Taconic Biosciences is proud to be a member of the global biomedical community, dedicated to providing the animal models and solutions that can accelerate advancements in human health. We're also passionate about supporting the communities in which we live and work and the many nonprofit organizations working to advance causes that our team believes in and values.
Whether we're in the lab, in the office, or out in the community, our team honors the contributions our animal models make to human health by striving to be positive models ourselves by building lasting relationships, supporting critical research, and giving back to communities near and far.
Throughout the year the Taconic staff devotes its time and talents to many service projects that benefit those in need, as well as the biomedical community. You'll find our employees:
Publish date: 9/28/2021
Hundreds of thousands of donors and blood drive hosts like Taconic Biosciences have responded to the call to support this lifesaving mission.
As part of our ongoing commitment to community service, Taconic has been partnering with the American Red Cross to host these blood drives and contribute to crucial care for patients for the past few years. In Q4 2020, Taconic earned a Certificate of Outstanding Service from the American Red Cross CEO for our tremendous efforts to strengthen and advance the Red Cross mission during this uniquely challenging time.
Taconic's commitment to host a second blood drive this year truly made a difference! For September 2, 2021, our team registered 24 total donors, collected 23 pints of blood and recruited 4 first-time donors. 23 pints of blood will save up to 69 lives (up to 3 lives are saved by 1 pint of donated blood; One unit of blood is ~525 mL, which is roughly the equivalent of one pint. 4.5 million American lives are saved each year by blood transfusions. The average transfusion patient receives 3 units of red blood cells and 40,000 pints of donated blood are used each day in the United States.
My personal endeavor to get involved with the American Red Cross resulted from a former Taconic employee and friend who suffered traumatic injuries from a motorcycle accident in 2019, leaving her in intensive care for more than 2 weeks. 8 pints of red blood cells helped save her life following that near fatal accident then, and she continues to make us all proud with her incredible recovery and journey.
Sponsoring these blood drives over the past few years has encouraged our employees to contribute to this effort. Sharing some of their comments below:
"I look forward to participating in future blood drives. This means a lot to me personally - when I was a teenager, my sister had a rare type of leukemia and had many blood transfusions over the course of the disease." "Our blood drive effort inspired me to donate in my area (for the first time in 10+ years). Thanks for your efforts!" "THANK YOU for all of your efforts in organizing so many of these blood drives! I will absolutely enroll in the next blood drive - it's a cause that's near and dear to me as many family members have benefitted from blood products." |
Our efforts have helped boost the community blood supply and ensure hospital patients have the lifesaving blood they need.
Respectfully submitted by Teresa Bivins, Taconic Biosciences
Publish date: 10/24/2021
Animal research benefits other animals too! The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR), selected an employee of Taconic Biosciences for their "Real Pet Stories" blog.
February is American Heart month. Gizomto's story, as told by Amy E. Sanderson, Taconic's IACUC Coordinator, shares how her cat was diagnosed and treated for advanced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a common heart disease in cats and one which also afflicts many humans. It also highlights how animal research and comparative medicine can help investigators find novel ways to diagnose, prevent and treat diseases in all species.
Read more at: fbresearch.org
Publish date: 12/21/2020
The Holiday Season, while often a joyous time of year, can also be a very stressful time of year for many individuals and families. To add to this a global pandemic, the Holiday Season of 2020 left several people in various forms of need, whether that be emotionally, financially, or both.
The Quality Department at Taconic Biosciences found a way to spread some holiday cheer, enriching people's spirit, while also helping a local family in need. Contact was made with the local school district to "adopt-a-family" for the holiday season. The team was given a wish list made by the family of wants and needs of their six-year-old son for the upcoming holiday. Based on this list, the members of the Quality Department donated toys, books, art supplies, clothing, and gift cards to provide this family a joyful holiday. Through this process, a local family was relieved of the financial burden of the holiday season and was able to enjoy the magic and joy that this time of year is all about. At the same time, our team members were able to come together for a very rewarding, common goal, providing a sense of togetherness that is hard to come by in this new, socially distanced world.
