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PR Newswire

Reckitt and Shopee support Filipinos in fight against pandemic with ‘Protection Starts Within’ campaign

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Reckitt’s first multi-brand regional Super Brand Day on Shopee equips shoppers with health, hygiene, and nutrition tips along with exclusive deals

MANILA, Philippines, June 18, 2021  — Reckitt, the global leader in health, hygiene and nutrition, partners with Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan to launch its first "Protection Starts Within" regional initiative held across six markets. This collaboration aims to help families better protect their health and well-being by sharing educational content and tips on health, hygiene and nutrition. It will be launched on 21-23 June as part of Reckitt’s Super Brand Day campaign in the Philippines, where shoppers can also access Reckitt’s wide portfolio of family care essentials on Shopee Mall.

Reckitt and Shopee support Filipinos in fight against pandemic with ‘Protection Starts Within’ campaign
Reckitt and Shopee support Filipinos in fight against pandemic with ‘Protection Starts Within’ campaign

As the battle with COVID-19 persists, families are still placing high importance on upholding strict hygiene standards and ensuring proper nourishment is provided for. In times like this, more are turning to brands they can trust to meet their daily needs. Lysol driven by its "Disinfect to Protect" mission, continues to educate the importance of daily disinfection and make its line of surface disinfectants and multi-action cleaners accessible to its consumers.                     

To meet the growing demand for health, hygiene, and nutrition products online, Reckitt is constantly innovating to ensure that shoppers get the best experience from the brand. The brand will also educate customers about protecting and nourishing the family with Enfagrow A+ Four NuraPro, Lactum 3+6+ and Lysol on Shopee Live. They will also share exclusive product tips and best practices for family protection through an educational microsite. From June 21 – 23, twenty lucky viewers on Shopee livestreams will stand the chance to win P300 off vouchers which they can use as they shop.

Muksitul Islam, ASEAN eCommerce Director at Reckitt, says, "We have seen the tremendous growth of our business online and are committed to serving the needs of customers. Reckitt is proud to partner Shopee in our regional Super Brand Day to reach more consumers across the region and in the Philippines. They can be assured of convenient and quick access to our entire portfolio of well-loved brands including Enfagrow Four, Lactum 3+6+, and Lysol that will help meet their needs. Through Shopee’s engagement tools, our customers can also look forward to learning valuable tips on Reckitt’s products, as well as best practices through a fun and engaging way."

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, says, "We understand that many people are still worried about the pandemic, and more are staying home to shop online for essentials. As part of the 7.7 Mid-Year Sale to give shoppers greater value, we’re glad to partner with Reckitt to provide a wide variety of trusted household brands delivered directly to their home. As e-commerce grows to become an integral part of life, Shopee will continue to work with globally-trusted brands like Reckitt to ensure that shoppers can get convenient access to all that they need."

From 21-23 June, Reckitt will roll out exclusive COVID-19 household protection deals on Shopee Mall, providing shoppers with the best value and deals on their entire portfolio of brands, including:

  • Exclusive Bundle Sets: Reckitt is offering special gifts with purchase on their nutrition essentials to protect and nourish your entire family.
  • Earn more savings with EnfaMama Elite Rewards Loyalty Program: Sign up for free and get 500 points sign-up bonus, member exclusive vouchers and bonus points with every purchase from the official store on Shopee Mall. 

Find out more about Reckitt’s Protection Starts Within campaign here.

Download the Shopee app for free on the App Store or Google Play Store.

About Reckitt

Reckitt is a global leading consumer health, hygiene and nutrition company. Driven by a purpose to build healthier lives and happier homes, Reckitt has operations in over 60 countries. From the foundations of wellness and infant nutrition, to the fundamentals of a hygienic home, our global brands help people live healthier, happier lives.

Reckitt’s unique culture is at the heart of its success. Its drive to achieve, passion to outperform and commitment to quality and scientific excellence are manifested in the work of over 40,000 Reckitt employees worldwide.

About Shopee

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia & Taiwan. Shopee connects shoppers, brands and sellers across Asia and other fast-growing markets, empowering anyone to buy and sell anywhere and at any time.

Shopee offers an easy, secure, and engaging experience that is enjoyed by millions of people daily. It offers a wide product assortment, supported by integrated payments and logistics, as well as popular entertainment features tailored for each market. Shopee is also a key contributor to the region’s digital economy with a firm commitment to helping brands and entrepreneurs succeed in e-commerce.

Shopee is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Shopee, Sea’s other core businesses include its digital entertainment arm, Garena, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.

PR Newswire

Clarivate Report Demonstrates that Nations or Institutions with Diverse Research Priorities Respond More Comprehensively to Unprecedented Scientific Challenges

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Forward-looking approach offers a valuable new tool for anticipating and preparing for the unexpected

LONDON, June 16, 2021 — Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released a new Global Research Report which examines the ability of nations and institutions to respond to unexpected challenges or opportunities in science, medicine, technology and social sciences based on the diversity of their research activities and expertise.

