Category Archives: Transhuman News

In 2009, Time magazine declared cultured meat one of their top 50 inventions of the year for its potential to curb the carbon footprint of industrial farming. This promising idea has since become a booming industry. Ever since Dutch researcher Mark Post debuted the first lab-grown hamburger in 2013 a $325,000 patty with an intense flavor that took two years to dish up nearly 60 companies have sprung up around the globe in pursuit of growing the perfect cut of cultured meat. In the first quarter of 2020 alone, $189 million was poured into these companies. Now that its gone from pipe dream to industry, what is stopping lab-grown meat from being available in a supermarket near you?

The chief hurdle is cost, which is related to what is known in the biz as the scalability problem." Every single slab of meat is an intricate mosaic of billions of cells of different types nerve cells, muscle fibers, fat cells, and more that lend a cut its specific flavor and texture. Researchers have spent years working out how to grow and sustain cultures of cells large enough to make meals at scale. Unfortunately, the mature cells that make up meat are only able to divide a certain number of times before they lose steam, a phenomenon known as senescence. Even if current methods could be expanded, the bulk wouldnt be considered truly clean; the nutritional soup used to grow most meat cultures relies on fetal bovine serum extracted from the blood of unborn cows.

A new ray of hope and innovation has come from a group of researchers taking a very different tack, coupling the raw potential of a special kind of stem cells, known as pluripotent stem cells, with a trick of genetic engineering. Pluripotent stem cells are often called the master cells of the body because they can differentiate into any cell type. Even niftier, these cells can divide endlessly and dont rely on fetal bovine serum to sustain their growth, providing a theoretically limitless supply of cells to serve as precursors to those that make up your favorite cut of meat. Differentiation from a pluripotent stem cell into a mature cell type can take months when left to nature, but neuroscientist Mark Kotter discovered a genetic workaround that cuts the process down to just a matter of days. Kotters technology, dubbed opti-ox, has opened the doors to streamlining the production of billions of cells of your choosing. While opti-ox was first developed to create an unlimited and consistent supply of human neural cells for research, its potential for the clean meat industry caught the eye of Daan Luining, the founder of Dutch-based food tech startup Meatable. The great challenge for them was transforming these animal stem cells into something consumers could eat.

They started a collaboration with a research team led by bit.bio biologist Anne-Claire Guenantin. Guenantin, a pluripotent stem cell expert, had never worked on cultured meat before and was now at the forefront of a massive breakthrough. Right as the project picked up steam, the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world. But Guenantin and her team werent about to let that stop them.

Guenantins entrance into the field was, in her words, by a bit of serendipity. Her roots are in biomedicine, investigating how pluripotent stem cells could be used to treat certain laminopathies, a group of rare genetic disorders resulting from mutations in genes that support the structural integrity of the cells nucleus. During graduate school, she became an expert in cardiac differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, transitioning in her postdoctoral career to a new system: adipocytes, or cells specialized for storing fat. Together with adipocyte expert Nolwenn Briand, she developed and patented one of the first procedures of its kind to derive these fat-storing cells from pluripotent stem cells.

Pluripotent pork cells differentiated into fat (red) and muscle (green) in 7 days.

Meatable

As Guenantin was emerging as a leader in adipocyte differentiation, she became increasingly curious about making the transition from academia to industry. I wanted to do more concrete science, she explains. While a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge in Prof. Antonio Vidal-Puig's laboratory, she met Thomas Moreau, Head of Research at bit.bio, who introduced her to the opti-ox system. He showed her research group a video of muscle cells differentiating from pluripotent stem cells in just ten days. I knew this is one of the most difficult cell types to [differentiate] from stem cells. I was blown away. The breakthrough made her next career step clear. I knew I wanted work there. That was it.

Luckily for Guenantin, bit.bio was in search of a researcher to work out how to differentiate pluripotent porcine stem cells into the characteristic muscle and fat cells needed to make tasty pork. Guenantin is one of only a few experts in adipocyte differentiation, in part because there is less interest in research around fat stem cell therapies compared to treatments centered on cardiac or neuronal cells. Her expertise in this niche field uniquely positioned her for this monumental task. When she was hired at bit.bio Kotters company holding the opti-ox technology she was tasked with programming the fate of Meatables cells.

Guenantins first challenge was to figure out how to sustain and grow a culture of pluripotent stem cells derived from pork. Its a really different thing to cultivate animal cells than to cultivate human cells, she says. The promise of human stem cell therapies has flooded the research field with standardized protocols and tried-and-true chemical reagents needed to reliably grow a healthy culture of human cells. The same isnt true for culturing stem cells from animals like pigs and cows. Guenantin estimates that the field is 15 years or so behind human cells.

After months of mining the literature, testing various recipes for growth media, and piloting different environmental conditions, Guenantin was able to find the right formula for growing a seemingly endless pool of happy and healthy pluripotent porcine stem cells. It was crazy interesting and really took teamwork, she stresses. Nothing would have happened without all the input from people working in the lab.

The next piece of the puzzle was led by stem cell biologist Sara Gomes, who worked to genetically engineer the opti-ox system into the expectant stem cells. Gomes and Guenantin worked together to figure out how to drive differentiation of the stem cells into the desired muscle and fatty cell fates. While the researchers at bit.bio had a protocol in place for differentiating human muscle from stem cells, it had to be adapted to suit the subtleties of pork muscle. Guenantin recalls, Differentiating the muscle cells was relatively straightforward, but for differentiating adipocytes thats where my expertise came in.

