Daily Archives: December 13, 2021

GREEN BAY, Wis. Justin Fields is getting better, and thats the only thing that matters about this Bears season.

Regardless of a 45-30 defeat Sunday night, hes the only one in the organization who can say he took a step forward in the Bears game against the Packers at Lambeau Field. He would say hes too competitive to accept a figurative victory, but hes too new to the Bears to see this through a wide-angled lens.

The true purpose of Sunday and the Bears remaining four games is to build toward a Fields-led future. Anything that brightens that outlook is a positive, and Fields provided some good indicators in his return after missing two games with cracked ribs.

He completed 18 of 33 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions (one was a desperate shot at the end) and ran nine times for 74 yards. With the help of Jakeem Grants punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, he had the Bears up 27-21 at halftime. That alone was better than how almost anyone thought theyd fare at Lambeau.

The Bears various maladies Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers clubbing the withered defense in another monstrous embarrassment, coach Matt Nagys questionable decisions, the roster moves that led to Xavier Crawford covering Davante Adams ... theyre just ancillary and temporary.

Nearly everything around Fields is irrelevant at this point because most of it probably wont be around him next season.

The Bears stumbled into giving him a season of learning on the job, diverted to that course only after original starter Andy Dalton hurt his knee in Week 2, and it was the best thing for them. It might not have been the best thing for Nagy and his job security, but thats where the gauging of success for Fields and the rest of the organization split.

Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace needed to win now. Theyre overdue and long past their grace period. Dalton, tight end Jimmy Graham, defensive end Akiem Hicks and other veterans face that same level of urgency as they try to prolong their careers.

But Fields has time. Its not imperative that he arrives this season only that he continues in the right direction. The real evaluation comes next season.

And so far, everything looks right. Fields is far from a finished product, but he has consistently shown elusive running ability, precise deep passes and decisiveness. All of those abilities have improved steadily as he has expanded his understanding of NFL defenses.

To his credit, he has done all of that in spite of the Bears disarray and his injury. Nagy put Fields on a slower track than necessary because he had already locked into the idea of Dalton being the starter all season and Fields learning through observation. But there are some things Fields must learn through his own interceptions rather than Daltons, and thats a choppy process everyone is going to have to accept.

Back-to-back possessions in the second quarter Sunday illustrated that growth. Fields misfired to wide receiver Darnell Mooney in the flats with 5:09 left in the half, and cornerback Rasul Douglas jumped the route for a pick-six to give the Packers their first lead of the night, 14-10. The throw needed to be between Mooney and the sideline, but Fields left it too far inside and allowed Douglas an opportunity.

Fields atoned for it three snaps later when he dropped a spot-on pass over the middle to Damiere Byrd, who went 54 yards for a touchdown. It would be easy to overlook Fields contribution to that play since the throw was just six yards past the line of scrimmage and Byrd did most of the legwork, but his accuracy and touch were essential. Had Fields not hit Byrd perfectly in stride, he wouldnt have been able to outrace the three defenders in proximity. Had he needed to reach up or back at all, he likely would have been stopped.

It was a great ball by him, Byrd said. He put it right where it needed to be.

In addition to the throw being accurate, it was just the right speed. Thats a big upgrade from the beginning of the season, when virtually every pass was a fastball.

Fields most impressive drive, though, was when he led the Bears to a field goal just before halftime. The Bears were up 24-21 and had the ball at their own 42 with 37 seconds left. It was an easy time to take a knee and go into the locker room with a lead, but the threat of Rodgers getting the ball to start the second half prompted the Bears to go for it.

Fields hit tight end Cole Kmet near the sideline so he could get out of bounds and stop the clock, then ran out of bounds on a 20-yard run to put the Bears in scoring range. They capped the drive with Cairo Santos 44-yard field goal as time ran out.

