MMR

Cologix Expands AWS Direct Connect Footprint with Onramp at its VAN3 Data Center

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

DENVER, Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cologix , North America's leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company, today announced availability of a new AWS Direct Connect onramp at its VAN3 digital edge data center in Vancouver, Canada.

Key Points: 
  • DENVER, Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cologix , North America's leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company, today announced availability of a new AWS Direct Connect onramp at its VAN3 digital edge data center in Vancouver, Canada.
  • This is the second AWS Direct Connect onramp at Cologix data centers in the Vancouver market, reinforcing the company’s relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its commitment to continuously enhance connectivity offerings to support the evolving data center needs of enterprises in Canada.
  • "Cologix's VAN3 digital edge data center provides an ideal location for enterprises looking to enhance their connectivity to AWS," said Sean Maskell, President and General Manager of Cologix Canada.
  • AWS Direct Connect allows businesses to establish a private, physical network connection between AWS and their colocation data center, offering a more consistent network experience than those over the public internet.

Iovance Biotherapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Corporate Updates 

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Feb. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IOVA), a commercial biotechnology company focused on innovating, developing, and delivering novel polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies for patients with cancer, today reported fourth quarter and full year 2023 financial results and corporate updates.

Key Points: 
  • The Iovance Cell Therapy Center ( iCTC ) began commercial manufacturing for Amtagvi patients within a week of approval.
  • More than 700 patients have been treated with Iovance TIL therapy manufactured using proprietary Iovance processes as of December 31, 2023.
  • Revenue for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023, was $0.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively, and comprised of product sales following the Proleukin® acquisition in May 2023.
  • Research and development expenses were $87.5 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2023, an increase of $6.9 million compared to $80.6 million for the same period ended December 31, 2022.

Agility Robotics Appoints Peggy Johnson as Chief Executive Officer

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 4, 2024

Agility Robotics , creator of the market-leading bipedal Mobile Manipulation Robot (MMR) called Digit, announced the appointment of veteran technology leader Peggy Johnson as Chief Executive Officer, effective today.

Key Points: 
  • Agility Robotics , creator of the market-leading bipedal Mobile Manipulation Robot (MMR) called Digit, announced the appointment of veteran technology leader Peggy Johnson as Chief Executive Officer, effective today.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240304702817/en/
    Agility Robotics appoints Peggy Johnson as CEO.
  • “I am thrilled to be joining the finest robotics team on the planet,” said Johnson.
  • With Peggy at the helm, Agility can bring robotics to new heights.”
    Throughout her career, Johnson has received extensive industry recognition for her engineering and business successes.

Ryvu Therapeutics to Present Preclinical Data on RVU120 and Synthetic Lethality Programs at the 2024 AACR Annual Meeting

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Ryvu's partner Menarini to present data on MEN1703 (SEL24), demonstrating promising anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of myelofibrosis both as a single agent and combined with ruxolitinib.

Key Points: 
  • Ryvu's partner Menarini to present data on MEN1703 (SEL24), demonstrating promising anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of myelofibrosis both as a single agent and combined with ruxolitinib.
  • "We are excited to present our latest preclinical data at the AACR Annual Meeting, showcasing our significant progress in advancing novel small molecule therapies for oncology.
  • This year, we will present data from our most advanced preclinical project on MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors, the lead program within Ryvu's synthetic lethality pipeline.
  • Ryvu has developed potentially best-in-class MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors showing favorable drug-like properties and effective PRMT5 inhibition dependent on MTA binding.

Experts Urge Vaccination as Measles Cases Rise

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024

With measles cases on the rise, experts are urging everyone to make sure they are up to date on vaccination.

Key Points: 
  • With measles cases on the rise, experts are urging everyone to make sure they are up to date on vaccination.
  • Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but cases still occur when international travelers who get measles overseas bring it into the US or as cases spread in US communities with pockets of unvaccinated people.
  • Severe measles cases among children, including those who are hospitalized, may be treated with vitamin A, according to an NFID report on Vitamin A for the Management of Measles in the US .
  • NFID experts are available to talk about measles, the recent increase in cases in the US, the importance of measles vaccination as recommended, and treatment with vitamin A for severe cases.

Invitae to Present Data at the 2024 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from Invitae (OTC: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, are showcasing their work next week at the 2024 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Toronto, Canada from March 12-16. The meeting's clinical agenda will include presentations on both research and clinical topics that promote the science and practice of clinical genetics and genomics.

Key Points: 
  • SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from Invitae (OTC: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, are showcasing their work next week at the 2024 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Toronto, Canada from March 12-16.
  • The meeting's clinical agenda will include presentations on both research and clinical topics that promote the science and practice of clinical genetics and genomics.
  • "The ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting is an incredible opportunity for our researchers and collaborators to highlight ongoing scientific advancements to support genetics-informed patient care," said W. Michael Korn, M.D., chief medical officer at Invitae.
  • Invitae plans to present posters (P164 and P073) about Lynch syndrome and VUS in mismatch repair (MMR) genes and multiplex assays of variant effects (MAVEs).