Guenantin and Gomess work at the lab bench was aided by the addition of two new research assistants to the team: Madeleine Garrett and Patrick Thomas. But right as their team expanded, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Guenantin, who was pregnant at the time, had to pull back from her work in the laboratory. As she notes, At this point, we didnt know if it was okay for pregnant women to go to work.

Gomes was left to supervise the work in the lab, which adjusted to staggered shifts to comply with public health guidelines, with Guenantin overseeing and advising on the project from home. The first shifts were stressful and bumpy, Gomes admits, But we quickly reached an efficient way of dividing the workload. The team had daily meetings over Zoom, both to discuss progress on the project and to check in with each other. I wanted to make sure everyone was okay, Guenantin notes. In the beginning, it was okay, but then back in May, [the pandemic] began feeling long and difficult.

The team, from left to right: Anne-Claire Guenantin, Madeleine Garrett, Patrick Thomas, and Sara Gomes.

But COVID-19 did not deter their progress. They worked through the spring and summer of 2020, alternating shifts in and out of the lab, to fine-tune a protocol that would reliably re-program the opti-ox-expressing stem cells into the cells of their choosing. Its a sum of small victories, Guenantin says. We celebrated every step because you have to do that as a scientist. If you dont, you become depressed because basically its never working until its working. To ensure the final cells were up to snuff, the team ran a series of tests to characterize the newly differentiated cells, tapping into Guenantins expertise in fat cell form and function until they were satisfied with the end result. They passed the pork cells over to their colleagues at Meatable who then got to work growing the cultures in bioreactors that provide a three dimensional scaffold for the cells to grow and take shape.

Meatable has continued to raise money to support bringing in $60 million through a combination of Series A funding and support from the Eurostars Programme. In the meantime, Guenantins team and their counterparts at Meatable continue to refine their methods to deliver pork muscle and fat at scale and have begun to turn their attention to stem cells derived from cows.

In the meantime, regulators recognize the demand for a future of clean meat, with Singapore becoming the first country to approve a lab-grown meat product in December 2020. The appeal of cultured meat cuts across a wide swath of consumers, including those passionate about cutting carbon emissions, those seeking to spare animals from the cruel conditions of factory farming, or ones looking for innovative ways to feed the worlds ever-growing population.

This project has raised a lot of questions for me, Guenantin says. It mades me think about the future generations and how this problem of global warming will end up. We need to think about innovative solution to feed the growing planet with tasty and sustainable products.

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This technology was designed to grow human cells. Now it's transforming the cultured meat industry. - Massive Science

Quantum computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend who likes investing in tech, and who knows about my attempt to learn quantum mechanics, has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest and most complex challenges we face as humans, as a Forbes commentator declared recently. My friend asks, What do you think, Mr. Science Writer? Are quantum computers really the next big thing?

Ive also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts with distinct perspectives on the technologys prospects. One is computer scientist Scott Aaronson, who has, as I once put it, one of the highest intelligence/pretension ratios Ive ever encountered. Not to embarrass him further, but I see Aaronson as the conscience of quantum computing, someone who helps keep the field honest.

The other expert is physicist Terry Rudolph. He is a co-author, the R, of the PBR theorem, which, along with its better-known predecessor, Bells theorem, lays bare the peculiarities of quantum behavior. In 2011 Nature described the PBR Theorem as the most important general theorem relating to the foundations of quantum mechanics since Bells theorem was published in 1964. Rudolph is also the author of Q Is for Quantum and co-founder of the quantum-computing startup PsiQuantum. Aaronson and Rudolph are on friendly terms; they co-authored a paper in 2007, and Rudolph wrote about Q Is for Quantum on Aaronsons blog. In this column, Ill summarize their views and try to reach a coherent conclusion.

First, a little background. Quantum computers exploit superposition (a particle inhabits two or more mutually exclusive states at the same time) and entanglement (a special form of superposition, in which two or more particles influence each other in spooky ways) to do things that ordinary computers cant. A bit, the basic unit of information of a conventional computer, can be in one of two states, representing a one or zero. Quantum computers, in contrast, traffic in qubits, which are constructed out of superposed particles that embody numerous states simultaneously.

For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a hypothesis, or laboratory curiosity, as researchers wrestled with the technical complexities of maintaining superposition and entanglement for long enough to perform useful calculations. (Remember that as soon as you look at an electron or cat, its superposition vanishes.) Now, tech giants like IBM, Amazon, Microsoft and Google have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller companies, 193 by one count. In March, the startup IonQ announced a $2 billion deal that would make it the first publicly traded firm dedicated to quantum computers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that IonQ plans to produce a device roughly the size of an Xbox videogame console by 2023. Quantum computing, the Journal states, could speed up calculations related to finance, drug and materials discovery, artificial intelligence and others, andcrack many of the defensesused to secure the internet. According to Business Insider, quantum machines could help us cure cancer, and even take steps to reverse climate change.

This is the sort of hype that bugs Scott Aaronson. He became a computer scientist because he believes in the potential of quantum computing and wants to help develop it. Hed love to see someone build a machine that proves the naysayers wrong. But he worries that researchers are making promises they cant keep. Last month, Aaronson fretted on his blog Shtetl-Optimized that the hype, which he has been countering for years, has gotten especially egregious lately.