The Quality Department team was very thankful to able to be a part of this charitable opportunity and look forward to supporting many more local families in the future.
Publish date: 10/1/2020
On September 2nd 2020, Taconic Biosciences hosted a 2nd blood drive in honor of a former colleague, with 24 units of blood were collected.
The American Red Cross reports that every 2 seconds someone needs blood administered. A single blood donation can save up to 3 lives and save the life of our former colleague who needed 8 units during a recovery.
Many thanks to our employees who donated so much more than their time to this important cause!
Publish date: 6/26/2020
The Taconic Candy Sale originally started around 1999 as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life®.
The Sale was so successful that what started as a single idea has evolved into a tradition still going strong after more than twenty years.
Over that time Taconic has been able to donate money to various charities, while also providing a fun snack option for staff members.
In recent years, the recipients have grown to include The American Cancer Society, The Make A Wish Foundation, and the Northeast Regional Food Bank with donations going to the local food pantry in Germantown.
In 2019, over $1000 was raised just because some great people with a sweet tooth were looking to make a difference.
Publish date: 6/28/2019
The mission of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is to enrich the lives of animals and the people who love them. It's a perfect fit with Taconic's values, so it was a perfect match for the two companies to work together.
The humane society (based in Menands, NY) collects bottles to return for recycling and uses the funds to offset animal medical care costs and facility improvements. By pre-sorting the bottles by brand, type, and size, they're able to get back 8 cents per bottle instead of the typical 5 cents if they're returned in bulk at a grocery store. They received a whopping 1.5 million bottles in 2018. How to tackle this massive pre-sorting effort? Enlist the aid of companies like Taconic!
In June 2019, 17 team members from Molecular & Diagnostic Analysis and Genetics arrived at the humane society ready to help. In just under three hours, the Taconic team sorted 28 large bags of bottles, with an estimated value of $1,000. The humane society was able to raise over $129,000 from the 2018 bottle collection, and Taconic employees were happy to contribute their time to the cause.
Publish date: 1/22/2019
At the 2019 Taconic Biosciences Global Sales Meeting, employees compiled and donated 85+ activity bags to the Cystic Fibrosis Department at Boston Children's Hospital. The colorful, fun goodies were provided to the nursing staff at the hospital who then shared with the patients.
Taconic has participated in a great deal of Cystic Fibrosis related research and is honored to have the opportunity to further contribute to those battling this disease.
Publish date: 10/29/2018
Taconic Biosciences proudly partnered with Transnetyx on its Love Letters: Counting Every Second video. The Love Letters video series chronicles patients who have received a therapeutic treatment that was developed utilizing animal models. The patient reads a "love letter" to the animal care technicians and others who played key roles in making their treatment possible.
Set in Taconic's hometown of Albany, New York, Love Letters: Counting Every Second follows Hannah and her family as they bravely search for a way to slow a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Finding answers in a gene therapy developed with the aid of animal models, the video provides a powerful reminder of Taconic's mission to accelerate discoveries for the prevention and treatment of disease and the definition of Models For Life™.
Thank you to Transnetyx, Hannah, and her family for allowing us to be a part of this special project.
Watch Hannah's story:
Publish date: 7/16/2018
Taconic's molecular and diagnostic analysis and marketing and product strategy teams rolled up their sleeves at the Regional Foodbank of Northeastern New York to unpack pallets of donated food. Thirty-five volunteers worked together to unpack 21 pallets.
The Regional Food Bank accepts food and grocery product donations from hundreds of local and national companies. Food pantries, shelters, and other organizations in 23 local counties can then request these supplies to stock their facilities.
Publish date: 1/29/2018
At the Taconic Biosciences 2018 Global Sales Meeting, the employees took "team building" to a whole new level! Several teams competed in a contest to build bikes for the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club in Massachusetts. At the end of the event, 15 new bikes were donated to this great organization.