Throughout all the turmoil and turbulence, Fields is rising. Thats crucial because he was one of the few players on the field Sunday who is clearly part of the Bears future. Hes central to it and driving it, and thats the best thing about the Bears as they close out another underwhelming season.

Link:

Bears fall to Packers, but QB Justin Fields progress is all that matters - Chicago Sun-Times

It has been methodical. It has been incremental. It has been, to put it bluntly, slow.

But St. Johns is showing progress. It has performed better in each game since the blowout loss to Kansas nine days ago. It didnt have to sweat out the final minutes against Fordham. It knocked off MAAC contender Monmouth a team that had already defeated Cincinnati, Saint Josephs and Princeton despite a shaky finish. And it played more like the team it expects to be on Sunday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena.

In one of the Johnnies best performances of the season the argument can be made that this was their most complete effort they shook off a slow start to manhandle Patriot League co-favorite Colgate, 82-64, on coach Mike Andersons 62nd birthday.

We lost to Kansas by 20, so that was enough for us to say, OK, we got to pick it up, said Julian Champagnie, who had an efficient 19 points on 12 shots and reached 1,000 points for his career in the win. That Kansas game gave us that incentive of, Were going to fix this, and were going to play the basketball that we know how to play.

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I think today was a good showing of what we can do, he added.

The poor stretches were kept to a minimum. St. Johns (8-2) defended the 3-point line well in the second half and turned 16 turnovers into 24 points. It committed just one turnover over the opening 28 minutes en route to a season-low six, received offensive production from a variety of sources and the bench left its imprint all over the game.

And that may have been the most significant positive. St. Johns reserves poured in 34 points and keyed a game-turning 14-3 run in the first half.

Freshman Rafael Pinzon had a career-high 14 points and three assists. Stef Smith and OMar Stanley contributed a combined 13 points. After getting benched in the win over Monmouth, Aaron Wheeler responded with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and difference-making defense in compiling a plus-17 rating. He was focused on bringing energy and making an impact at both ends of the floor, instead of worrying about his offense.

I always tell guys, stay ready, and we saw Aaron stay ready, Anderson said of the Purdue transfer. Hes got a lot of potential. He brought it to the game today. Thats what we expect out of him. The key is consistency. The beauty is it wasnt predicated on offense.

Colgate (4-7), which won at Syracuse this season and has reached the last two NCAA Tournaments, shot 13 of 35 from 3-point range but just 6 of 17 in the second half. The Raiders, it should be noted, were without leading scorer Nelly Cummings (upper-body injury) and have struggled of late.

This was by no means a perfect performance. Anderson wasnt ready to say this team has turned a corner. But there was a lot to like about this win. Most importantly, it continued the Red Storms recent trend of improved performances entering Saturdays non-conference finale against Pittsburgh at the Garden.

I saw the script that I normally would see with one of our teams when were playing well, Anderson said. The second half, the last 10, 11 minutes I thought fatigue was a factor [for them]. It kicked in. You saw our guys move a little quicker, faster. Their guys slowed down a little bit. Our defense spearheaded everything.

Later, Anderson smiled in assessing the win.

Appreciate the birthday gift, he said.

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St. John's finally showing progress with win over Colgate - New York Post

Hypoimmune CAR T cells evade both innate and adaptive immune systems in murine models, even in animals with pre-existing immunity to CAR T cells

CD8- and CD4-targeted fusosomes generated functional CAR T cells in vivo, demonstrating T cell-specific delivery and therapeutic function in animal models

SEATTLE, Dec. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SANA), a company focused on creating and delivering engineered cells as medicines, presented data at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, taking place from Saturday, December 11 to Tuesday, December 14, 2021, which highlighted further progress with key technologies supporting Sanas in vivo and ex vivo CAR T cell programs.