Whats new, Aaronson wrote, is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers, along with equity, stock options, and whatever else causes ka-ching sound effects and bulging eyes with dollar signs. And in many cases, to have a shot at such riches, all an expert needs to do is profess optimism that quantum computing will have revolutionary, world-changing applications and have themsoon. Or at least, not object too strongly when others say that. Aaronson elaborated on his concerns in a two-hour discussion on the media platform Clubhouse. Below I summarize a few of his points.

Quantum-computing enthusiasts have declared that the technology will supercharge machine learning. It will revolutionize the simulation of complex phenomena in chemistry, neuroscience, medicine, economics and other fields. It will solve the traveling-salesman problem and other conundrums that resist solution by conventional computers. Its still not clear whether quantum computing will achieve these goals, Aaronson says, adding that optimists might be in for a rude awakening.

Popular accounts often imply that quantum computers, because superposition and entanglement allow them to carry out multiple computations at the same time, are simply faster versions of conventional computers. Those accounts are misleading, Aaronson says. Compared to conventional computers, quantum computers are unnatural devices that might be best suited to a relatively narrow range of applications, notably simulating systems dominated by quantum effects.

The ability of a quantum computer to surpass the fastest conventional machine is known as quantum supremacy, a phrase coined by physicist John Preskill in 2012. Demonstrating quantum supremacy is extremely difficult. Even in conventional computing, proving that your algorithm beats mine isnt straightforward. You must pick a task that represents a fair test and choose valid methods of measuring speed and accuracy. The outcomes of tests are also prone to misinterpretation and confirmation bias. Testing creates an enormous space for mischief, Aaronson says.

Moreover, the hardware and software of conventional computers keeps improving. By the time quantum computers are ready for the marketplace, they might lose potential customersif, for example, classical computers become powerful enough to simulate the quantum systems that chemists and materials scientists actually care about in real life, Aaronson says. Although quantum computers would retain their theoretical advantage, their practical impact would be less.

As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, Aaronson says, researchers may mislead investors, government agencies, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their works potential. If researchers cant keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Aaronson warns. The field might lose funding and talent and lapse into a quantum-computer winter like those that have plagued artificial intelligence.

Lots of other technologiesgenetic engineering, high-temperature superconductors, nanotechnology and fusion energy come to mindhave gone through phases of irrational exuberance. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Aaronson suggests, perhaps because quantum stands for something cool you shouldnt be able to understand.

And that brings me back to Terry Rudolph. In January, after reading about my struggle to understand the Schrdinger equation, Rudolph emailed me to suggest that I read Q Is for Quantum. The 153-page book explains quantum mechanics with a little arithmetic and algebra and lots of diagrams of black-and-white balls going in and out of boxes. Q Is for Quantum has given me more insight into quantum mechanics, and quantum computing, than anything Ive ever read.

Rudolph begins by outlining simple rules underlying conventional computing, which allow for the manipulation of bits. He then shifts to the odd rules of quantum computing, which stem from superposition and entanglement. He details how quantum computing can solve a specific problemone involving thieves stealing code-protected gold bars from a vault--much more readily than conventional computing. But he emphasizes, like Aaronson, that the technology has limits; it cannot compute the uncomputable.

After I read Q Is for Quantum, Rudolph patiently answered my questions about it. You can find our exchange (which assumes familiarity with the book) here. He also answered my questions about PsiQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016, which until recently has avoided publicity. Although he is wittily modest about his talents as a physicist (which adds to the charm of Q Is for Quantum), Rudolph is boosterish about PsiQuantum. He shares Aaronsons concerns about hype, and the difficulties of establishing quantum supremacy, but he says those concerns do not apply to PsiQuantum.

The company, he says, is closer than any other firm by a very large margin to building a useful quantum computer, one that solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise (e.g., something from quantum chemistry which has real-world uses). He adds, Obviously, I have biases, and people will naturally discount my opinions. But I have spent a lot oftime quantitatively comparing what we are doing to others.

Rudolph and other experts contend that a useful quantum computer with robust error-correction will require millions of qubits. PsiQuantum, which constructs qubits out of light, expects by the middle of the decade to be building fault-tolerant quantum computers with fully manufactured components capable of scaling to a million or morequbits, Rudolph says. PsiQuantum has partnered with the semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries to achieve its goal. The machines will be room-sized, comparable to supercomputers or data centers. Most users will access the computers remotely.

Could PsiQuantum really be leading all the competition by a wide margin, as Rudolph claims? Can it really produce a commercially viable machine by 2025? I dont know. Quantum mechanics and quantum computing still baffle me. Im certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Rudolph, just as I trust Aaronson.

Way back in 1994, I wrote a brief report for Scientific American on quantum computers, noting that they could, in principle, perform tasks beyond the range of any classical device. Ive been intrigued by quantum computing ever since. If this technology gives scientists more powerful tools for simulating complex phenomena, and especially the quantum weirdness at the heart of things, maybe it will give science the jump start it badly needs. Who knows? I hope PsiQuantum helps quantum computing live up to the hype.

This is an opinion and analysis article.

Further Reading:

Will Artificial Intelligence Ever Live Up to Its Hype?

Is the Schrdinger Equation True?

Quantum Mechanics, the Chinese Room Experiment and the Limits of Understanding

Quantum Mechanics, the Mind-Body Problem and Negative Theology

For more ruminations on quantum mechanics, see my new bookPay Attention: Sex, Death, and Science and Tragedy and Telepathy, a chapter in my free online bookMind-Body Problems.