With the publication of, "Subject diversity in research portfolios", analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ at Clarivate consider subject diversity in a research context and show trends in national and institutional research portfolios by examining publications from across the G71 and BRICK2 nations from 1981 – 2018. The report finds that subject diversity provides benefit, notably in resilience and responsiveness to unexpected challenges and examines these nations’ ability to provide for their citizens’ needs in responding to a severe unforeseen global challenge – the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, Clarivate identifies a new and readily usable analytical approach to evaluate the capacity and competency of research organizations and nations.

The report looks to the Web of Science™ citation index, relying on the familiar Gini coefficient to provide a pragmatic approach to examining research diversity by identifying a stable global baseline for national comparisons, using highly structured data gathered over forty years. By focusing on the category balance or evenness, rapid visual comparisons can be made over time and between entities. The study demonstrates that diversity analysis provides a new forward-looking view of the opportunities for intellectual, and scientific evolution, in contrast to retrospective publication citation analysis, which looks back to achievement.

Bibliometric data have been thoroughly explored as a tool for tracking past performance and outcomes. Understanding and assessing diversity may prove not only to be a useful forward-looking index for research organizations but also to be a critical tool for national and institutional research managers in anticipating and preparing for the unexpected – and deploying an effective response. 

Jonathan Adams, Chief Scientist at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate said: "The association between diversity of research topics and response to challenge and innovation points to a new source of information for those that manage research portfolios and will form a valuable new tool in support of strategic investment planning."

Diversity and research response

COVID-19 presented an unforeseen global research challenge, and the ISI identified 67,756 papers (articles or reviews) indexed in the Web of Science and published in 2020-21 related to COVID-19. Their analysis of these papers suggests that a diverse research base is indeed of potential benefit in enabling a more comprehensive response, as it provides agility and the scope for recombining knowledge in unexpected interdisciplinary situations. Countries with a diverse research base responded with a rapid and comprehensive range of innovative research – but most specialist countries did not. An exception, Brazil, has a narrow research base but one pre-adapted to this particular challenge.

Joel Haspel, SVP Strategy, Science at Clarivate said: "Diversity matters. Research diversity, in all its forms, is an engine of economic progress. It stimulates innovation and contributes to stability and resilience in national portfolios and should be a valuable part of management planning for research and development for countries and institutions."

Notes to editors:

1 G7 nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States
2 BRICK nations: Brazil, Russia, India, Mainland China, South Korea

About Clarivate

Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world’s most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.

Media Contact
Rebecca Krahenbuhl, External Communications Manager, Science
media.enquiries@clarivate.com

PR Newswire

Medidata Becomes First Company to Offer End-to-End, Unified, Secure Platform for Decentralization of Clinical Trials (DCT)

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  • The first company in the world to unify direct patient data capture technology with study oversight and monitoring, Medidata redefines end-to-end decentralization for sponsors and CROs
  • The unique Medidata Trial Dial™ concept provides the industry’s highest level of customization for clinical trial decentralization – enabling fully decentralized or hybrid studies

SINGAPORE, June 16, 2021 — Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes company, today announced the launch of the Medidata Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) Program, the most comprehensive set of unified, secure technologies that enable full decentralization across the clinical trial continuum. For the first time ever, drug, vaccine, and medical device developers (sponsors) and contract research organizations (CROs) can take advantage of the only platform offering on the market which combines:

  • Technology and workflows to virtualize patient participation
  • Tools that facilitate sponsor oversight of patient safety and data quality
  • Direct-to-patient services, including facilitation of delivery of study drugs to the home

The Medidata DCT Program captures participant data remotely from anywhere, at any time. It aggregates and transforms that data, monitors the data to identify quality issues to mitigate risk and ensure patient safety, and runs powerful analytics to draw new insights leading to better outcomes for patients, researchers, sites, sponsors, and CROs.

"The life science industry has seen accelerating interest and adoption of decentralized trial technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Anthony Costello, president, patient cloud at Medidata. "Sponsors and CROs are increasingly turning to decentralized trial models in an effort to bring increased efficiency, security, and accessibility to the clinical research process."

Through a range of capabilities on a common platform that can be individually turned "on" or "off" in various combinations using the Trial Dial™ concept, the Medidata DCT Program provides the highest level of customization of decentralizing solutions based on study protocol design. This allows study sponsors to adjust and choose everything from traditional onsite trials, to fully decentralized models, and every hybrid trial design in between.

The Medidata DCT Program revolutionizes the paradigm of sponsor study oversight by supporting sponsors and CROs to easily adopt risk-based approaches to study execution, rather than historically reactionary and inefficient on-site practices. Embedded capabilities for risk identification, monitoring, and mitigation allow for truly digital oversight, where physical and virtual interaction with sites can be optimized while maintaining patient safety and data quality. The Medidata DCT Program also allows for powerful workflows driven from patient-centric data, such as shipping investigational product directly to the patient and automated dosage adjustments.

