Daily Archives: February 21, 2022

Low Etanercept Doses May Be Effective in Maintaining Remission in Psoriatic Arthritis Patients – Physician’s Weekly

Posted: February 21, 2022 at 6:19 pm

For a study, researchers conducted a longitudinal open-label trial to analyze if extending the intervals between etanercept (ETN) delivery may be beneficial in sustaining remission with a steady dosage in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patient group that has achieved persistent remission with ETN 25 mg biweekly.

Fifty-four patients with PsA were recruited from the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Seneses Rheumatology Unit. Patients in clinical remission with biweekly ETN 25 mg at weeks 12 and 16 were moved to a weekly regimen. If clinical remission was maintained at weeks 24 and 28, patients were transferred to an every-other-week regimen, with this administration schedule continuing for the rest of the research if clinical remission was maintained at weeks 36 and 40. If, on the other hand, disease activity increased in one of the checks, the treatment plan was reverted to the prior one.The outcome of the study showed that a consistent percentage (72%) of patients with PsA who achieved sustained remission with ETN 25 mg biweekly maintained remission after a year of starting therapy, despite a progressive dose reduction by increasing the dosing interval, 21% with a weekly regimen and 51% with an every-other-week regimen.

Findings indicated that peripheral polyarthritis pattern and aggravation of cutaneous symptoms were the key factors preventing ETN dosage interval increase in patients with PsA in prolonged clinical remission at regular doses.

Reference:journals.lww.com/jclinrheum/Abstract/2018/04000/Low_Doses_of_Etanercept_Can_Be_Effective_to.4.aspx

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Beyond the Gut, Bifidobacterium infants 35624 Regulates Host Inflammatory Processes – Physician’s Weekly

Posted: at 6:19 pm

For a study, it was determined that certain therapeutic microorganisms, such as Bifidobacteria infantis (B. infantis) 35624, mimic commensal-immune interactions and had favorable immunoregulatory effects. However, the utility of these effects in patients with non-gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders was unknown. The researchers observed the effects of taking B. infantis 35624 orally for 6-8 weeks on inflammatory biomarker and plasma cytokine levels in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n=22), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (n=48), and psoriasis (n=26) in 3 separate randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventions. The impact of B. infantis 35624 on immunological indicators in healthy persons (n=22) was also investigated. Comparable to healthy volunteers, both gastrointestinal (UC) and non-gastrointestinal (CFS and psoriasis) patients exhibited significantly higher plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF-) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Comparable to placebo, B. infantis 35624 feeding resulted in lower plasma CRP levels in all three inflammatory illnesses. In CFS and psoriasis, plasma TNF - was lowered, whereas IL-6 was reduced in UC and CFS. Furthermore, after eight weeks of feeding, LPS-stimulated TNF - and IL-6 release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in healthy subjects was significantly reduced in the B. infantis 35624-treated groups compared to placebo. According to the findings, this microorganism can lower systemic pro-inflammatory biomarkers in gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders. Finally, it was revealed that the microbiotas immunomodulatory effects in humans were not restricted to the mucosal immune system, but also extend to the systemic immune system.

Link:www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/gmic.25487

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AbbVie Snags FDA Approval for Another Indication. Will It Become Another Blockbuster? – Motley Fool

Posted: at 6:19 pm

AbbVie ( ABBV -0.65% ) has taken an important step toward replacing the revenue decline that will result from Humira's patent protection expiration in the U.S. next year.

That step is approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use AbbVie's Skyrizi to treat patients with active psoriatic arthritis, a disease that impacts around 1.5 million Americans.

Let's dive into the phase 3 clinical trial results for Skyrizi and the U.S. psoriatic arthritis market to get a feel for how valuable this approval could be for AbbVie.

Image source: Getty Images.

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when the immune system attacks healthy tissue. This can cause joint pain, stiff joints, and fatigue. If psoriatic arthritis is left untreated for long enough, the condition can result in irreversible joint damage.

One treatment option that could now make a difference in the lives of countless psoriatic arthritis patients is Skyrizi, which works by controlling the release of interleukin-23 (IL-23) proteins, a different method than other drugs on the market.

AbbVie conducted two phase 3 clinical trials with patients who weren't able to achieve meaningful improvement or were unable to tolerate biologic therapies or non-biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors like AbbVie's blockbuster Humira are often the first-line therapy for psoriatic arthritis patients. While this drug class is highly effective in treating patients, it doesn't work for everyone. In fact, 19% of patients on TNF inhibitors don't greatly benefit from taking them. Those patients could benefit from Skyrizi.

Up to 57% of patients taking Skyrizi experienced at least a 20% improvement in their tender/swollen joint count and pain scale at week 24. This was statistically superior to the 34% of patients receiving placebo who experienced similar levels of improvement.

