much attention is that they are easier to study. They sit in the outer layer of the cerebellum, making them more accessible to researchers. Deep nuclei cells, by contrast, are located farther beneath the brain's surface and are more difficult to measure directly. As a result, many scientists have treated Purkinje cell activity as a useful biomarker for what is happening in the deeper cells. Unexpected Results From Cerebellar Recordings Under normal circumstances, Purkinje cells inhibit deep nuclei cells. Based on that relationship, greater activity in Purkinje cells would be expected to correspond with lower activity in deep nuclei cells, while reduced Purkinje activity would be expected to have the opposite effect. To test that assumption, the research team analyzed a database of electrophysiology recordings collected from pre-clinical models of cerebellar disease. The results revealed no significant correlation between activity in the two cell populations. "We suggest that if you want to know how the cerebellum is behaving in a disease state, you have to look at the deep nuclei neurons, not just the Purkinje cells," said Van der Heijden, who also holds an appointment in Virginia Tech's School of Neuroscience. She added that researchers should also be cautious about treatment strategies that focus on altering Purkinje cell activity with the expectation that deep nuclei cells will respond accordingly. "This is a cautionary tale for understanding cerebellar activity in disease, but also for treating these challenging diseases," Van der Heijden said. "We need to be very careful in making assumptions, and to actually do experiments to test our hypotheses."