"We are very proud to say that, as a trusted partner to the life science sector for more than 20 years, Medidata is now the only company providing a full suite of virtual capabilities to enable complete trial decentralization, encompassing both patient and site interactions," added Costello. "The DCT Program marks an important evolution in Medidata’s vision for how we can better serve patients and customers, by accelerating research and bringing novel therapies to market in record time."

To date, Medidata has applied its decentralizing technologies across more than 44,000 clinical sites around the world in multiple languages involving more than 600,000 patients with a wide array of illnesses. Nearly 350 sponsors and CROs have trusted Medidata to handle the increasing speed and volume of electronically sourced patient data generated by modern trials. The single platform minimizes the opportunity for data discrepancies and transfer lags, which can lead to security concerns and increased risk of trial disruption.

According to Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, "Life science CIOs advancing healthcare and life science digital optimization and modernization should… establish a technology strategy by prioritizing digital trial solutions that combine wearables, mobile apps, IoT and advanced data analytics. This will enable a truly patient-centric and decentralized approach to clinical research."[1]

The COVID-19 crisis emphasized the pivotal role of technology in accelerating safe clinical trial development. In fact, Medidata technology helped to bring a COVID-19 vaccine through the full clinical trial life cycle in under a year. For this effort, the vaccine developer used a suite of Medidata technologies, including Rave EDC (electronic data capture); eCOA (electronic clinical outcomes assessment), and Detect (centralized statistical monitoring)—these tools allowed study teams to course-correct before trial quality and timing were affected by potential risks.

Regulatory agencies around the world have begun embracing remote technology solutions, especially remote monitoring, electronic informed consent (eConsent), telemedicine, and direct shipment of investigational products to patients. Specifically, the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to issue a draft guidance regarding decentralized clinical trials this year, with special emphasis on endpoint analysis, data quality and control, and the appropriate use of eConsent. As a pioneer in decentralizing the clinical trial process, Medidata is primed to support the industry in the adoption and best use of these innovative new technologies.

Medidata is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, which with its 3DEXPERIENCE platform is positioned to lead the digital transformation of life sciences in the age of personalized medicine with the first end-to-end scientific and business platform, from research to commercialization.

[1]Gartner, Life Science CIOs: Map Your Pathway to Digital Trials, Jeff Smith, 18 August, 2020.

About Medidata

Medidata is leading the digital transformation of life sciences, creating hope for millions of patients. Medidata helps generate the evidence and insights to help pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and diagnostics companies, and academic researchers accelerate value, minimize risk, and optimize outcomes. More than one million registered users across 1,700+ customers and partners access the world’s most-used platform for clinical development, commercial, and real-world data. Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes company (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), is headquartered in New York City and has offices around the world to meet the needs of its customers. Discover more at www.medidata.com and follow us @Medidata.

Medidata is a registered trademark of Medidata Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes.

About Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production. Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 290,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, BIOVIA, GEOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, 3DVIA, ENOVIA, NETVIBES, MEDIDATA, CENTRIC PLM, 3DEXCITE, SIMULIA, DELMIA, and IFWE are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a French "société européenne" (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.

Related Links :

http://www.medidata.com

PR Newswire

Enamine implements CDD Vault to digitalize its integrated medicinal chemistry, ADME-PK and screening services

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The company’s expansion in the biological assay space aided by the data platform

SAN FRANCISCO and KYIV, Ukraine, June 10, 2021 — Enamine, a leading provider of R&D Services as well as Screening Compounds, Fragments, Building Blocks and specialized libraries for Drug Discovery, announced today that it had implemented Collaborative Drug Discovery’s CDD Vault to manage its biological assay data. The platform will enable seamless and secure exchange of information between Enamine and its partners in pharmaceuticals, biotechs and other organizations conducting drug discovery research.

Enamine offers a sizable portfolio of R&D services to support complex medicinal chemistry and biology programs. These services include a wide range of bioanalytical, molecular screening and other custom biological study services.

The company is undergoing an ambitious expansion in the markets it serves by adding expert scientists to the team and adopting new technologies such as CDD Vault.

The CDD Vault hosted research data management platform will complement the suite of advanced software tools already deployed at Enamine. CDD Vault enables users to store, manage, and analyze chemical compounds and biological assay data. Enamine’s extensive collaborations across the globe will benefit from the intuitive, collaborative platform and secure data sharing mechanism.

"Managing biological assay data with CDD Vault is straightforward, avoids mistakes and helps with the overall quality control of the studies. The platform enables us to share data with partners in real-time and discuss results and propose follow-ups.  We are laser focussed on providing accurate results, added know-how and superior value to our customers," said Dr. Petro Borysko, Director of Biology at Enamine, "We have integrated CDD Vault via the API with our in-house software, which makes the whole data management process very smooth and easy, maximizing the quality of the data".