The maximum rate of serious adverse events in patients taking Skyrizi across both clinical trials was just 4%, which was lower than the placebo rate of 5.5%. This demonstrates Skyrizi to be safe and effective.

Since Skyrizi will mostly be prescribed to patients who didn't experience improvement on TNF inhibitors, I think the drug's biggest strength is its safety profile. Unlike Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors like Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) Xeljanz and Eli Lilly's (NYSE: LLY) Olumiant, which come with increased risk of heart attack, cancer, and blood clots, Skyrizi hasn't been found to elevate the risks of these events. That should allow Skyrizi to be prescribed ahead of JAK inhibitors, which will lead to greater market share.

Sykrizi looks like it will be a game-changer for many psoriatic arthritis patients. But how much of a growth catalyst could the indication be for AbbVie?

The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center estimates that psoriatic arthritis impacts around 1.5 million Americans. If you consider that 19% of psoriatic arthritis patients don't benefit from TNF inhibitors, that would put approximately 285,000 patients in a group that need alternative treatments.

Due to Skyrizi's exceptional safety profile and efficacy, my guess is that the drug can seize 10% of the market or about 28,500 psoriatic arthritis patients in a base-case scenario. Skyrizi has an annual list price of $73,000. Negotiations with health insurance companies and drug assistance programs for eligible patients mean that the net price will be significantly cheaper than the list price. I estimate the annual net price could be $40,000 per patient. Below is a range of market shares using that $40,000 that demonstrates the blockbuster potential of the drug.

My estimate of 10% market share at $40,000 annual cost would lead to over $1.1 billion in annual sales potential for Skyrizi. Against the $60.3 billion in sales analysts expect for AbbVie this year, this would be a 1.9% bump in total revenue. For Skyrizi, $1.1 billion in additional sales would be a nearly 40% boost over the $2.9 billion in revenue that the drug generated last year.

Skyrizi's psoriatic arthritis indication could be a slight growth catalyst for AbbVie as a whole. But it will be a huge boost for the the drug since it is Skyrizi's second approved indication.

Aside from Skyrizi, AbbVie has dozens of drug indications that are in different stages of development. AbbVie's next-generation immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq each have indications for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis that are either in phase 3 clinical trials or that have already been submitted to regulatory authorities.

Approval could add up to billions of dollars in annual sales and could be approved this year or next year. Thanks to recent regulatory approvals and more that are expected to come, AbbVie believes that Skyrizi and Rinvoq will generate more than $15 billion in combined sales by 2025. This would be more than triple the $4.59 billion in combined sales that the two drugs produced last year. Factoring in a 50%, or nearly $9 billion, decline in Humira's U.S. sales by 2025 from biosimilar drug competition starting next year, Skyrizi and Rinvoq should be enough to replace the revenue loss from Humira. Analysts are expecting 4% annual earnings growth over last year in the next five years.

AbbVie's 41% dividend payout ratio last year and decent growth prospects should lead to strong dividend growth in the future and investors can getAbbVie's 4% dividend yield at a current price-to-earnings ratio of 10. This makes AbbVie a stock to consider buying right now.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis even one of our own helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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Democratic-Republicans vs Federalist – United States History

Posted: at 6:18 pm

U. S. History: From the Colonial Period to 1817

THE FIRST PARTY SYSTEM: FEDERALISTS V. REPUBLICANS

POLITICAL PARTIES

POLITICAL PARTIES are organizations that mobilize voters on behalf of a COMMON SET OF INTERESTS, concerns, and goals. In many countries political parties play a crucial part in the democratic process. The functions of political parties include:

Formulating political agendas

Selecting candidates

Conducting election campaigns

Managing the work of elected representatives

Providing the means by which people can have a voice in government.

1st POLITICAL PARTIES

FEDERALISTS

REPUBLICANS

Constituency

Merchants, bankers, manufacturers from New England and the middle-Atlantic states.

Artisans, shopkeepers, small farmers, and large plantation owners from the South and from western regions at the nation.

Leadership

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

THOMAS JEFFERSON

View of Human Nature

Hamilton, a self-made man, distrusted the people. Man, he thought, is naturally selfish, unreasonable, and violent.

Jefferson, born to wealth and social position, thought that if men are given the opportunity, they are naturally decent and reasonable.

Attitude Toward Government

Believed in a highly CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT as a means of keeping order.

Saw the common people as unable to govern themselves.

Believed that government should be as far removed from the people as possible.

Favored a strong federal government and limited powers for the states.

Advocated a strong executive department and strong courts to maintain order and insure justice.

Favored a standing army.

