Ernest Pharmaceuticals Wins Lever's Western Mass Health Technology Challenge

11:12AM / Sunday, March 24, 2024Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON—Ernest Pharmaceuticals won $50,000 and Organicin Scientific won $25,000 in Innovation Grant funding after competing in Lever's Western Mass Health Tech Challenge.

The two startups were selected from among four finalists by a panel of expert judges.

The Challenge is funded in part by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MSLC), an economic development investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the life sciences throughout the state. Lever and MLSC have partnered since 2016, with the Western Mass Health Tech Challenge representing the seventh in a collaborative series of acceleration programs.

"The competitiveness of the companies we've seen has increased each year we've run this program," said Lever's Executive Director, Jeffrey Thomas. "To me, this demonstrates the increasing strength of the western Massachusetts startup ecosystem."

"We are incredibly proud to see the continued growth of the entrepreneurial community in Western Massachusetts," said MLSC Vice President of Industry Strategy and Investments Carla Reimold, Ph.D. "Organizations such as Lever are key collaborators to supporting our life sciences ecosystem. Congratulations to our winners and the robust pool of startups which competed in this year's challenge."

Ernest Pharmaceuticals seeks to create a novel bacterial platform that revolutionizes cancer treatment success through innovations in intracellular macromolecule delivery. They are based in Hadley, Massachusetts.

CEO and Co-Founder, Nele Van Dessel said "Participating in the Western Mass Health Technology Challenge enabled us to validate our business model and resulted in many new connections that can push Ernest Pharmaceuticals forward. With the help of this prize, we can perform the necessary safety studies to get our therapies into clinical trials. The Challenge brought us one step closer to our final goal, developing cancer treatments for advanced solid tumors. We are grateful to Lever for this opportunity and their guidance during this competition".

Organicin Scientific, Inc. discovers and develops bacteriocins to prevent disease and improve health. In the face of antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for antibiotic alternatives that can mitigate disease challenges, in both agriculture and human health.

Both finalists participated in a question and answer session after their presentations with the audience that included Jennifer Griffin, Partner, Strategy & Investor Relations at Mission BioCapital; Jonathon George, Senior Associate at Flare Capital Partners; and Efe Sumer, Senior Investment Associate | Industry Strategy and Investments at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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