"Enamine has one of the most impressive compound libraries in the world, and we are delighted to support the expansion of their biological study services. Their world-class team of biologists combined with advanced laboratories can greatly accelerate drug discovery programs", said Dr. Mariana Vaschetto, CDD’s Head of Operations EMEA/LATAM, adding that, "The collaborative nature of CDD Vault makes it the ideal platform for CROs. At the same time, its ease of use allows fast user adoption, an essential requirement for service-oriented organizations."

About Enamine

Established in Kyiv in 1991, Enamine (https://enamine.net) is a global leading designer and largest producer of building blocks, fragments and screening libraries. Enamine provides expertise in advanced organic synthesis, library synthesis, medicinal chemistry. In 2011 Enamine established a pre-clinical service unit including ADME, in-vivo PK studies and High Throughput Screening allowing the company to tackle since that time fully integrated or à-la-carte research programs.

About Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc.

CDD’s (https://www.collaborativedrug.com/) flagship product, "CDD Vault®", is used to manage chemical registration, structure-activity relationships (SAR), and securely scale collaborations. CDD Vault® is a hosted database solution for secure management and sharing of biological and chemical data. It lets you intuitively organize chemical structures and biological study data, and collaborate with internal or external partners through an easy to use web interface. Available modules within CDD Vault include Activity & Registration, Visualization, Inventory, and ELN.

Logo – https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/1177967/Collaborative_Drug_Discovery_Logo.jpg?p=medium600  

Related Links :

http://www.collaborativedrug.com

PR Newswire

WhaleTeq Launches First AED Management Platform with DFS200 to Provide Most Effective and Efficient Maintenance Solution

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TAIPEI, June 4, 2021 — WhaleTeq, a Taiwan-based Innovative medical device testing solution company, launches the first AED management platform with their latest defibrillator tester, DFS200, to fill in the AED testing and maintenance gap. AED testing and maintenance is of great importance as AED failures can be life-threatening.

AED Management Platform with DFS200 (for reference only)
AED Management Platform with DFS200 (for reference only)

Despite the potential consequences of AED failures, AED aftercare and maintenance is not a standard service provided by most suppliers. The lack of awareness concerning the low availability of AEDs is a significant factor in this neglect. In addition, current maintenance methods are costly and infrequent since they require well-trained professionals to perform manual inspections. Seeing the need for an accessible means to ensure AEDs’ safety and reliability, WhaleTeq endeavored to create an easy and reliable solution to AED maintenance. The introduction of the DSF200 allowed suppliers to ensure their AEDs’ availability on-site with as little time possible.

Their newest AED Field testers, DFS200, provide a straightforward means to ensure all parts of an AED are functional, including the machine and the battery. This new model comes with various ECG patterns for AED defibrillation tests and an embedded battery voltage multimeter. Users can set different output thresholds to ensure the tested device will deliver the appropriate amount of energy for both adults and children during an emergency. Data retrieval and routine creation are two of the main features of DFS200. This field tester can hold a complete history of every measurement the user has made in the device, including AED test results, date and time, along with user notes.

This AED management platform allows users to use and store data on the cloud. This stored data helps identify any potential issues with minimal training. A user can access clear and simple analytics of tested AED with a complete history of testing records in a phone app. Results that need attention are marked so that anyone can easily spot abnormalities. This platform supports the company’s latest field tester DFS200 as well as any IoT-enabled AED. With IoT-enabled AEDs, it can provide daily analytics. All the information will be presented in a straightforward layout to manage customers and devices effortlessly. WhaleTeq designed these features to promote regular testing and maintenance needed to reduce AED failures.

More info: www.whaleteq.com 

About WhaleTeq Co. Ltd

Founded in September 2013, WhaleTeq provides first-class test solutions, including test equipment and associated services for medical devices. We strive to assist their clients in launching their top-quality medical device to the market in the most time and resources efficient way. Our specialty lies in physiologic monitoring systems testing, such as ECG, EEG, PPG, SpO2, respiration monitor testing. We are honored to have worked with renowned medical device providers such as GE, Philips, Siemens, Medtronic, as well as international laboratories such as UL, SGS, TUV and CSA.

Related Links :

http://www.whaleteq.com

PR Newswire

VeChain, Together With DNV, Enables Renji Hospital To Launch The World’s First Blockchain-based IVF Service App – MyBaby

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SHANGHAI, June 4, 2021 — In partnership with VeChain and DNV, Renji Hospital, a top-ranking hospital in China affiliated with the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine has announced the launch of smart medical care project – MyBaby, the world’s first blockchain-based In-Vitro fertilization (IVF) Service Application.

MyBaby Launch Ceremony
MyBaby Launch Ceremony

The MyBaby Launch Ceremony was jointly hosted by the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Renji Hospital and the Shanghai Quality Control Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology. By combining the professional assurance services of DNV with VeChain’s advanced blockchain technology, MyBaby enables the verification of key steps of In-Vitro fertilization (IVF) and provides private, exclusive, end-to-end data access for prospective parents undergoing treatment. By embracing cutting edge technology, Renji Hospital commits itself to further enhancing equity and quality of life for patients.