Wanted to imitate British aristocracy (rule by the rich) without a king.

Willing to censor the press for political power.

Believed in a MINIMUM OF GOVERNMENT to safeguard the rights of the people.

Saw the common people as able to govern themselves.

Believed that government should be as close to the people as possible.

Favored local government over national because it was closer to the people.

Favored Congress over the other branches of government because it best reflected the popular will.

Opposed standing armies because a military leader might seize control of the government.

Wanted more democracy than in the British parliament.

Favored freedom of speech & press.

Wanted greater involvement by the people through lower voting qualifications.

Favored reducing government interference by decreasing and number of federal officeholders.

View of the Constitution

Held LOOSE CONSTRUCTIONIST view that the Federal government had implied powers not listed in the Constitution (i.e., the Federal government had all the powers not expressly forbidden it by the Constitution).

Held STRICT CONSTRUCTIONSIT view that the Federal governments powers should be limited in favor of states rights (i.e., the Federal government had only the powers expressly stated in the Constitution).

Foreign Policy Perspective

Favored Great Britain in culture and trade.

Distrusted Great Britain and wanted closer relations with France because it had just been through a democratic revolution.

The Federalists, led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, believed in a strong national government. Reading broadly into the Constitution (loose constructionism), they argued that government power should be used to promote economic development through the creation of a national bank and the construction of federally-financed roads, harbors, and bridges. Federalists believed that America's economic future depended on the cultivation of strong commercial ties with Great Britain. And they argued that America's emerging manufacturing sector should be encouraged through protectionist measures such as tariffs.

The Republicans, also called Democratic-Republicans, were led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They supported a weaker national government restricted in its powers by a narrow reading of the Constitution (strict constructionism). They feared that federal intervention in the economy would benefit only a few wealthy northeasterners, and they believed that agriculture, not manufacturing, should remain the country's economic base. Republicans opposed closer ties to Britain and tended to sympathize with the French in their revolution and subsequent war with the British.

While the Federalists dominated the government through the 1790s, they rapidly declined after 1800. Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency was bolstered by Republican victories in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Federalists remained powerful enough to obstruct certain Republican measures for about a decade, but they were not strong enough to prevent the United States from going to war against Britain in 1812a war the Federalists vehemently opposed. Their continuing opposition to the war, even after it began, severely damaged their viability as a national party. When the United States survived its war with Britain and won tremendous victories at Baltimore and New Orleans, the Federalists' reputation was shotand their national political clout was over.

For the next decadea period sometimes called "The Era of Good Feelings"the United States was essentially a one-party nation; the Republicans governed with little opposition. But factions within the party soon emerged, and these factionslabeled National Republicans and Democratic Republicanseventually morphed into the dominant parties that would define the second party era, lasting from 1828 to the mid-1850s.

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Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (INTK) Stock Price, News, Quote …

Posted: at 6:16 pm

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INDUSTRIAL NANOTECH INC

Technical Assessment: Neutral in the Intermediate-TermUnless your portfolio is invested in Energy (XLE, +23%), the U.S. stock market has not provided many profitable opportunities so far in 2022. The S&P 500 is down 6.3% year-to-date (YTD), the Nasdaq has given back 10%, the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is off almost 11%, the S&P 100 (OEX) has declined 6%, the S&P MidCap 400 (MDY) has lost 5%, and the Russell 2000 (IWM) is down 7.5%.

5 days agoArgus Research

Technical Assessment: Neutral in the Intermediate-TermUnless your portfolio is invested in Energy (XLE, +23%), the U.S. stock market has not provided many profitable opportunities so far in 2022. The S&P 500 is down 6.3% year-to-date (YTD), the Nasdaq has given back 10%, the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is off almost 11%, the S&P 100 (OEX) has declined 6%, the S&P MidCap 400 (MDY) has lost 5%, and the Russell 2000 (IWM) is down 7.5%.

5 days agoArgus Research

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Minotaur Exploration

Posted: at 6:16 pm

Welcome To Minotaur Exploration

Minotaur Exploration is undergoing a seismic shift in its ownership and business focus.

The CompanysDemerger General Meeting on 20 January 2022 may have been its last as an ASX listed entity. Acceptances for Andromeda Metals Offer to acquire 90% of Minotaurs sharesare flowing in.Your directors unanimously recommend shareholders accept the Offer.

Andromedas Offer is to exchange each Minotaur share for 1.15 Andromeda shares so that Andromeda can acquire control of Minotaurs 25% share of the Great White Kaolin Joint Venture and Minotaurs 50% share of technology joint venture Natural Nanotech.