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Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype? - Scientific American

To aid in the fight against the global Covid-19 pandemic, the past year has seen an urgent rush to develop new and effective vaccines at lightning speed.

Tremendous and collaborative efforts have been made by pharma, governments, scientific experts and patient volunteers to find jabs that will protect the population and slow the disruption that Covid-19 has wrought.

A number of promising candidates from some of the worlds biggest pharma companies have emerged and have already been administered to millions globally.

But, for a number of these vaccines it has been an incredibly bumpy road. With the news of both AstraZenecas vaccine and now Johnson & Johnsons candidate being linked to cases of rare blood clots, governments and their populations are now looking hopefully to candidates further down the pipeline without a reputation for serious adverse events.

With dozens all in different stages of development, and new variants of Covid-19 popping over the last year, the race for the safest and most effective vaccines continues with a new crop of candidates.

Clinical Trials Arena tracks the development of the vaccine candidates at the front of that race for approval.

Candidate name: NVX-CoV2373

Mechanism: Nanoparticle vaccine

GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business.

Trial phase: Phase III

After assessing safety and immunogenicity in Phase I/II clinical trials where the vaccine produced encouragingly high levels of antibodies, NVX-CoV2373 is currently in two pivotal Phase III studies to evaluate vaccine efficacy, safety and immunogenicity.

NVX-CoV2373 clinical trials have enrolled more than 30,000 volunteers around the globe.

NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

The candidate was created using US-based Novavaxs recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and is complemented with the companys patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralising antibodies.

In March 2021, Novavax reported that its UK trial determined an efficacy rate of 96% against the original coronavirus and 86% against the UK variant. But in South Africa, where volunteers were exposed to variant B.1.351, the efficacy was only 49%.

The company is now developing a new version of the vaccine that is tailored to the South Africa variant. The vaccine has also been brought into a University of Oxford trial to study the potential efficacy of mixing doses of different vaccines, alongside vaccines from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

If its own clinical trials succeed, Novavax expects to deliver 100 million doses for use in the United States in 2021.

Candidate name: ZyCoV-D

Mechanism: DNA vaccine (plasmid)

Trial phase: Phase III

ZyCoV-D is India-based Zydus Cadilas plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for Covid-19 that targets the viral entry membrane protein of the virus.

In early animal studies, the firm reported that as well as generating neutralising antibodies post-vaccination, ZyCoV-D also induced T-cell response.

ZyCoV-D can be stored at 2 to 8C for the long term and at 25C for a few months and is administered via Needle Free Injection System (NFIS).

The company has launched an adaptive Phase I/II dose-escalation trial and plans to enrol about 1,000 healthy volunteers. The candidate began Phase II trials in August 2020. The Drugs Controller General of India has granted approval for Zydus Cadila to proceed with Phase III trials which began in January, involving over 30,000 people.

Candidate name: Abdala (CIGB 66)

Mechanism: Protein subunit vaccine

Trial phase: Phase III

Abdala is one of three vaccine candidates for Covid-19 being developed in-house by Cubas Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).

Abdala (CIGB 66) is a protein vaccine that uses yeast as a receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein and alumina as an adjuvant.

The platform used to produce Abdalas RBD is the same one that the centre used in the past to develop HeberNasVac, a therapeutic vaccine against hepatitis B.

Abdala is designed to be administered three times, at 14-day intervals.

The Cuban government reports that 48,000 doses of the first of three shots of the jab were administered to members of CIGB and healthcare workers in the country, reaching the full population of participants proposed for the trial.

The ABDALA trial moved to Phase III at the end of February 2021.

Candidate name: VIR-7831

Mechanism: Plant-based adjuvant vaccine

Trial phase: Phase III

Medicago uses a plant-based platform to develop its vaccines. This approach uses living plants as bioreactors to produce non-infectious versions of viruses (called virus-like particles, or VLPs).

VLPs mimic the native structure of viruses, helping them to be easily recognised by the immune system.

Medicago developed its seasonal recombinant quadrivalent VLP vaccine candidate, VIR-7831, just 20 days after working with the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

A single dose of VIR-7831 in mice generated a positive antibody response after 10 days. Results from a Phase I trial show the vaccine was tolerable and generated an immune response in all participants after two doses.

Based on these results, Medicago received the agreement of regulatory authorities to launch Phase II/III clinical trials on 12 November 2020.

The company is also testing the candidate with two additional vaccine adjuvants from GSK and Dynavax.

On 17 February, the US FDA granted the candidate Fast Track designation.

Candidate name: CVnCoV

Mechanism: mRNA-based vaccine

Trial phase: Phase IIb/III

CVnCoV is German clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company CureVacs mRNA-based vaccine candidate, which started development in January 2020. CVnCoV is being developed in collaboration with British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Bayer.

The candidate is being supported by the German federal government and its development is strengthened by a partnership with the UK Government and its Vaccines Taskforce, which CureVac entered in February 2021.

The vaccine is an optimised, non-chemically modified mRNA, encoding the prefusion stabilized full-length spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and formulated within lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

Phase I and IIa clinical trials of CVnCoV began in June and September 2020, respectively, in Germany, Belgium, Peru and Panama. Phase I interim data showed that CVnCoV was generally well tolerated across all tested doses and induced strong antibody responses in addition to first indication of T cell activation. CureVac said the quality of immune response was comparable to recovered Covid-19 patients, closely mimicking the immune response after natural Covid-19 infection.