Global Vaccine Technologies Market Report 2024, Featuring Abbott, Astrazeneca, Bavarian Nordic, Emergent Biosolutions, GSK, Merck, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Panacea Biotec, Pfizer & Sanofi - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

Continuous improvements in vaccine design, delivery technologies and manufacturing will also boost market growth.

Key Points: 
  • Continuous improvements in vaccine design, delivery technologies and manufacturing will also boost market growth.
  • The global vaccine technologies market is segmented in this report by technology, disease, age, and region.
  • It discusses the market determinants, which act as motivating or restraining factors and provides insights to stakeholders and potential entrants.
  • This study looks at research and development (R&D) spending, increasing competition and new technologies, which are giving direction to the market.

How memes transformed from pics of cute cats to health disinformation super-spreaders

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

Our research shows that memes form part of a highly sophisticated strategy to spread and monetise health disinformation.

Key Points: 
  • Our research shows that memes form part of a highly sophisticated strategy to spread and monetise health disinformation.
  • Dismissing them as harmless jokes is to grossly underestimate their influence – and bolsters their power to spread potentially harmful health messages.

Anti-vaccine memes have a long history


Memes aren’t a recent invention. They have featured prominently in anti-vaccination messaging for centuries.
When widespread smallpox immunisation began in the early 19th century, political cartoons published in print media used memes (see image below) to evoke fear about the safety of the vaccine.

  • The meme “vaccines cause autism”, which appeared on billboards and was circulated widely in the media, provoked doubts about the safety of the vaccine.
  • The internet enables memes to be created anonymously, repurposed and shared at scale – making them a highly effective medium for spreading health disinformation.
  • Memes play an integral role in disinformation campaigns by facilitating fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Influencers and money

  • Our study analysed how popular anti-vaccine influencers used memes to galvanise the anti-vaccine movement during the COVID pandemic.
  • First, memes were used to vilify the government and social institutions, portraying them as corrupt and politically compromised.
  • Influencers suggested the unvaccinated were being persecuted, using evocative imagery to imply a false equivalence between those who remain unvaccinated by choice and the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
  • Vaccination was associated with infertility, low sex drive and a lack of critical thinking.
  • To establish group membership and promote a sense of belonging, influencers referred to those who are anti vaccines as their “soul family”.

Going viral – and avoiding challenge

  • Several influencers provided their followers with “meme drops”: packages of memes with dissemination instructions.
  • These memes were tested and produced in meme factories, then distributed monthly to a mass audience via personal newsletters and websites, encouraging followers to spread anti-vaccination content.
  • By adapting memes to current affairs, influencers increased their relevance and likelihood of going viral.
  • Under the protective guise of humour and satire, memes can evade fact checkers and content moderators while promoting anti-vaccine myths and unauthorised treatments.
  • Memes may not look threatening – but that’s why they are such effective super spreaders of health disinformation.


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

New Study Validates Signatera™ in Endometrial Cancer

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA testing, today announced a new study published in Gynecologic Oncology validating its personalized and tumor-informed molecular residual disease (MRD) test, Signatera, in endometrial cancer.

Key Points: 
  • Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA testing, today announced a new study published in Gynecologic Oncology validating its personalized and tumor-informed molecular residual disease (MRD) test, Signatera, in endometrial cancer.
  • The full study can be found here .
  • Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States.
  • “This study provides clinical validation of Signatera as a powerful post-surgical biomarker of recurrence risk for patients with endometrial cancer,” said Minetta Liu, MD, chief medical officer of oncology at Natera.

Aztec Link Becomes An Official NIL Collective Partner of San Diego State Athletics

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 24, 2024

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Aztec Link – a collective dedicated to helping San Diego State University (SDSU) student-athletes pursue Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities – announced a multi-year agreement with SDSU as an official NIL collective partner, through San Diego State Sports Properties.

Key Points: 
  • As an official NIL collective partner, Aztec Link can further elevate opportunities for SDSU student-athletes and help fans connect with their favorite teams and players in meaningful ways
    SAN DIEGO, Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Aztec Link – a collective dedicated to helping San Diego State University (SDSU) student-athletes pursue Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities – announced a multi-year agreement with SDSU as an official NIL collective partner, through San Diego State Sports Properties.
  • As one of SDSU's official NIL collective partners, Aztec Link will elevate and create more NIL usage and compensation opportunities for SDSU student-athletes.
  • "We are thrilled to partner with SDSU in an official capacity," said Gregory "J.R." Tolver, Aztec Link Head Volunteer and SDSU Athletics Hall of Famer ('12).
  • "We are looking forward to Aztec Link becoming an official MMR partner," said SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker.