DALLAS/AMSTERDAM/SHANGHAI — April 2, 2020 — Celanese Corp., a global chemical and specialty materials company, is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in support of the healthcare and medical devices industry by prioritizing its operations to provide specialty materials used in applications such as ventilators, respirators and other critical medical equipment and supplies.

“As a global manufacturer of engineering polymers, Celanese has prioritized our focus on the medical community and is ready to expand our supply chain base as necessary to support the global need for advanced medical and healthcare products,” said Tom Kelly, senior vice president of the Celanese engineered materials business. “We are working to get deliveries of materials to our customers as well as medical products manufacturers to meet their increased demand. If your company is a provider of ventilators, respirators, or other critical medical devices and supplies, Celanese is globally positioned to help supply the materials our customers need.”

Below is a list of Celanese materials that support the healthcare and medical industry. Medical grade materials are available for many of these products, as identified by an asterisk. Celanese can also provide support on the use of its materials in your products.

• Hostaform® * and Celcon® acetal copolymer (POM)
• Celanex® thermoplastic polyester (PBT) *
• Celstran® long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT)
• Celstran® continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFR-TP)
• Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) *
• GUR® ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) *
• Impet® thermoplastic polyester (PET)
• Riteflex® and Pibiflex® thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPC-ET)
• Thermx® polycyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate (PCT)
• Vandar® thermoplastic polyester alloy (PBT)
• Vectra® * and Zenite® liquid crystal polymers (LCP)
• Ateva® ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA) *
• Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) *
• Dur-O-Set®, Vinamul® and X-Link® vinyl emulsions
• Celaire™ acetate nonwovens
• Clarifoil® acetate film
• Celanyl®, Frianyl® and Ecomid® polyamides (PA)
• Celapex® polyether ether ketone (PEEK) *
• Laprene® (SEBS) and Forprene® (TPV)
• Talcoprene®, Tecnoprene®, Polifor®, and Omnipro® polypropylene compounds (PP)
• Abistir®, Reblend®, Blendfor®, and Retelan® amorphous polymers (PC, ABS, ASA, SAN)

To learn more about Celanese materials that support the critical medical device and healthcare services industry, visit www.celanese.com.

Customer or Product Inquiries

To discuss specific material needs, contact your Celanese representative or email healthcare@celanese.com.

Please check with your vendors or providers for Bill of Materials. If you currently use any of these materials, let Celanese know of your demand for the next six months so we can plan to meet your needs. Additionally, if you experience supply disruption from your current material suppliers and Celanese has similar materials, please contact us to discuss availability.

Posted April 2, 2020

Source: Celanese Corporation

STONY BROOK, N.Y., & ROME — April 2, 2020 — Applied DNA Sciences Inc. — a specialist in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based DNA manufacturing that enables diagnostics, pre-clinical nucleic acid-based therapeutic drug candidates, supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology — and Takis Biotech, a company focused on the development of cancer vaccines and founded by scientists from Merck Research Laboratories, today announce an expansion of their COVID-19 vaccine development program to include a fifth vaccine candidate. Production of all vaccine candidates is expected to be completed this month at Applied DNA’s LinearDNA™ production facility in Stony Brook, N.Y. All vaccine candidates have also been approved by Italy’s Ministry of Health for preclinical animal testing that is scheduled to begin in late April 2020.

“The newly added 5th linear DNA vaccine candidate encodes an engineered fusion protein of a COVID-19 Spike domain with an immunomodulator moiety,” indicated Dr. Luigi Aurisicchio, CEO and CSO of Takis Biotech, “This additional candidate expands the breath of our study, further increasing the probability that a successor emerges from our preclinical trials.”

Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA, stated: “With the addition of a fifth candidate, we have more “arrows in our quiver” to enhance our probability of success. The new potential candidate may facilitate a productive immune response, while minimizing mechanisms known to have potential negative effects on the infection. Concurrent with the Takis animal trials, Applied DNA will prepare for cGMP production of selected vaccine candidate(s) to support human trials scheduled to begin this fall.”

Under the terms of the companies’ amended Joint Development Agreement, Takis will use the scaled-up LinearDNA synthetic genes produced by Applied DNA for each of the five putative vaccines to inoculate mice whose sera will be tested for the presence of antibodies that bind to the purified Spike proteins. Those positive candidates that bind to Spike will be tested for their ability to neutralize COVID-19 by preventing uptake of the virus in cells in culture and in animal models.

The potential advantages posed by PCR-produced LinearDNA vaccines, as opposed to the circular DNA obtained from more traditional plasmid sources, include the speed of production, the absence of antibiotics and their resistance genes, the purity of the DNA, the simplicity of design, the powerful immunogenicity proven in a prior LinearDNA vaccine preclinical study, the absence of any bacterial contaminants and the fact that the vaccine gene is effective without insertion into the patient’s genome.

Applied DNA and Takis make clear that no commercial partner has been identified to take the coronavirus vaccine to market nor is there any indication that the company’s applications to develop countermeasures would be approved by regulators.