Minotaurs eligible shareholders at the Record Date of 27 January 2022 have been allotted a bonus share issue in spin-out company Demetallica, equal to 1 share for every 19.37 Minotaur shares held. This allotment applied equally to Minotaur shareholders whoaccepted the Offer prior to the Record Date.

Rationalisation of kaolin based assets under one entity is logical and likely to lead to a more expeditious and streamlined development project. Andromeda has advanced the Great White kaolin-halloysite project substantially over the past year, bringing it close to the time when certainty of project financing becomes critical to allow a decision to mine to be made. Andromedas balance sheet and large shareholder cohort places it well to seek debt and equity funding for the projects approaching capital expenditure demands.

Andromedas Offer has been extended to CLOSE on 25 February 2022 and, on 100% acquisition, Minotaur shareholders will (assuming no further equity issues by Andromeda) hold 19.4% of Andromedas enlarged capital structure.

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The Scientist Using Nanotech To Create The Impossible – Birmingham Times

Posted: at 6:16 pm

Hossam Haick, a professor at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and an expert in the field of nanotechnology and noninvasive disease diagnosis, began our interview with a story about his older son, Fadi, now 13.

When Fadi was a little boy, Haick recounted, he was afraid of water.

But one day, my wife and I were at the pool in the Technion, Haick, 47, continued, and an older faculty member swimming in the pool to this day, I dont know his name reached out his arms and Fadi went into the water with him. And that was how Fadi learned to swim.

Since then, Fadi has become a competitive swimmer, winning numerous awards. Haick said that he will always be grateful for the unknown man who introduced his son to water.

And that idea of experimenting and trying new things is symbolic of Haicks pioneering work.

When I do research, I jump into the water and then learn how to swim, Haick said.

With a black belt in karate, Haick has an aura of someone who is calm and softspoken, yet with a steely focus. With his 32-member team a diverse group of scientists from around the world, including China, India and Russia he has produced more than 42 patents and patent applications, many already licensed to international companies.

He has won grants, awards and recognition including a 2008 listing on the Worlds 35 leading young scientists of MITs Technology Review.

He likes to imagine the impossible. Two of his most famous inventions are the SniffPhone, whose nanotechnology sensors analyze breath to detect certain kinds of cancers, and the NaNose,which can detect biomarkers for a variety of medical conditions.

Molecular zipper instead of sutures

But before explaining more about those inventions, Haick was excited to share the background information about one of his latest inventions.

I saw the movie The Terminator when I was a little boy, Haick began, launching into his next story the kind of story he used to read growing up in Nazareth with his four siblings. His family was poor, Haick said, but his parents always brought home books about inventors and leaders as inspiration.

Six or seven years ago I saw the movie again. Haick paused. You know the story about the robot? Well, suddenly at 3AM I woke up thinking about the robot, and thought, Why dont we do self-healing for electronic devices?

Theres nothing called a mistake. If you have a different perspective and different view, it can be an opportunity. Thats why I never say to someone, You are wrong. I say, I have a different opinion.

The next day, I called a post-doctorate fellow, Dr. Ning Tang, originally from Vietnam but now at the University of Texas in Austin, and told him, I have something crazy for you. He said, Great.

Haick said that electronic devices could not be fixed, and they couldnt touch skin or blood. Tang created a polymer that could do all that.

Made from sulfur and nitrogen and arranged like a molecular zipper, the devicecan bind a wound, eliminating the need for sutures. It decreases infection. It is also a smart device, connected to a doctors computer.

Im very excited about replacing sutures, Haick said. Its incredible.

On his laptop, he showed me a film of an electronic device floating in saltwater. A scientist cut the device in half, and then pressed the two pieces together. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, the pieces put themselves back together. Not only that, the scientist was able to stretch the device like taffy.

He will keep stretching it, Haick said, smiling up at me. No worries.

Tattoo health tracker

Another of Haicks inventions is a wearable health-tracking device that can be applied like a temporary tattoo, like the kind I put on my kids, he said.

People place the device on the skin and apply a dab of water. They then pull off the adhesive backing, and the device remains, able to bend and stretch while converting motion and body heat into electric energy.

There are electrodes and micro-needles in the device but theyre the thickness of a hair, Haick said. You dont feel them. They are the sensors that monitor peoples biomarkers such as glucose, salt, latent tuberculosis, and even to check for dehydration.

This noninvasive device could transmit this data to the user and the doctor.

Did you know that between 20 and 40 percent of all medical diagnoses are incorrect? Haick asked. And 15% of all surgeries are done for the wrong reason. This is because of delayed diagnosis. Were seeking to detect diseases while were still healthy. The survival rate will increase.

Haick points out that these days, a physician might see 40 to 70 patients every day. But if we have such a system, the doctor could see 70,000 patients just by having access to the data.

So, if you had a crystal ball will this device be commonplace in the future?

