Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System Announce Definitive Agreement for Statewide Partnership

On March 31, 2023, Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS), with approval from both organizations’ boards, reached an agreement to form an innovative, new partnership that will create a broader affiliation with the university’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

Wellstar, AUHS and MCG share a mission to solve health care challenges across the state, and together, they will drive significant advances in clinical care, academic teaching and research in Georgia. By combining the best of community health care and academic medicine, the organizations will make a transformational impact on improving the health and wellbeing of each patient they serve –  creating a healthier future for Georgia.

To accomplish this, the partnership will focus on five key areas:

  • Access to Expertise:  Creating an ecosystem of care that provides the most advanced clinical care, innovated academic teaching models, and lifesaving research to all corners of the state and beyond.
  • Expanding the Pipeline of Clinicians:  Making significant investments to increase the number of clinicians trained in Georgia at the Medical College of Georgia.
  • Care Innovation:  Creating new and innovative clinical care offerings and models to enhance the health and well-being of patients we serve.
  • Pediatric Care:  Bringing Wellstar and AUHS’s exemplary pediatric care to more Georgians across the state through Children’s Hospital of Georgia and Wellstar’s dedicated pediatric care and emergency departments.
  • Digital Health:  Making significant investments in improving clinical IT, modernizing digital care centers, and adding remote care offerings backed by the academic medical expertise of the Medical College of Georgia.

Most of the day-to-day operations will stay the same, and patients will continue to access care as they currently do. The organizations are excited for the benefits this partnership will provide and are confident about the opportunity to transform health care through a better patient experience, more accessible care and better value.

For more information, read the  full announcement here.

Biotech Leaders Launch National Alliance to Define the Future of American Innovation

May 5, 2026
New coalition forms to develop a national innovation roadmap to strengthen and extend  America’s global leadership in biotechnology

UGA & Manus Among Awardees in $214M BioMADE Investment

April 30, 2026
BioMADE Announces $21.4 Million Invested in 14 Projects to Develop the U.S. Bioindustrial Manufacturing Industry and Advance National Security Priorities

Nutrivert announces first close on $6 million Series A-2 funding round

April 17, 2026
April 17, 2026 - Nutrivert Inc., a developer of non-antibiotic replacements for antibiotic growth promoters in livestock, today announced it has completed the first close, raising $2.375 million, of its Series A-2 funding round of $6 million. The round was led by global animal health investor Arrow Ventures with participation from other investors. The funding will be used to further develop Nutrivert’s manufacturing, human food safety and target animal safety and efficacy packages for the company’s lead product Nutrivert LDPP. Nutrivert LDPP is a proprietary, novel, orally available, lipidated synthetic enantiomeric desmuramyl analog of muramyl dipeptide, the smallest conserved immunoactive component of bacterial peptidoglycan. LDPP has no antibacterial effect but has consistently promoted growth and improved feed efficiency in pig studies. LDPP binds to the mammalian NOD2 receptor and is the only NOD2 ligand reported to inhibit the inflammatory signal NF-κB. In pilot studies, LDPP rescued 70kg pigs from an otherwise lethal dose of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and abrogated influenza disease symptoms in piglets. The Company intends to develop LDPP for all major livestock species worldwide. Patents have been granted in most major markets. The global antibiotic growth promoter market is worth an estimated $5.8 billion. Approximately 73% of all antibiotics are fed to livestock. The market is believed to be the world’s largest drug market by volume, with ~100,000 tons of active pharmaceutical ingredient administered annually. FDA’s latest data, for 2024, show a 13% rise in U.S. livestock antibiotic use since 2017. The Food and Agriculture Organization reports that livestock antibiotics are mostly given to speed animal growth. Regulators and non-governmental organizations have called for reduction of antibiotic use in livestock, citing concerns that the global, intensive use of antibiotics, often at subtherapeutic doses, selects for antimicrobial resistance: bacteria that are “immune” to antibiotics and that therefore pose a threat to public health. Spillovers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from livestock to humans have been documented. “Nutrivert LDPP has consistently improved feed efficiency in pigs without antibiotics,” said Bernhard Kaltenboeck, CSO. “We are excited to have the support of Arrow Ventures and our other investors in bringing a new tool that will help producers reduce production costs and reduce selection pressure for antimicrobial resistance.” About Nutrivert LDPP: LDPP is an investigational compound currently undergoing clinical evaluation. It has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), or any other global regulatory authority for any indication. The safety and efficacy of LDPP have not been established. Any mention of potential use is based on preliminary data and does not guarantee future regulatory clearance or commercial availability.
MORE POSTS