Connect Biopharma patners with Ickey Woods, Jovante Woods Foundation

Connect Biopharma (CNTB) and the Jovante Woods Foundation kicked off a collaboration to expand the Foundation’s asthma education program across the U.S. On this day in 2010, former Cincinnati Bengals running back Elbert “Ickey” Woods lost his 16-year-old son, Jovante, to an acute asthma attack he suffered on his way home from high school football practice. Ickey and Chandra Woods established the Foundation to raise awareness of the need for new treatments and to educate families dealing with asthma about overall treatment management. Since its launch, the Foundation has hosted town-hall style educational events and fundraisers at schools, community centers and other venues in Ohio; California, near Ickey’s former home city of Fresno; and Nevada, where Ickey was a student-athlete at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Members of Ickey’s extensive network of professional sports, entertainment and business leaders, including his former Bengals teammates, have supported the Foundation through their active participation along with corporate sponsors and donors. As part of the kick-off, Connect and the Foundation have produced a video package to share Jovante’s story, inform the public about the dangers of acute asthma attacks, and communicate the importance of the development of novel treatments for asthmatic patients. The video story reunites Ickey with Solomon Wilcots, a close friend and Bengals teammate who helped the Woods family as they brought together members of Cincinnati’s close-knit business and medical communities, to launch the Foundation. Connect and the Foundation will feature the video as part of an expanded schedule of community events that includes new U.S. markets throughout the 2025 NFL season, along with a social media campaign.