The Norfolk Innovation Corridor is honored to be partnered with ReAlta Life Sciences, an innovative biotech firm, focusing on solutions for rare diseases using top-tier technology, passionate staff and employees, and a resilient attitude in all that they approach.
We invite you to check out our latest video highlighting this cutting-edge Norfolk-based company, as it rethinks and reshapes healthcare in this current day and age. Join us as we sit down with Dr. Ulrich Thienel as he discusses what ReAlta is and its ultimate goals. Dr. Thienel is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of ReAlta and was formerly the Chief Medical Officer at Finch Therapeutics in Boston. Dr. Thienel possesses deep clinical expertise as well as general management experience in inflammation, immunology, respiratory, psychiatry, and neurology fields, and he has a passion for the development of individuals and teams to match business with science and medicine effectively.
ReAlta Life Sciences is one of Virginia’s most exciting biopharmaceutical companies, and we are honored to have it in the Norfolk Innovation Corridor. ReAlta’s mission is centered around resilience and aligns with the NIC’s goals to better society through inventive methods, solutions, and practices. ReAlta initially focused on treating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a severe birth complication affecting newborns suffering from oxygen deprivation to the brain. ReAlta Life Sciences is developing a therapy to change the long-term outcome of these individuals’ lives. It aims to deliver lasting effects and ease the hardship on individuals and their families affected by this disease by finding a feasible and accessible solution. This is extremely impressive as it continues to research, find solutions, and press on even amidst the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic brought about. Talk about resilience…
Additionally, with recent FDA approval, ReAlta is also exploring the therapeutic efficacy of its biotech therapies for other inflammatory disorders, including the acute lung injury that results from a destructive response by the immune system, such as the “cytokine storm” associated with a COVID-19 infection.
ReAlta realizes that these rare diseases take time and considerable financial and technological resources that may not be as widely available as more common disease research resources are. That is why its mission has all the more upward movement. The strategic partnership with the Norfolk Innovation Corridor and other local institutions helps ReAlta pursue its goals. The opportunity for both the Norfolk Innovation Corridor and ReAlta to grow alongside one another is made attainable by the exchange and engagement of ideas and resources. Both emphasize resilient solutions that tap into areas otherwise uncharted. Furthermore, ReAlta’s goals, mission, and aspirations positively affect the local Norfolk community and the greater healthcare industry.
ReAlta is also proud that the majority of its funding is from Norfolk-centric individuals and organizations, such as the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD), Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), and the Children’s Specialty Group (CSG). The missions of all of these organizations align with furthering the innovation healthcare world, and they have been immensely helpful in ReAlta’s growth. CHKD’s mission includes “health, healing, and hope for all children,” while EVMS is “dedicated to achieving excellence in medical and health professions education, research and patient care.” Both of these tie into ‘excellence’ and ‘healing’ for children and patients alike, which orient well with one of their other anchor institutions, the Children’s Specialty Group. CSG aims to “provide high-quality care, promote medical education and research, and enhance relationships with health care providers and delivery systems.” As you can see, all three of these align with one another in their mission statements and ultimately with ReAlta’s mission, which states, “focusing on rare diseases by harnessing the power of the immune system through our EPICC technology platform to address life-threatening medical needs.” Being encouraged and sustained by prominent local institutions such as these prove to be the force needed to support ReAlta’s efforts and successes.
With ReAlta’s specific needs, such as employees, resources, funding, and the continual advancement of their technology, the Norfolk Innovation Corridor proves to be an effective partner. Both organizations continue to be key in creating a new path forward by providing mutually beneficial joint resources. Resiliency brings about a whole new meaning after the past couple of years of working through the pandemic. The Norfolk Innovation Corridor, along with the collaboration from ReAlta Life Sciences, is working to ensure that our resilient attitude leaves a resounding impact on our communities.