A New Era in Fertility Treatment

MyBaby is the first service of its kind to combine the merits of third-party assured data verification with the immutability of blockchain technology. All information, imagery and data trails, from imagery produced by medical tools to the delivery of the zygote itself will be securely uploaded on VeChainThor blockchain and only accessible to authorized users of the MyBaby Application.

MyBaby allows users to view and track the extraction, labelling and scoring of fertilized eggs as well as the cultivation and preservation of embryos. The application also solves the traditional problems associated with the privacy of sensitive medical data. The cryptographically secured properties of blockchain technology create a secure and reliable environment and enhance the user experience in a way that is unprecedented in the IVF field.

Renji Hospital and VeChain at the Forefront of Healthcare Innovation

An agreement on further cooperation of the blockchain project was also signed between Renji Hospital and VeChain during the event. According to Sun Yun, Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Renji Hospital, "The combination of assisted reproductive medicine and blockchain technology creates incredible chemistry, making Renji Hospital the first in its line to probe such innovation. We will be offering more trustworthy, private, secured services."

Not afraid to innovate, the Renji hospital has been at the forefront of progress in the medical-blockchain space. In 2019, Renji Hospital officially announced its joining of the Digital Carbon Ecosystem, initiated by DNV and VeChain. Later, it announced a joint partnership with VeChain and DNV to spearhead the world’s first blockchain-enabled Intelligent Tumor Treatment Center.

Sunny Lu, Co-founder and CEO of VeChain, commented, "We continue to see an increase in opportunities in our partnership with Renji Hospital, thanks to our unique approach of ‘blockchain + data quality assurance’ model alongside key strategic partner DNV. VeChain will continue delivering cost-effective and advanced blockchain technology to the medical world and build a trustless and multi-party digital future."

About Renji Hospital

Built in 1844, Renji Hospital has a history of over 170 years. It has been the first western medicine hospital since the opening of Shanghai. With an integration of medical treatment, teaching and scientific research, it is a comprehensive 3A hospital (the top level of hospital ranking in China) with a complete range of disciplines. Renji Hospital was also the first medical institution in Shanghai to carry out clinical and scientific research on assisted reproductive technology, and has become the Shanghai Quality Control Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology since 2018.

Website: https://www.renji.com/

About DNV

DNV is one of the world’s leading certification, assurance and risk management providers. Whether certifying a company’s management system or products, providing training, or assessing supply chains, and digital assets, we enable customers and stakeholders to make critical decisions with confidence. We are committed to support our customers to transition and realize their long-term strategic goals sustainably, collectively contributing to the UN SDGs.

About VeChain

Launched in 2015, VeChain connects blockchain technology to the real world by providing a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and IoT integration. VeChain is the pioneer of real-world applications using public blockchain technology, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Together with our strategic partners PwC and DNV, we have established cooperative relations with many leading enterprises in different industries, including Walmart China, BMW, BYD Auto, Haier, H&M, LVMH, D.I.G, ENN, Shanghai Gas, AWS, PICC, ASI etc.

Website: www.vechain.com

MyBaby App Interface
MyBaby App Interface

 

Renji - VeChain Signing Ceremony on further cooperation of the blockchain project
Renji – VeChain Signing Ceremony on further cooperation of the blockchain project

 

Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vechain-together-with-dnv-enables-renji-hospital-to-launch-the-worlds-first-blockchain-based-ivf-service-app-mybaby-3.jpg
Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vechain-together-with-dnv-enables-renji-hospital-to-launch-the-worlds-first-blockchain-based-ivf-service-app-mybaby-4.jpg
Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vechain-together-with-dnv-enables-renji-hospital-to-launch-the-worlds-first-blockchain-based-ivf-service-app-mybaby.jpg
Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vechain-together-with-dnv-enables-renji-hospital-to-launch-the-worlds-first-blockchain-based-ivf-service-app-mybaby-2.jpg

Related Links :

https://www.vechain.com/

PR Newswire

AI-based Analysis of Cancer Tissue Predicts Response to Immunotherapy–Findings to Be Presented at ASCO 2021

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  • Lunit to present four abstracts including one in a ‘Poster Discussion Session’
  • AI-based tissue analysis platform ‘Lunit SCOPE’ to be launched within the second half of 2021: "We aim to make our AI the new standard for cancer treatment"

SEOUL, Korea, June 4, 2021 — A new finding reveals that AI-based tissue analysis can show better prognosis for immunotherapy as well as find more patients eligible for the treatment, according to a medical AI startup, Lunit. The findings will be presented during the upcoming American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO) Annual meeting 2021. The company is to present four poster presentations, including one in a "Poster Discussion Session".