The data presented at ASH showcase the progress we are making with Sanas CAR T cell programs, said Terry Fry, M.D., Sanas Head of T Cell Therapeutics. The hypoimmune and fusogen technologies are designed to address significant challenges that lead to sub-optimal patient outcomes and prevent widespread utilization of cell and gene therapies, including cell persistence and cell-specific delivery. We continue to move these potential therapies toward clinical trials in patients, with a goal of filing two INDs as early as next year.

On Saturday, December 11, Sonja Schrepfer, M.D., Ph.D., Sanas Head of Hypoimmune Platform, presented a poster (Abstract 1690) titled Engineered hypoimmune allogeneic CAR T cells exhibit innate and adaptive immune evasion even after sensitization in humanized mice and retain potent anti-tumor activity. Data demonstrated continued progress with Sanas hypoimmune allogeneic CAR T cell platform, showing in murine models that these gene-modified CAR T cells targeting CD19 can evade both the innate and adaptive immune systems without any evidence of a change in their ability to eliminate leukemia. This immune evasion was present in nave subjects as well as in sensitized subjects that had previously rejected non-hypoimmune CAR T cells. In the study, the hypoimmune allogeneic CD19 CAR T cells did not induce activation of the adaptive immune system, T cells or B cells, in the treated subjects (p<0.0001 when compared to non-modified CD19 CAR T cells), and also evaded the subjects innate immune responses. These findings are an important step toward the possibility of off-the-shelf allogeneic CD19 CAR T cells that persist without immunosuppression, including in patients that have previously been treated with a CAR T therapy.

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On Sunday, December 12, Terry Fry, M.D., presented a poster (Abstract 2769) titled In vivo delivery of a CD20 CAR using a CD8-targeted fusosome in Southern pig-tail macaques (M. nemestrina) results in B cell depletion. The presentation outlined the potential to deliver a CAR gene to make CAR T cells in vivo. B cell depletion in these healthy non-human primates is used as a surrogate marker for an anti-tumor effect against B cell malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma. Following the infusion of the CD8a-targeted fusosome carrying the gene for an anti-CD20 CAR into macaques, B cells were meaningfully reduced in 4 of 6 animals after 7 to 10 days. Scientists found the anti-CD20 CAR transcripts via measurements of mRNA expression in spleen cells isolated from treated animals; conversely, no expression was detected in tissues from control animals. Subjects in this study received no lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Additionally, the fusosome treatment was well-tolerated in all animals with no evidence of adverse effects. These findings suggest that the fusosome technology represents a novel therapeutic opportunity to treat patients with B cell malignancies, with the potential for in vivo delivery of the CAR gene to CD8 T cells.

On Sunday, December 12, Sana Scientist Christie Ciarlo, Ph.D., presented a poster (Abstract 2942) titled CD4-targeted fusosomes are capable of transducing resting T helper cells to generate highly potent CAR T cells. The presentation highlighted the ability of select fusosomes to effectively target the correct cells and to deliver an integrating CAR payload that can develop CAR T cells in vivo. CD4-targeted CD19 CAR fusosomes efficiently transduced activated T cells (34% 1.5% CD4+CAR+; 0.54 0.18 c/dg) and resting T cells (20% 0.5% CD4+CAR+; 0.28 0.14 c/dg). The data showed that these fusosomes were specific to certain T cells based on their functionality and also that they could deliver their payloads to helper T cells without activation, opening up new potential pathways for in vivo cell therapies. Investigators concluded that targeting the CD4 co-receptor through in vivo delivery of a genetic payload can produce potent and functional CAR T cells, with the potential to target certain cancers.