In December 2020, CureVac initiated the HERALD study, a pivotal Phase IIb/III trial taking place in Germany with 36,000 participants, who will receive a 12g dose of CVnCoV.

A complementary Phase III trial at the University Medical Center Mainz of more than 2,500 healthcare workers is also underway and a Phase III trial in Mexico has also begun.

In February 2021, CureVac initiated a rolling submission with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for CVnCoV.

Candidate name: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin

Mechanism: Live-attenuated vaccine

Trial phase: Phase II/III

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia is conducting a Phase III trial of the bacillus Calmette-Gurin (BCG) tuberculosis vaccine to see if it also protects against the coronavirus. The trial, called BRACE, is being run in Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Altogether, the trial will recruit more than 10,000 healthcare staff who will be given either the BCG vaccine (currently given to more than 100 million babies worldwide each year to protect against tuberculosis) or a placebo injection. In the UK, routine BCG vaccination ceased in 2005 because of the low rates of TB in the general population.

The BCG vaccine boosts immunity by training the immune system to respond to other subsequent infections with greater intensity.

Previous studies suggest that the BCG vaccine could reduce susceptibility to a range of infections caused by viruses including those similar to the novel coronavirus. This notion is what will be examined by the researchers working on the BRACE trial.

BRACE has received more than $10m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to allow its global expansion. The Peter Sowerby Foundation has contributed funding to support the UK Exeter trial site.

Candidate name: INO-4800

Mechanism: DNA vaccine (plasmid)

Trial phase: Phase II/III

Composed of an optimised DNA plasmid, INO-4800 is delivered via a proprietary smart device to produce a robust and tolerable immune response. US drug developer Inovio plans to scale production of the device while awaiting study results.

Inovio said INO-4800 is the only nucleic-acid based vaccine that is stable at room temperature for more than a year, at 37C for more than a month and has a five-year projected shelf life at normal refrigeration temperature. The candidate does not need to be frozen during transport or storage.

Preclinical data published in Nature Communications showed that mice and guinea pigs who received INO-4800 demonstrated neutralising antibodies as well as humoral and T-cell responses. In guinea pigs, researchers observed protein-binding antibody titers and blocking of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/SARS-CoV-2 S proteins.

Inovio has been working with Advaccine to advance the clinical development of INO-4800 in China, where 640 subjects have been dosed with the first vaccination of a 28-day, two-dose regimen in a Phase II clinical trial. The trial has enrolled both adults who are 18-59 years old and older adults over 60 with the primary endpoints of evaluating safety and immunogenicity within the Chinese population.

A similar independently-run Phase II segment of INOVIOs Phase II/III clinical trial for INO-4800 in the US, called INNOVATE, has started dosing.

In April 2021, Inovio announced results of a study that showed INO-4800 induced a robust T cell response against all spike protein variants tested, which the firm says will be key in providing protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants, in addition to providing similar levels of neutralising activity against both the UK and Brazilian variants as those against the original strain.

Candidate name: hAd5

Mechanism: Adenovirus-based vaccine

Trial phase: Phase I

ImmunityBio is developing a second-generation Covid-19 adenovirus vaccine candidate that targets both spike and nucleocapsid DNA in SARS-CoV-2.

In May 2020, the firms vaccine candidate, which is being manufactured by NantKwest, was selected to participate in Operation Warp Speed, a national program to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine development.

ImmunityBio believes the key to creating long-term immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and overcoming the variants that are rapidly developing around the world is to design a vaccine that activates antibodies as well as memory B and T cells to multiple antigens.

The vaccine has the potential to provide multiple routes of administration (subcutaneous, intranasal and oral) to potentially generate mucosal IgA antibody barriers to the virus in the upper respiratory tract where it first enters the body.

The firms vaccine demonstrated CD4+ and CD8+ antigen-specific T cell responses in mice and protects nasal and lung airways in non-human primates.

ImmunityBio received authorisation from the US FDA to initiate a Phase I trial of its vaccine candidate last October. Results from the study, and others, will inform the companys swift movement into its Phase II/III trial design.

Currently, a Phase Ib study of the vaccine is progressing to assess the safety and immunogenicity of subcutaneous, oral and sublingual prime-boost combinations.

Candidate name: UB-612

Mechanism: Multitope peptide-based vaccine

Trial phase: Phase II/III

Vaxxinity (formerly COVAXX), a subsidiary of United Biomedical (UBI), is developing UB-612, a multitope protein/synthetic peptide-based vaccine candidate for Covid-19. UB-612 is designed to activate both T-cell and B-cell immunity in the body and has shown neutralising antibody activity in mice, rats, and guinea pigs.

In Taiwan, a Phase I trial of up to 60 participants is underway, and a Phase II trial of 3,850 participants has been initiated.

Results from the Phase I study, which evaluated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of UB-612, showed that the vaccine was generally well-tolerated and elicited robust vaccine-induced CD4+/CD8+ T cell antibody responses.

Vaxxinity is also partnering with medical company Dasa for a Phase II/III trial in Brazil, and with the University of Nebraska for Phase I/II trials in the United States.

Candidate name: GRAd-COV2

Mechanism: Adenovirus-based vaccine

Trial phase: Phase II/III

Biotechnology firms ReiThera (Italy), Leukocare (Germany) and Univercells (Belgium) are partnering to develop GRAd-COV2, an adenovirus-based Covid-19 vaccine.