The presentations feature Lunit SCOPE, an AI software that analyzes tissue slide images, developed by Lunit. One finding states that Lunit SCOPE IO—one of Lunit SCOPE product lines—can be used as a new biomarker for the treatment of multiple cancer types. The software analyzes tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes(TIL) in cancer patients’ tissue slides, assigning a score to each criterion. Upon validation with real-world data, the results showed that the higher the score, the better the response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment, a subtype of immunotherapy.

TIL is known as a potential tumor agnostic biomarker for ICI therapy. Lunit has been validating the clinical application of Lunit SCOPE IO for predicting ICI treatment outcomes in advanced lung cancer. This study expanded the clinical application of Lunit SCOPE IO across multiple cancer types. The study was verified by more than 1,000 real-world patient data of 9 cancer types, which were collected from major institutions including Stanford University Medical Center.

"With multiple researches and long-term studies, we have been validating the effectiveness of an AI-based tissue analysis platform called ‘Lunit SCOPE’ that can help predict a cancer patient’s response to immunotherapy," said Chan-young Ock, Chief Medical Officer of Lunit.

Online demo image of Lunit SCOPE
Online demo image of Lunit SCOPE

Lunit will also present a study on Lunit SCOPE PD-L1. AI analysis of PD-L1 expression can generate objective quantification, which can lead to accurately finding subjects for ICI therapy among non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

"Currently, pathologists interpret tissue slides through the naked eye. They assess PD-L1 expression level, which is the current standard for clinical application, but there are limitations. With the help of Lunit SCOPE PD-L1, which was trained with data including PD-L1 expression results of 380,000 cancer cells, we are able to find more patients who would respond to ICI therapy, 50% more, according to our study," said Ock.

Lunit also announced that one of its abstracts about assessment of breast cancer risk has been selected for the ASCO 2021 ‘Poster Discussion Session’. Around 20% among all poster presentations are selected for this session, through strict review by the ASCO committee.

According to this study, unique parenchymal pattern with future breast cancer risk among breast cancer patients was identified by AI. Among breast cancer patients who developed cancer on one of the breasts, images from the other ‘normal’ side were collected and labeled as ‘high risk’. After training the AI with this dataset, the algorithm was validated on more than 4,000 external cases. The results showed that Lunit’s AI distinguished between high-risk and normal tissue with high accuracy, showing potential to be used as an independent biomarker to select high-risk populations based on mammography alone.

"Through continuous research, Lunit has been presenting groundbreaking findings at ASCO since 2019," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "It is considered a remarkable achievement for a medical AI startup to present four abstracts at such a renowned global medical conference. We are now focusing on the next stage, going beyond academic research to productization of our AI softwares to be used in actual cancer research, and eventually, clinical practice. We are planning to formally launch Lunit SCOPE products this year, taking steps on setting our AI as the new standard of cancer treatment."

Marking its 57th anniversary, ASCO 2021 will be held online from June 4 to 8 due to COVID-19. More than 45,000 medical professionals from over 150 countries worldwide take part in the meeting to share the latest R&D achievements and insights related to cancer treatment.

Lunit Abstract Information at ASCO 2021

Abstract #2607
Title: Artificial intelligence-powered spatial analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes predicts survival after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy across multiple cancer types.
Session Title: Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy
Session Type: Poster Session
Online Demo: demo.scope.lunit.io/io

Abstract #9026
Title: Clinical performance of artificial intelligence-powered annotation of tumor cell PD-L1 expression for treatment of immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Session Title: Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic
Session Type: Poster Session
Online Demo: demo.scope.lunit.io/pdl1

Abstract #1568
Title: AI-based imaging biomarker in mammography for prediction of tumor invasiveness.
Session Title: Care Delivery and Regulatory Policy
Session Type: Poster Session

Abstract #10519
Title: Development of AI-powered imaging biomarker for breast cancer risk assessment on the basis of mammography alone.
Session Title: Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Hereditary Cancer
Session Type: Poster Discussion Session

Contact：
Yunyoung Noh, Communications Manager
+82-10-6460-9316
yynoh@lunit.io

Related Links :

https://lunit.io/

PR Newswire

Planetwatch Announces The Listing Of The PLANETS Token On Bitfinex Exchange

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ST. GENIS-POUILLY, France, June 3, 2021 — Planetwatch, a French start-up which decentralizes and incentivizes environmental monitoring, announced that its utility token, PLANETS, will be listed on Bitfinex. PLANETS are the first Algorand Standard Asset (barring stablecoins) to be supported on a major international exchange.

Claudio Parrinello, PlanetWatch’s CEO said: "This is a major milestone for PlanetWatch. Less than 18 months after company creation, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have managed to demonstrate that our Smart City as a Service solution, based on community sensor deployment and crowdsourced air quality data, can deliver business-grade data feeds in a fast and cost-effective way."