About Sana BiotechnologySana Biotechnology, Inc. is focused on creating and delivering engineered cells as medicines for patients. We share a vision of repairing and controlling genes, replacing missing or damaged cells, and making our therapies broadly available to patients. We are more than 350 people working together to create an enduring company that changes how the world treats disease. Sana has operations in Seattle, Cambridge, and South San Francisco. For more information about Sana Biotechnology, please visit https://sana.com/.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements about Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (the Company, we, us, or our) within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including those related to the Companys vision, progress, and business plans; expectations for its development programs, product candidates and technology platforms, including its pre-clinical, clinical and regulatory development plans and timing expectations, including with respect to the filing of IND applications; and the potential activity, uses and advantages of hypoimmune CAR T cells and fusosome technology, including CD4-specific fusosomes and CD8-targeted fusosomes. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including, among others, statements regarding the Companys strategy, expectations, cash runway and future financial condition, future operations, and prospects, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as aim, anticipate, assume, believe, contemplate, continue, could, design, due, estimate, expect, goal, intend, may, objective, plan, positioned, potential, predict, seek, should, target, will, would and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to vary materially, including, among others, the risks inherent in drug development such as those associated with the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of the Companys current and future research and development programs, preclinical and clinical trials, as well as the economic, market and social disruptions due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. For a detailed discussion of the risk factors that could affect the Companys actual results, please refer to the risk factors identified in the Companys SEC reports, including but not limited to its Annual Report on Form 10-K dated March 24, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q dated November 8, 2021. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

Investor Relations:Nicole Keithinvestor.relations@sana.com

Media:Morgan Warners, Finsbury Glover Heringmedia@sana.com

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Sana Biotechnology Presentations at 2021 ASH Annual Meeting Highlight Progress with Platforms and CAR T Cell Programs - Yahoo Finance

Company named to The Boston Globes 2021 Top Place to Work and earns Great Place to Work certification in India both honors based on employee feedback

BEDFORD, Mass., Dec. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Progress(NASDAQ: PRGS),the leading provider of products to develop, deploy and manage high-impact applications, today announced that it has been named to The Boston Globes annual Top Places to Work list, which identifies the most progressive companies in Massachusetts. Additionally, the company has been certified as a 2021-2022 Great Place to Work in India. These two recognitions cap off a year in which Progress has been recognized 25 times around the world, as a top employer and for itsculture, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) workandlearning and development initiatives. The full list of recognitions can be viewed here.

This has been an incredible year for Progress, as weve doubled-down on our tradition of being a people-first organization, said Yogesh Gupta, CEO, Progress. It iscrucial that no matter where in the world our people sit, theyexperience theProgressPROUDculture, steeped in our deep-set values that truly set Progress apart from the rest. Im honored to lead a company where the people care so deeply for each other, for our customers, and have kept Progress a greatemployer for 40 years.

The Boston Globe Top Places to WorkThe Boston Globes annual Top Places to Workrankingsare based on confidential employee surveys collected byEnergage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention. The survey covered areas including company leadership, compensation and training, diversity/inclusion, career development, family-friendly flexibility, and values and ethics. Those selected for the ranking excelled in specific fields from offering progressive benefits, empowering employees to help drive the companys direction and to making workers feel integral to the companys successall while creating a fun, supportive work environment. Progress ranked 12th in the Large Company category.

The workplace is undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime transformation, and the companies that embraced that change, and put their employees needs first, really stood out, said Katie Johnston, the Globes Top Places to Work editor. We congratulate all of our 2021 recipients.

Great Place to Work, IndiaGreat Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. The certification process evaluates employee opinion on equity, collaboration, camaraderie, pride, innovation, leadership effectiveness and more.To get certified, 70% or more of employee respondents must rate their organization as a great workplace.

Progress has built a culture that offers employees a positive work environment, flexibility and extensive career development opportunities. Despitetheglobal pandemic,it has continued to thrive because of the rich and diverse people that power Progress.The company and its employees are also committed to giving back to the communitysupporting STEM education, social justice and emergency relief efforts.

To explore career opportunities at Progress, visithttps://www.progress.com/company/careers.