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10 next-gen Covid-19 vaccines in the race for approval - Clinical Trials Arena

An environmental credit crunch will challenge current levels of unsustainable consumption, ratcheting up the pressure on companies to solve climate-related problems and providing opportunities for investors, said Swiss investment bank UBS.

Urgent action is needed to combat the growing climate crisis, the bank said in a report published on Tuesday, outlining how the economic costs of climate change are only adding to the environmental and human toll.

But while investors face increasing uncertainty from climate risks in assessing asset values, there are strong, long-term investing opportunities in sustainable innovations, the bank said on Tuesday.

Leveraging resources like oil and lumber has helped spur incredible economic growth in the modern era, including halving the number of people living in extreme poverty over the last 30 years, UBS UBS, +0.92% said in the report, released ahead of Earth Day on April 22.

But it has come at the cost of depleting those resources. Amid a wider social shift toward sustainability, investors are increasingly looking to evaluate investments under a framework of environmental, social, and governance factors, called ESG.

Plus: Ahead of Bidens climate summit, U.K. toughens its greenhouse gas emissions targets

Companies that are on the right side of history, when it comes to climate change and reducing their own carbon footprint, will better be positioned to prevent climate risks, deal with tighter regulations, and avoid reputational concerns, said Solita Marcelli, UBS Global Wealth Managements chief investment officer for the Americas, in a call with the media.

Companies that emerge as leaders in developing solutions to tackle environmental challenges could really offer attractive long term growth prospects, Marcelli added. We think sustainability will continue to grow as a core part of the decisions that investors make as they build out their portfolios.

UBS grouped some of the most pressing issues related to climate changes into four themes, and suggested potential areas for investment in sectors that address these problems. Heres how it breaks down:

People, health and communities

Air pollution is the greatest environmental-linked threat to humans, UBS said, and is the fourth leading cause of death around the world. Climate change has profound human implications, the bank said, including extreme heat in urban centers that is increasingly claiming lives.

The bank suggests investing in treatments for illnesses linked to climate change, which includes both drugs and medical devices. Urban planning solutions will also be critical, UBS said, including technologies for smart cities data-driven communities that use technology to operate more efficiently.

Energy

Emissions related to energy account for more than two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the bank. But a major problem facing the energy angle of addressing climate change is ensuring that humanitys vast energy needs are met, UBS said. As we move toward new technologies and infrastructure, long-term sustainability needs to be considered, the bank said, and the role of government will be key.

Investors should look to companies with energy-efficiency solutions, as well as those focused on generating renewable energy like wind and solar, according to UBS. Alternative fuels in the form of hydrogen, biofuels, natural gas, and synthetic fuels are also likely to become more popular, the bank said.

More: This technology could transform renewable energy. BP and Chevron just invested

UBS also highlighted the emerging role of electric transport and the role that fuel cell and battery companies will play in facilitating the rise of cleaner vehicles. UBS is bullish on electric vehicles, and predicts that EVs will penetrate 100% of the automobile market by 2040, with Volkswagen XE:VOW joining Tesla TSLA, +1.35% as the most dominant players in an industry that includes rivals NIO NIO, +3.82%, XPeng XPEV, +2.87%, and General Motors GM, +1.54%.

Also read: Buy these 3 battery stocks to play the electric-vehicle party, but stay away from this company, says UBS

Land

Land use follows energy as the second-largest source of global emissions, which come from land-clearing activity like the lumber industry as well as intensive farming, UBS said. But these emissions arent the only extent of the environmental cost of using land resources. There are major environmental costs from habitat and ecosystem destruction that have knock-on effects on the water, food, and air humans need to survive. Land management systems will be key in future sustainability, according to UBS.

One of the key areas the bank said to invest in is land-use monitoring and supply-chain validation systems. This includes projects using blockchain the cryptographic network that underpins bitcoin BTCUSD, -3.39%, ethereum ETHUSD, +2.59%, and even dogecoin DOGEUSD, -8.18% as well as drones.

Smart agriculture, such as biotech, genetic engineering ventures, and vertical farming are another avenue for investment, the bank said. Sustainable production and consumption trends, largely through lab-grown as well as plant-based meat like that made by Beyond Meat BYND, -1.06% are also becoming more popular, UBS said.

Read: As Kerry secures climate pledge with China, heres what else to watch for at Bidens Earth Day summit

Water

Supplies of fresh water one of the worlds scarcest resources will face increasing pressure from rising populations, ongoing urbanization, and industrialization in emerging markets, UBS said. That will come on top of agriculture, which already consumes around 70% of accessible fresh water, according to the report.

Water tech will be critical to solving problems from water supply, UBS said, with investment opportunities including smart water networks, water automation systems, water meters, water testing equipment, and desalination equipment.

UBS said that the size of the global water market was estimated at $655 billion in 2020 and that is expected to grow at mid-single-digit rates annually over the next few years.

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Electric-vehicle batteries and these crypto uses are investments for the green wave, says UBS - MarketWatch

Six members of the University of Pennsylvania faculty have been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. They are Cristina Bicchieriand Michael Hanchard of the School of Arts & Sciences, Vijay Kumar, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Stanley Plotkin and Kenneth Zaret of the Perelman School of Medicine, and Sarah Tishkoff, a Penn Integrates Knowledge professor with appointments in Penn Medicine andPenn Arts & Sciences.

They join more than 250 new members honored in 2021, recognized for their work to help solve the worlds most urgent challenges, create meaning through art, and contribute to the common good.