PlanetWatch revolutionizes the way we measure air quality by using the Algorand Blockchain, IoT-enabled sensors and AI-based data analysis. PlanetWatch incentivizes citizens to operate air quality sensors and earn token rewards for data streams.

Sean Lee, CEO of the Algorand Foundation, said: "We are delighted to see Bitfinex support the PLANETS token. The PlanetWatch team have shown outstanding vision and innovation in creating their "Smart City"aaS concept and choosing to create their utility token ecosystem on Algorand’s sustainable, carbon negative blockchain network. We are excited to see the world discover the amazing potential of crowd sourced air quality monitoring and the PLANETS token."

PlanetWatch is focusing on air pollution, because it causes over 7 million deaths per year (source: WHO). In addition, recent studies provide evidence linking long-term exposure to air pollution with an increase in mortality from COVID-19 infection, as well as a significant risk of infection via aerosol in indoor spaces, where air quality can be a proxy for infection risks.

PlanetWatch is strongly supported by high-profile partners such as Algorand, the Algorand Foundation and CERN, the leading physics research lab in the world, where the Web was born.

As provider of environmental data, PlanetWatch was naturally led to partner with Algorand which provides a highly scalable, decentralized and secure blockchain which is also one of the "greenest" for energy consumption. As far as CERN is concerned, PlanetWatch is the only company in the global blockchain ecosystem to be an official "CERN Spin-off".

PlanetWatch’s network is growing very fast. It currently comprises approximately 700 sensors, mostly in Europe and the USA. Based on the current installation pipeline, the 1,000-sensor milestone will be reached in a few weeks. For more information on Planetwatch, visit https://planetwatch.io and for further information on Algorand, visit https://algorand.com  

Contact: Claudio Parrinello CEO claudio.parrinello@planetwatch.io

 

 

Related Links :

https://planetwatch.io

PR Newswire

PolyU develops biomimetic nanosheet for cancer therapy and imaging

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HONG KONG, May 31, 2021 — A research team from the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a novel type of biomimetic nanosheet with a multi-modal imaging function, which can track tumour development and treatment processes in real-time. By harnessing two emerging cancer therapies, namely immunotherapy and photothermal therapy, the biomimetic nanosheet enables effective and precise treatment of tumours, which will significantly improve the therapeutic outcome of tumours, reduce side effects and increase patients’ survival rates. The research findings have been published in the prestigious international journal Advanced Science.

Professor Wing-tak WONG, Chair Professor of Chemical Technology of the ABCT of PolyU (also the Deputy President and Provost of PolyU), and his team started the research in 2018. Professor Wong said, "The biology and chemical experts of PolyU have been dedicated to new drug development over the years, and have achieved some significant breakthroughs especially in cancer treatment. The newly developed biomimetic nanomaterials developed by PolyU are part of our endeavours in fighting against cancer. By integrating two emerging cancer therapies, immunotherapy and photothermal therapy, with three imaging modalities for the first time, the novel biomimetic nanomaterials provide a practical design blueprint for the development of a new generation of cancer theranostics agents which have high targeting ability, efficacy and safety."

Synergistic therapy- Combining immunotherapy and photothermal therapy

New cancer treatments emerge since conventional cancer treatments like surgical therapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have different limitations and side effects. Dr Summy Lo Wai-sum from ABCT said, "Immunotherapy and photothermal therapy are emerging methods which are expected to provide more options for cancer treatment. The biomimetic nanosheets developed by our team allow us to combine these two methods for synergistic therapy. By applying the synergistic therapy in an experiment for colorectal tumour treatment, we found that it is more effective than single therapy and has fewer side effects on the human body."

The research team used 2D nanosheets (FePSe3) to develop a novel multifunctional nanomaterial for cancer theranostics. PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) exists on T cells, whereas PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand-1) exists on tumour cells. Cancer cells inhibit the activation of the immune system and prevent T cells from attacking cancer cells through conjugating its PD-L1 with PD-1 on T cells. The team therefore loaded the FePSe3 nanosheets with anti-PD-1 peptide (APP), which can block the conjugation between PD-1 on T-cells and PD-L1 on cancer cells to achieve efficient immunotherapy. Without directly attacking the cancer cells, blockage of the interaction between the PD-1 and PD-L1 has been reported to revoke T cell functions, leading to enhanced antitumour immunity.

After coating with cancer cell membranes, the nanosheets will become a biomimetic nanomaterial with tumour cell membrane characteristics that provide effective camouflage, enabling them to target the tumour site efficiently. Once the biomimetic nanosheets are injected into the living bodies, the cell membrane enveloping the nanosheets will preferentially adhere to cancer cells and slowly peel away, revealing the nanomaterial to begin immunotherapy. 