Yes, he said without thinking twice. Most people will wear one.

A wearable lab

What is your focus for the next few years? I asked.

Do you know what a spectrometer is?

I shook my head.

He showed me a photo of the machine. Its larger than one meter by one meter, weighs about 200 kilograms and costs a half-million dollars, he said. Its a very complicated lab. You bring the sample of blood or urine to it and it separates mixtures into elements. You cant bring it into the field.

Then he drew squiggly lines and squares on a piece of paper and held it up for me to see.

This invention is like origami, he explained. We have developed something that will do everything the spectrometer does but in the size of a credit card. It has 150 layers of course it depends on how you fold it and it will cost $20 to produce. The secret is what we put in the ink and how we do the folding. We write it on a piece of paper.

Thats crazy! I said.

It is really crazy, he said. We have to think of a name for this device we now call it a wearable lab. In the future, you will be able to stick this device on a building to detect a specific compound. For example, theres a compound xylene. Above a certain threshold, it can cause cancer. Its very difficult to collect and examine. But this device will be able to do that. In agriculture, you could detect infections in trees to monitor fungi or toxicity.

The wearable lab has huge potential, he said, adding that he is certain he will find partners to develop it.

While he was just about done explaining this project, he went off on a tangent about another one of his teams projects.

There are 600 trillion cells in the human body and we are studying how they communicate with one another, he said, placing one hand by his shoulder and another by his hip.

From one part of the body to another, cells have a chemical language that they use. Were studying that. If we can spy on that language, we can intervene in this communication and intervene with the treatment.

Gut feelings

In addition to his nanotechnology research, Haick now serves as dean of undergraduate students at the Technion.

He said that he has recently welcomed applicants whose academic grades were not high but they had other qualities.

I find the spot of light and believe in them, he said.

Is that science? I asked.

I rely on a gut feeling, he said. In one case out of 100 Im wrong so that makes me right 90 percent of the time. I love to take the risk.

Haick recounted that a student recently asked him how he succeeded in life. He replied, I dont think too much. When I find the opportunity, I dont think too much about the pitfalls.

He added that he doesnt believe in mistakes.

Theres nothing called a mistake, he said. If you have a different perspective and different view, it can be an opportunity. Thats why I never say to someone, You are wrong. I say, I have a different opinion.

Role model

He and his wife, Rana, a chemist and food engineer, live in Haifa with Fadi and their eight-year-old son, Eass. Although Haick no longer practices karate, he walks six kilometers each morning before work.

He said that he shows people what hes done and demonstrates by his own experience. As a Christian Arab Israeli, he doesnt want to be a role model only for a certain population.

I try to be a role model for excellence as a human, not as an Arab. I have a humanistic concept. I look for excellence. Its the umbrella that defines all of us.

How did his childhood and his familys economic hardships influence him?

I remember as a student, I always thought, How will I survive? Haick said. I dont worry about that now. But I cant forget where Ive started from. In terms of humanity, I think of those who dont have the means. Im always thinking how I can contribute to the health of people.

Then he paused. We have to dream but dream realistically. You need a work plan. The work plan has to be realistic in terms of time and cost. There are competitors, and if you dont catch the train you will miss something.

As an educator, Haick wants to reach as many people as possible. He developed the Technions first massive open online course (MOOC) in English and Arabic. Since 2014, more than 54,000 people from around the world have participated in the course.

He said that he tries to encourage students to understand the gaps that currently exist. The more you know about a topic the better it is. Filling in the gap is called invention. Thats the idea and the dream.

Scientist should not be isolated in the lab, he said. Its much more important to influence the public and the next generation.

Produced in association with ISRAEL21c.

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Ireland: The nanotech racetrack – Med-Tech Innovation

Posted: at 6:16 pm

Rachel Shelly,head of medical technologies, IDA Ireland, discusses whyglobal medtech companies are targeting Ireland to help them join the nanotech race.

Innovation and technology are leading to significant breakthroughs in healthcare and the use of nanotechnology particularly is accelerating research into a new realm of medtech products.The most recentpredictionssuggest that the use of nanotechnology in medical device development is due to reach $20.82 billion with a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020-27.

The U.S. currently dominates the market in this area with a prevalence of bigger players driving the research. The growth of the market is currently driven by an ageing population and an increasing prevalence of disease such as cancer, genetic and cardiovascular disease as well as chronic conditions.

However, nanotechnology is costly and challenging to develop and needs specific talent to be able to take it forward. Global medtech companies are broadening their sightsto find the expert support and sources of talent needed to mitigate the risks of becoming involved in high risk, early-stageresearch in-house where they would have to place multiple bets on technologies that may or may not work.