Posted April 2, 2020

Source: Applied DNA Sciences Inc.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.— April 2, 2020 — Global textile manufacturer Milliken & Company is leveraging its materials science expertise to manufacture much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for the healthcare industry amid the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Milliken’s new advanced medical fabrics and barriers are currently available and complement Milliken’s breakthrough BioSmart™ antimicrobial technology used in scrubs, lab coats and hospital privacy curtains, harnessing the power of bleach to kill up to 99.9% of common bacteria on contact.

Milliken is manufacturing critical barrier protection fabrics to be used in gowns and headcovers for healthcare professionals. Milliken is also researching and developing materials for incorporation into N95-grade masks. These new innovations complement our existing range of products that can be used for temporary shelters in situations where it’s deemed necessary to set up transitory field hospitals.

“We have focused our development and manufacturing processes to help fight the battle against COVID-19,” said Halsey M. Cook, Milliken & Company’s president and CEO. “We began by engineering our existing textiles into medical-grade fabrics for PPE, and we will continue to seek critical solutions as we navigate this uncharted territory as a company, a nation and a world.”

These new advanced medical textiles and barriers are made in the USA and a result of the company applying deep knowledge in material science to modify fabrics that would meet the critical requirements for garments worn by healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 virus.

“Our team of scientists and developers is fully engaged, uncovering solutions to address critical medical and protective needs for those fighting on the front lines of this pandemic,” stated Chad McAllister, president and executive vice president, Textile Division.

Categorized into Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, Milliken’s advanced medical fabrics and barriers tested to the ANSI/AAMI PB70 Standard and suit multiple medical environments and usage situations.

• Level 1 Medical Textile, Milliken Perimeter™ : Suitable for minimal risk situations, including basic care settings and standard hospital medical units, this gown textile provides a slight barrier to small amounts of fluid penetration. Tested to the ANSI/AAMI PB70 standard.
• Level 2 Medical Textile, Milliken Perimeter : Designed for low risk situations, including suturing and the pathology lab, this gown textile provides a barrier to larger amounts of fluid penetration through splatter and some fluid exposure through soaking. Tested to the ANSI/AAMI PB70 standard.
• Level 3 Medical Barrier, Milliken Perimeter : Designed for moderate risk situations, including hospital emergency rooms and trauma care, this PPE gown textile provides a barrier against larger amounts of fluid penetration through splatter, and more fluid exposure through soaking than Level 2. Tested to the ANSI/AAMI PB70 standard.

Milliken has a storied, 150-year legacy in American textile manufacturing and is known worldwide for industry-leading performance and protective textiles, including fabrics for first responder PPE, flame-resistant workwear, military uniforms, airbags, commercial and residential interior environments, napery and more.

Posted April 2, 2020

Source: Milliken

NEW YORK CITY — April 2, 2020 — CIT Group Inc. has provided critical financing for its client Aria Designs to help it procure millions of advanced N95 surgical masks that will protect medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aria Designs, a North Carolina-based furniture manufacturer and importer, is using its global supply chain and manufacturers to supply the much-needed protective masks. To help finance the order, Aria Designs turned to CIT, which has long worked closely with Aria to finance its furniture transactions.

“We explained the situation and CIT immediately said: ‘Let’s go. How can we help?’” recalled Jeff Arditti, CEO of Aria Designs in Lenoir, N.C. “That gave us the confidence to go forward. CIT made it possible.”

To date, Aria Designs has collected orders for more than 5 million masks from hospitals, medical practices and emergency services across North Carolina. Thanks in part to CIT’s financing, the first masks are expected to arrive in the coming days — with millions more to follow by airfreight in the days and weeks ahead.

“Supporting clients is central to how we do business,” said Mike Hudgens, Southeast regional manager for CIT’s Commercial Services group, which finances transactions on everything from furniture to fashion to electronics. “When we learned of this opportunity to help our client and join the fight against COVID-19, we jumped right in.”

About 150 people are employed by CIT in Charlotte, N.C., with the large majority of them associated with the Commercial Services group supporting the financial needs of consumer products companies that sell furniture, apparel, housewares, electronics, toys, hardware and much more.

“Financing that gets protective masks flowing to the healthcare professionals who need them most is another example of how CIT’s expertise empowers businesses to make good things happen,” Hudgens said. “We’re proud to have played a key role in financing the delivery of surgical masks that will help stop the spread of the coronavirus from patient to healthcare provider.”

For Aria Designs, the quick pivot to importing surgical masks has also allowed it to keep more of its workforce employed during the retail shutdown. That benefits its workers and also helps keep the local economy moving at a critical juncture.

But for Aria, it’s primarily about helping protect the healthcare workers who are tending to those affected by the pandemic.

“It’s our privilege to support the healthcare community in the midst of this unprecedented emergency,” Arditti said. “We’re grateful for CIT’s financial expertise in making this possible.”

Posted April 2, 2020

Source: CIT Group Inc.