Dr Lo explained, "The innate immune system attacks foreign objects which makes it difficult for the drug-loaded nanomaterials to reach the tumour site. The cancer cell membrane has a tumour-targeting characteristic that will converge homologous cells. It explains why the biomimetic nanosheets become attracted to the cancer cells when they are in close proximity with the cancer cells during blood circulation. In addition, the large specific surface area of the 2D nanomaterials is conducive to improving the drug loading ratio of the anti-PD-1 peptide, which will help with enhancing the therapeutic efficiency, as well as reducing the drug dosage and hence alleviating side effects."

On the other hand, the nanomaterials (FePSe3) chosen possess good photothermal conversion efficiency, and so they can convert near infrared laser irradiation into heat to kill tumour cells directly, thus achieving effective photothermal therapy. The heat can further promote immunotherapy by effectively inhibiting tumour growth, which results in a synergistic effect of immunotherapy and photothermal therapy.

Three imaging modes to help real-time monitoring of cancer treatment

The PolyU-developed biomimetic nanosheets can also achieve the goals of theranostics. By harnessing magnetic, optical and thermal properties, the FePSe3 nanomaterials enable three imaging modalities, namely magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal imaging (PTI), for real-time tracing and tracking of the tumour sites and the nanosheets, in order to achieve multimodal diagnosis in cancer treatment.

PolyU’s novel nanomaterial can facilitate theranostics by combining diagnosis, therapy and efficacy monitoring. It not only enables the imaging and treatment of tumours, but also the real-time monitoring of treatment outcomes. The PolyU team carried out experiments on mice bearing subcutaneous colorectal tumours to investigate the application in living animals.

The study showed that the tumour volume had significantly reduced after 25 days of synergistic therapy, whereas the survival rate of the mice was three times higher than that of the control groups. The major organs of the mice, including the heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, showed no obvious inflammation and damage, demonstrating high biosafety and low toxicity. The research team also utilised the MRI and photoacoustic imaging capabilities of the biomimetic nanosheet to observe the tumour for 24 hours, visualising the targeting and accumulation of the nano-theranostic material at the tumour site. Through photothermal imaging, it was observed that the nanomaterial can produce localised heat under near infrared laser irradiation within a few minutes. The experiment proved that PolyU-developed biomimetic nanosheets, with multi-modal imaging capability, can offer accurate and comprehensive detection and evaluation of tumour development, ultimately achieving theranostics alongside synergistic therapeutic effects. 

Dr Lo said, "In view of the fact that there is a lack of efficient and safe theranostics materials, PolyU’s biomimetic nanomaterial has promising prospects in application. In future, our team will further expand the application of this nanomaterial to other cancer therapies and study the metabolism of the nanosheet in the living body, hoping that more cancer patients can benefit from new theranostic methods."

Related Links :

http://www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/

PR Newswire

OPAS: A Game-Changer in Post Covid-19 Landscape

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PORTLAND, Ore., May 31, 2021 — We believe that it’s safe to say that Covid-19 will likely be one of the defining events of 2021, and it will further have implications that will keep surfacing for years to come.

The situation is drastically changing, and the amount of people that are deemed safe to gather in a place has reduced from thousands to hundreds to ten. Movie theaters, bars, restaurants, and gyms in most major cities are shutting down. And that’s not all; many office workers are facing new challenges that involve working from home.

Post Covid-19 and the changing trends of online shopping

People are coming to terms with the realities of the post-Covid-19 world, and they understand how difficult it will be for things to go back to normal. To say that we’re living in an unprecedented time feels like an understatement.

One of the main responses we’ve seen to how people are approaching this period of uncertainty and isolation is in severe overnight changes to their shopping behaviors, and that’s not all; the latest travel restrictions have also stopped person-to-person exchanges. From bulk buying to online shopping, people are changing what they’re buying how and when.

Amid this uncertainty, OPAS has emerged as a one-stop shop for all your shopping needs, no matter where you’re living in the world.

What can OPAS do for you?

The post-Covid-19 landscape doesn’t leave much room for international shipping. The main reason for this is the new healthcare regulations. Stores that are operating on a smaller scale don’t have the personnel or experience needed to handle post-Covid-19 international shipping.

OPAS will make sure that you get what you want, no matter where you live. Shopping from the US amid the pandemic has never been easier, thanks to OPAS. OPAS will provide you your own US address so your purchases can get shipped there. Once you have everything you want in your virtual mailbox, you can easily log into your account and request to have your items shipped to your original address in your native country.

No Sales Tax? YES – OPAS can do that for you

Almost every package forwarding company will charge you Sales Tax. Therefore, on every purchase, you will be charged sales tax. OPAS can get you your favorite products without having to pay any sales tax. How is that possible? OPAS is located in the state of Oregon, which has NO SALES TAX. So any product that you’ve shipped to your OPAS address will have no sales tax. This will allow you to save almost 7% to 10% on your purchases compared to other package forwarding companies.

OPAS has emerged as a game-changer for industries and individuals who aren’t willing to compromise on the things they want. OPAS will hand pack each of your products, making sure that they will stay in perfect shape when it reaches your doorstep.