There are three main reasons why Ireland is proving to be an attractive partner for companies involved in nanotechnology.

A rich ecosystem, funding and support provides the ideal environment

Global medtech companies are already using production sites in Ireland to tap into its track record, rich eco-system, funding supports and talent pool.

The Science Foundation Ireland Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), is currently partnering with some sizeable companies who are using the funding and facilities available for their nanomedicine research projects. For example, New Jersey-based Integra LifeSciences is teaming with AMBER researchers based in the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin to develop biomaterials for the treatment ofperipheral nerve injuries,restoring the structural and functional properties of damaged or degenerated tissue via regenerated nerves. Johnson & Johnson too is working on a programme focused on 3D bioprinting of biological cells and biomaterials for promoting bone and tissue regeneration in the treatment of patients with degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Support from well-established global hub to take risk out of research

Support from the Irish Government and IDA Ireland is a crucial factor in the reasons why companies are seeing Ireland as an attractive prospect to help them kick-start their nanotechnology potential.

IDA Irelands focus on supporting research is a big draw, with its 25% R&D tax credit for RD&I expenditure for activities in a wide variety of science and technology fields, in addition to grants and innovation supports for investors.

Researching new nanomaterials is an imposing task which presents risks when trying to develop something at scale for industry applications. But the expertise and infrastructure within Irelandsmedtech hub enables companies to get on board with research with skilled scientists.

Another challenge for medtech companies, is that research is typically funded by a company itself, which can be a significant undertaking in the case of early-stage research. Under the SFI centre cost-share model, AMBER has the ability to co-fund projects with the collaborating company, which is well suited to early-stage high risk research.In this scenario any foreground IP will be owned by the University with the company having the option to license.The company can also fully fund the project in which case the foreground IP may be assigned at the end of the project.

Academic researchers from across the globe give companies solid lift off

The nature of nanotechnology is that it is multi-disciplinary and needs to bring together expertise of academic researchers from several different fields, including physics, chemistry, bioengineering and immunology. Traditionally companies will collaborate with a top domestic university lab and use its resources, but this is usually a one-off situation.

However, collaborating with AMBER in Ireland means companies have access to the eight different universities that are affiliated with the centre. They can then define the nanotechnology research that theyre interested in exploring and the centre will put together potential academics from its institutional partners who could assist with the project.

The resources within these eight institutions include academics from all over the world who come to Ireland because of its reputation for investing in breakthrough research. Thus, it's not surprising that Ireland is competitive with the world's top universities, and that AMBER has won a multitude of prestigious European Research Council awards. With such assistance, global firms get a solid lift-off for major research that can then be brought into their company at a more mature stage, and is more likely to translate into a product.Investors in Irelandhave access to the many trained graduates produced annually by the universities in Ireland, alongside access to transferable applied nanotechnology research in ICT, biophotonics.

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Meet Duo: Earth-M’s Debut Superhero is of Two Minds – DC Comics

Posted: at 6:16 pm

Last year, the world of Milestone Media made its long-awaited return to comic shelves. Static, Icon, Rocket and Hardware live again in a shared universe of their own, living the kinds of stories they were created to tell. In 2022, Milestone is only getting bigger. Make way for Earth-M.

The Earth-M line is a collection of new concepts and characters created by original Milestone cofounder Denys Cowan and current Milestone relaunch shepherd Reginald Hudlin, both inspired by and nestled within the Milestone universe. In time, these new heroes may meet their Milestone forebears, but now is the time for Milestone to do what it was always meant to through Earth-M: broaden perspectives on the superhero genre as a whole with ideas youve never seen before.

One of the first titles in the Earth-M line will be the six-issue limited seriesDuo, the story of two lovers, both alike in scientific accomplishment, merged into one body through a nanotechnology experiment. While this has granted them extraordinary powers, it has also erased the boundaries between them. Can a love survive when all things must be shared and independence lost? We spoke with author Greg Pak (Action Comics, Batman/Superman), penciler Khoi Pham (Teen Titans) and inker Scott Hanna (too many credits to list) to learn everything we can about this exciting new title.

Duo is the story of doctors Kelly Vu and David Kim, who are fused into one being by nanotechnology overnight. What was Kelly and Davids relationship like before their fusion? Who were they as individuals before they became one person?

Greg Pak: I think the fun part of this story is that its asking the question of What if you were privy to every single thought, feeling and impulse of the person you most love in the world?

We talk about people finishing each others sentences when they really know each other, and thats exactly what Dr. Kelly Vu and Dr. David Kim do in some of the opening pages of this. They work together, they live together, they love together. They are in that fairly early stage of a relationship where everything makes sense with the other person perfectly. But what happens when you literally cant escape the other person? When the other person is literally in your mind? Thats what hooked me into the project when Reggie first talked to me about it and pitched it to me.