Cristina Bicchieriis the S. J. Patterson Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics in theSchool of Arts & Sciences. She is also a professor of legal studies at theWharton School.She is the director of theCenter for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamicsand founding director of theMaster of Behavioral and Decision Sciencesprogram.

Her research sits at the intersection of philosophy, game theory, and psychology, with a primary research focus on judgment and decision-making, as well as on how expectations affect behavior. Bicchieris work also examines the nature and evolution of social norms, how to measure them, and what strategies are necessary to foster social change.

Her most recent book is Norms in the Wild How to Diagnose, Measure, and Change Social Norms (Oxford University Press, 2016). In addition to this most recent honor, she was elected to theGerman National Academy of Sciences.

Michael Hanchard is theGustav C. Kuemmerle Professor of Africana Studies and professor of political science in the School of Arts & Sciences. He also serves as director of the Marginalized Populations Project,a collaborative research initiative designed to explore political dynamics between populations with unequal, minimal, or non-existent state protections and national governments.

His research and teaching interests combine a specialization in comparative politics with an interest in contemporary political theory, encompassing themes of nationalism, racism, xenophobia, and citizenship.

His most recent book isThe Spectre of Race: How Discrimination Haunts Western Democracy (Princeton, 2018).

Vijay Kumaris the Nemirovsky Family Dean ofPenn Engineeringwith appointments in the departments ofMechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics,Computer and Information Science, andElectrical and Systems Engineering.

He is an internationally recognized robotics expert who specializes in multi-agent systems, teams of robots that can cooperate to complete a task. Kumars research on new ways for these teams to sense their environments and communicate will help them collaborate on tasks that no single robot could do on its own, whether splitting up to count oranges in an orchard or coming together to lift a heavy payload.

In addition to holding many administrative positions at Penn, Kumar has served as the assistant director of robotics and cyber physical systems at theWhite House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His lab has founded many startups in robotics, and he is the founder ofExyn Technologies. In addition to this most recent honor, he is a fellow of theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineersand theInstitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and was elected to theNational Academy of Engineeringand theAmerican Philosophical Society.

Stanley Plotkin is an emeritus professor of pediatrics and microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, an emeritus professor of virology at the Wistar Institute, and former director of infectious diseases at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Plotkin has spent his career focused on developing vaccines for diseases like rubella, polio, rabies, varicella, and cytomegalovirus. He is a past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases and of the former AAP Task Force on Pediatric AIDS. He is also a founding member of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

In addition to this most recent honor, among many others, Plotkin received the Richard D. Wood Distinguished Alumni Award from CHOP for internationally renowned research in immunology and infectious diseases and the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor insignia from the president of France for his role in vaccine development. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and is a fellow of the International Society for Vaccines, AAP, and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Plotkin is a consultant to Aventis Pasteur, Paris, for which he has served as medical and scientific director.

Sarah Tishkoffis the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology, holding appointments in thePerelman School of MedicineandSchool of Arts & Sciences.She is also director of thePenn Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity. Tishkoffstudies human genetic diversity, specifically that of African populations, blending field, lab, and computational approaches.

Her work has not only elucidated African population history but also how genetic variation affects traits such as disease susceptibility or ability to metabolize drugs.

In addition to this most recent honor, Tishkoff is a member of theNational Academy of Sciencesand a recipient of anNIH Pioneer Award, aDavid and Lucile Packard Career Award, aBurroughs/Wellcome Fund Career Award, anAmerican Society for Human Genetics Curt Stern Award, and aPenn Integrates Knowledge endowed chair.

Kenneth Zaretis the Joseph Leidy Professor in the Department ofCell and Developmental Biologyat thePerelman School of Medicine. He is also the director of PennsInstitute for Regenerative Medicine. Zaret joined Penn in 2009, where he served as associate director of IRM and co-director of the Epigenetics Program until 2014. He is also a member of theCell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program.

TheZaret Labfocuses on understanding how genes are regulated to allow one type of cell to change into another type, cell type control that occurs in embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Understanding this is crucial to being able to generate new cells at will for therapeutics and for generating experimental models to unveil the basis of and cures for human disease.

In addition to this most recent honor, Zarets awards include, among others, a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, election as a fellow of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Stanley N. Cohen Biomedical Research Award.

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Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences | Penn Today - Penn Today

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX rocketship launches 4 astronauts on NASA mission to space station

NASA and Elon Musk's commercial rocket company SpaceX launched a new four-astronaut team on a flight to the International Space Station early on Friday, the first crew ever propelled toward orbit by a rocket booster recycled from a previous spaceflight.

Scientists hope genetic engineering can revive the American chestnut tree

A day before Earth Day, retired forester Rex Mann watched as scientists signed an agreement with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina to allow for the eventual planting of genetically engineered American chestnut trees on tribal land. Mann, who has heard countless stories about the American chestnut tree that once dominated the Appalachia region, was emotional as he witnessed the signing.

Costa Rica unveils radar that tracks space objects from a farm

Surrounded by clear blue skies and fields of sugar cane crops on the Pacific coast, a farm in the northwest of Costa Rica is now home to a giant radar capable of tracking small objects in space that threaten the safety of astronauts and satellites. Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado and U.S. and Costa Rican astronauts on Thursday unveiled the four large reflective panels that make up the commercial radar, which is connected to the servers of aerospace company LeoLabs in San Francisco.