Additional Resources

AboutProgressProgress (NASDAQ: PRGS) provides the best products to develop, deploy and manage high-impact business applications. Our comprehensive product stack is designed to make technology teams more productive, and we have a deep commitment to the developer community, both open source and commercial alike. With Progress, organizations can accelerate the creation and delivery of strategic business applications, automate the process by which apps are configured, deployed and scaled, and make critical data and content more accessible and secure - leading to competitive differentiation and business success. Over 1,700 independent software vendors, 100,000+ enterprise customers, and a three-million-strong developer community rely on Progress to power their applications. Learn about Progress atwww.progress.comor +1-800-477-6473.

Progress is a trademark or registered trademark ofProgress Software Corporationand/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the US and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contacts:Kim BakerProgress+1 781-280-4000 pr@progress.com

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Progress Named a Top Place to Work in the US and India - GlobeNewswire

The widespread impact of the pandemic continues to deepen, the report warned, increasing poverty, entrenching inequality and threatening the rights of children like never before.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest threat to progress for children in our 75-year history, said Henrietta Fore, the UNICEF Executive Director.

While the number of children who are hungry, out of school, abused, living in poverty or forced into marriage is going up, the number of children with access to healthcare, vaccines, sufficient food and essential services is going down. In a year in which we should be looking forward, we are going backward.

The report, Preventing a lost decade: Urgent action to reverse the devastating impact of COVID-19 on children and young people, was issued ahead of UNICEFs landmark anniversary on 11 December.

COVID-19 has pushed a staggering 100 million more children into poverty:a 10 per cent increase since 2019. This corresponds to nearly two children every second since mid-March of last year, when the pandemic was declared.

UNICEF said even in a best-case scenario, recovery to pre-pandemic levels will take up to eight years.

Furthermore, some 60 million children are now living in monetary poor households, and more than 23 million have missed out on essential vaccines, the highest number in more than a decade.

Prior to the pandemic, roughly one billion children worldwide suffered at least one severe deprivation, such as lack of access to education, health, housing, nutrition, or sanitation and water. Unequal recovery is pushing the number higher.

The report details other areas where backsliding occurred, such as in education. At the peak of the pandemic, more than 1.6 billion students were shut out of school due to lockdowns. Schools were closed worldwide for almost 80 per cent of in-person instruction time during the first year of the crisis.

Worldwide, more than 13 per cent of adolescents aged 10 to 19 are affected by deteriorating mental health. UNICEF reported that by October 2020, critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries were disrupted or halted due to coronavirus spread.

Additionally, up to 10 million more child marriages could occur before the end of the decade as a result of the pandemic, while the number of child labourers has risen to 160 million, a nearly 8.5 million increase in the last four years.Rising poverty means an additional nine million boys and girls are also at risk.

Beyond the pandemic, the report warns of further threats to children that jeopardize their rights.

UNICEF said 426 million children globally, or nearly 1 in 5, live in conflict zones which are becoming more intense, with women and girls at the highest risk of conflict-related sexual violence.

Eighty per cent of all humanitarian needs are driven by conflict, the agency added, and nearly half the worlds children, some one billion, live in countries that are at an extremely high-risk from the impacts of climate change.

UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani

A young girl empties water collected from the bed of a river in a flood-affected village in Pakistan. (file)

More than seven decades since its establishment, UNICEF continues to work for a better future for all children.

We are at a crossroads, said Ms. Fore. As we work with governments, donors and other organizations to begin charting our collective path for the next 75 years, we must keep children first in line for investment and last in line for cuts.

In the face of the ongoing pandemic, growing conflicts, and the worsening climate emergency, UNICEF continues to call for investment in social protection, as well as inclusive and resilient recovery.

Action is needed to end the pandemic and reverse the rollbacks in child education and nutrition, the agency said, including through leveraging its role in vaccine distribution.

Building back stronger will also mean ensuring quality education, protection and good mental health for all children. Additionally, new approaches are needed to better prevent and respond to crises, such as famines, climate change and disasters, in order to protect children.

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COVID-19 is biggest threat to child progress in UNICEF's 75-year history - UN News