So, who are they? They are brilliant scientists, they are engaged, and they have slightly different impulses. As you go along in the book, you realize Kelly is a bigger risk-taker and Davids a little more cautious, in life and in everything else. But they complement each other, and they have these huge ambitions together. The challenge is to see what happens when people who seem so similar are suddenly, entirely connected, and whether they actually are so similar after all. And whether being similar is even the objective!

Scott Hanna: Ive been happily married for a long time, but my wife and I are basically polar opposites in a lot of ways. But that helps. We work well together because were not the same. And like any relationship, youre going to have arguments, youre going to have fights. So, this way of dealing with relationships is really cool. How that really functions, and dysfunctions as well.

Khoi Pham: Yeah, and on the visual side of things, Greg and I were talking about this way, way at the beginning, which was like a hundred years ago at this point.

GP: Yeah, literally five years ago!

KP: So, casting these characters, right? It was a Vietnamese-American and a Korean-American, but it was a really great opportunity for reinventing in the image what we would like. One of the things I really wanted to do, and Greg was completely on board with it, was depicting a dark-skinned Asian. Thats not very frequent (in comics). Unfortunately, its kind of an issue in Asian culture. So, we made Kelly darker.

These were the intentions we brought to it, and Im glad we were able to not just have Asian-Americans, but darker-skinned Asian-Americans. Its really fun just taking Gregs ideas and how he fleshes these characters out and visually represent them. Subtle stuff. Daves wearing a baseball tee in Giants colors, so hes like the Stats Guy, right? And Kellys got a Wonder Woman t-shirt. So, little hints and visual cues that way. She really takes the superhero approach, like, Lets go knock some heads around! And Daves more, Lets plan it out!

Speaking of that representation, a big part of the reason Milestone Media was founded, and a mission the Earth-M comics will continue, was to present heroes representing more marginalized communities, as created and told by writers and artists from those backgrounds themselves. How does Duo attempt to represent the Asian-American experience?

GP: No single project can represent the experiences of a whole community, so Im not going to make any sweeping statements like that. But Im thrilled about the project because so many Asian-Americans live in Pan-Asian families, where you have people of multiple backgrounds in the same family. And here, weve got a Korean-American man and a Vietnamese-American woman. Those kinds of relationships are everywhere, but theyre seldom represented, you know? And so, theres something nice about normalizing that kind of experience.

Theres also a thing where sometimes by having one Asian character in a story, that one Asian bears all this weight of representing Asian-America. Its impossible! So, having this be just one more story among many, many Asian and Asian-American stories that are out there, with more coming out every day, its a thrill to have another angle. To be another project with another window to another experience. I like that it shows some older characters and a couple. Its a mature love story. And I think that kind of thing is still sort of rare.

Especially in superhero comics.

GP: Yeah! So that feels special. A chance to dig into that kind of stuff. It is ridiculous, but having an Asian-American romantic lead is still rare in American media. Ive been doing this in one form or another for thirty years now. Making films, writing comics. Specifically doing Asian-American storytelling. And theres never been a better time than now, in terms of the diversity and breadth of Asian-American storytelling thats getting funded and distributed.

One of the nice things about having so many things coming out is that you can have some projects that are explicitly about Asian-American history, or family dynamics. And you can also have projects which arent, on the surface, directly about that at all. The characters arent necessarily struggling with immigrant experiences, or family trauma, or whatever typical Asian-American story you often see, like second-generation kids not doing what their first-generation parents want them to do. I love all those stories. I think those stories are great. But I think theres also room for totally loopy sci-fi stuff with Asian-American characters in it.

KP: Thats what I love about this story and stories that are told this way in terms of representation through just being in it, but not talking about it in the story. It just happens to be Asian-Americans. I think its important to put representation out there and just see it, see it, see it. Theyre just in a sci-fi superhero book. The costume was deliberately a classic superhero costume. Yeah, theyre Asian-Americans, but this is a science fiction superhero story, and this is just how they happen to look. But were not going to talk about it, its just what it is.

GP: There are subtleties to the whole story that may resonate with Asian-American readers in a specific way. I think theres something to these second or third generation characters who are much more open about their feelings than their immigrant parents or grandparents might be. Thats where our characters start off. Theyre very honest and open and intimate with each other. But then we kind of challenge that. Like, how open are you really? To me, that resonates, coming from Korean and German-English stock. My grandparents were very reticent. They hardly ever spoke about their emotional states, and Ill ramble on about all my feelings at the drop of a hat, because its a different world. But at the same time, theres a part of me thats very private. So, is that an Asian-American story? It might be. Its up to readers to get what they want out of it.