NASA extracts breathable oxygen from thin Martian air

NASA has logged another extraterrestrial first on its latest mission to Mars: converting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into pure, breathable oxygen, the U.S. space agency said on Wednesday. The unprecedented extraction of oxygen, literally out of thin air on Mars, was achieved Tuesday by an experimental device aboard Perseverance, a six-wheeled science rover that landed on the Red Planet Feb. 18 after a seven-month journey from Earth.

SpaceX rocketship launches 4 astronauts on NASA mission to space station

NASA and Elon Musk's commercial rocket company SpaceX launched a new four-astronaut team on a flight to the International Space Station on Friday, the first crew ever propelled into orbit by a rocket booster recycled from a previous spaceflight. The company's Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour, also making its second flight, streaked into the darkened pre-dawn sky atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as its nine Merlin engines roared to life at 5:49 a.m. (0949 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A black hole dubbed 'the Unicorn' may be galaxy's smallest one

Scientists have discovered what may be the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to our solar system - an object so curious that they nicknamed it 'the Unicorn.' The researchers said the black hole is roughly three times the mass of our sun, testing the lower limits of size for these extraordinarily dense objects that possess gravitational pulls so strong not even light can escape. A luminous star called a red giant orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system named V723 Mon.

Keeping up with T. Rex was easy, Dutch researchers say

Unlike its popular movie incarnations, Tyrannosaurus rex - the giant meat-eating dinosaur from the Cretaceous period - walked slower than previously thought, most likely ambling around at human walking speed, new Dutch research found. Working with a 3-dimensional computer model of "Trix", a female T. rex skeleton at the Dutch Naturalis museum, researcher Pasha van Bijlert added computer reconstructions of muscles and ligaments to find that it's likely that the dinosaur's preferred speed was 4.61 kms (2.86 miles) an hour, close to the walking pace of humans and horses.

Third-trimester vaccination appears safe; Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine effective in those with chronic illnesses

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Third-trimester vaccination appears safe in early data

(With inputs from agencies.)

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Science News Roundup: NASA extracts breathable oxygen from thin Martian air; SpaceX rocketship launches 4 astronauts on NASA mission to space station...

The Global Gene Editing Service Market Research Forecast 2021 2027 provides a comprehensive analysis of the market segments, including their dynamics, size, growth, regulatory requirements, competitive landscape, and emerging opportunities of the global industry. It provides an in-depth study of the Gene Editing Service market by using SWOT analysis. The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis. This Market study provides comprehensive data that enhances the understanding, scope, and application of this report

The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.

Get Sample Copy of this premium report at:@https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/1322?utm_source=mcc&utm_medium=GS

* Sample pages for this report are immediately accessible upon request. *

Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry.

Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, revenue (Million USD) The geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa) focusing on key countries in each region. It also covers market drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and key issues in Global Post-Consumer Gene Editing Service Market.

Key Benefits for Post-Consumer Gene Editing Service Market Reports

The analysis provides an exhaustive investigation of the global Post-Consumer Gene Editing Service market together with the future projections to assess the investment feasibility. Furthermore, the report includes both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the Post-Consumer Gene Editing Service market throughout the forecast period. The report also comprehends business opportunities and scope for expansion. Besides this, it provides insights into market threats or barriers and the impact of regulatory framework to give an executive-level blueprint the Post-Consumer Gene Editing Service market. This is done with an aim of helping companies in strategizing their decisions in a better way and finally attains their business goals.

Key players profiled in the report includes:

Merck, Horizon Discovery Limited, Lonza, GenScript, Eurofins Scientific, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sangamo Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, CRISPR Therapeutics, Precision Biosciences, Oxford Genetics , Synthego, Vigene Biosciences, EpiGenie, Integrated DNA Technologies, New England Biolabs, OriGene Technologies, Intellia Therapeutics, Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Creative Biogene, Agilent Technologies, Danaher, ToolGen, Cellecta, Genecopoeia, and Calyxtand among others.

Segmentation Analysis:

By Technology:(CRISPR)/Cas9, TALENs/MegaTALs, ZFN, Others

By Delivery Method:Ex-Vivo, In-Vivo

By Application:Cell Line Engineering, Animal Genetic Engineering, Plant Genetic Engineering, Other Applications

By End-use:Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies, Academic & Government Research Institutes, Contract Research Organizations

By Service:Contract, In-house

Market Drivers:

Increasing patch management solutions vulnerabilities is driving the growth of the market

Rising need of up to date software will propel the market growth

Growing third party application deployment is a driver for the market

Government regulations for promoting patch management may boost the growth of the market

Market Restraints:

Low vulnerability priority reduction is restraining the growth of the market

Lack of awareness for cyber security will hamper the market growth

Patch testing and compatibility issues may also restrict the growth of the market

Get Methodology:@https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/1322

Table of Content:

There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Gene Editing Service market.

Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Gene Editing Service market, Applications, Market Segment by Types

Chapter 2, objective of the study.

Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.

Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Gene Editing Service Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;

Chapter 6 and 7, to show Five forces (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;

Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 8 and 13), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 9 and 13), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 10 and 13), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile & Others ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis

Chapter 10, to identify major decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;

Chapter 11 and 12, Global Gene Editing Service Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behavior, Marketing Channels

Chapter 13 and 14, about vendor landscape (classification and Market Ranking)

Chapter 15, deals with Global Gene Editing Service Market sales channel, distributors, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia

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Gene Editing Service Market 2021 Emerging Trend, Top Companies, Industry Demand, Business Review and Regional Analysis by 2027 The Courier - The...