Nanotechnology is also a big part of this story. Theres a visual challenge with nanotech sci-fi stories where it ends up falling into this category of gray goo. How do you keep nanotech interesting visually in a comic book?

GP: Instead of gray goo, we went with gold mist. (laughter)

And that makes all the difference.

SH: Its more sparkly, yeah.

GP: Theres a big swirling tank of gold mist and its kind of romantic and beautiful. Chris Sotomayor is the colorist.

KP: I was going to say, huge credit to him on that.

Youre talking about the romantic symbology of the gold mist, which makes me wonder how much is the nanotechnology meant to be a narrative device, and how much is this meant to be a hard sci-fi story?

GP: Well, everything is a narrative device, in every story. Literally every single choice you make in a story is a narrative device. The premise is that youve got this characterand I dont know how much we should spillbut they become ridiculously powerful. So, youre not only finding yourself with your lovers mind as sort of a permanent part of your own mind, youre not only experiencing everything your partners experiencing, but youre in this body that is virtually impervious to damage. Youve got this ridiculous amount of power, and the nanotechnology sets that up.

This technology doesnt exist. It is science fiction, but there are internal rules to it all and they connect all the threads here. David and Kelly are scientists who want to use this nanotechnology to cure diseases and ease human suffering. So, this is a fictional narrative device that also makes sense given the fictional science were dealing with here, but it serves this emotional story of these people who want to do good. Theyre do-gooders. But what happens when you have so much power is that you can throw things out of balance. Thats one of these classic superhero themes, and this whole nanotech concept lets us dig at that from interesting places. Its also significant because its created by humans. Its something they have gone out and gotten. So, its not like

SH: Flash getting hit by a lightning bolt.

GP: Exactly. They went out and got this. So, theres an increased sense of personal responsibility to this whole thing that I think is interesting.

1:25 Variant Cover by Nimit Malavia

KP: With the nanos, they created it. I always sort of imagined it as being like a baby. It has a personality, and looking back, theres this one scene where David and Kelly are being affectionate and the nanos create, like, heart shapes. Its shape and texture changes based on how it feels about its creators. Its very subtle.

GP: And they nurture it, too. You have these kind of flashback scenes where they treat it like their baby. Theyre staying up all night with it.

SH: One of the cool things too, is that at the very beginning, it doesnt do what they want it to do. The intent is not what the result is. Thats also like a childyou cant control it. Once its there, its got a life of its own.

KP: Absolutely.

So, this is a story about parenthood, as well as partnership.

GP: (Laughs) Thats sort of more of a buried theme, but yeah.

Duo #1 is written by Greg Pak and drawn by Khoi Pham and Scott Hanna. Cover art is by Dike Ruan, with a variant cover by Denys Cowan and a 1:25 variant cover by Nimit Malavia. Look for it at comic shops anddigital retailers on May 17, 2022.

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Meet Duo: Earth-M's Debut Superhero is of Two Minds - DC Comics

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– High Seas Alliance

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UN Intergovernmental Conference (IGC4)

The Countdown to the 4th meeting of the United Nations Intergovernmental Conference (IGC4) is on! The final round of negotiations on the UN Treaty for Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) is scheduled to take place in New York, March 7-18.

Since its founding in 2011, the High Seas Alliance (HSA) with its 40+ non-governmental members and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has been working towards protecting the 50% of the planet that is the high seas. As the region of the global ocean that is beyond national jurisdiction, the high seas includes some of the most biologically important, least protected, and most critically threatened ecosystems in the world.

HSA members work together to inspire, inform and engage the public, decision-makers and experts to support and strengthen high seas governance and conservation, as well as cooperating towards the establishment of high seas protected areas.

Our current priority is to ensure that an intergovernmental conference taking place at the United Nations from 2018-2021 for the development of a new legally binding treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea results in robust protection for marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The next two years are a particularly critical time as States from around the world negotiate the content of the treaty.

Currently, there are no legally binding mechanisms for establishing marine protected areas outside States territorial seas, or for undertaking environmental impact assessments. Yet increasing impacts from overfishing, climate change, deep-seabed mining and shipping continue to negatively affect biodiversity on the high seas.

HSA is working to ensure that treaty negotiations result in robust and effective conservation measures that address gaps in current ocean governance.

We are now in the conclusive stages of the negotiations, with the fourth and final intergovernmental conference (IGC4) scheduled for August 2021. The need for a strong final push and elevated political will from States is required now more than ever if we are to adopt a new high seas treaty at IGC4 and ensure the protections the high seas so desperately deserves. The treaty is a once in a generation opportunity to shift the status quo of high seas governance and management and protect nearly half the planet.

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- High Seas Alliance

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