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Global Telecommunications Artificial Intelligence of Things Market 2022: Edge Architectures, 5G Deployments, and Use Cases for Access to Geolocation…

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) in Telecommunications Growth Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report examines the strategic position of telecommunication service providers (TSPs) in using artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to offer enterprises Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) solutions. TSPs play a vital role in deploying enterprise AIoT solutions amid the increasing deployment of 5G networks, edge infrastructure capabilities, and location-based data at their disposal.

Given their network and connectivity capabilities and AI and services focus, TSPs are in a unique position to monetize AIoT opportunities. They increasingly offer solutions by industry vertical as part of their AIoT focus.

The report highlights TSPs' role as system integrators to provide value-added solutions and services to progress beyond connectivity and move up the value chain.

The report provides stakeholders insights by identifying AI growth drivers that will facilitate AIoT solutions deployment and opportunities in AI advisory and consulting services, edge infrastructure adoption, and building specific industry vertical solutions.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

2. Growth Environment

3. Growth Opportunity Analysis

4. Growth Opportunity Universe

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3zzes1

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Global Telecommunications Artificial Intelligence of Things Market 2022: Edge Architectures, 5G Deployments, and Use Cases for Access to Geolocation...

Great Resignation: How to Be Successful in Attracting Top AI and ML Talent – EisnerAmper

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

It has always been challenging to find the top artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) talent -- and todays environment has only heightened the difficulty. Non-tech companies have increased their demand for these workers, even as tech powerhouses like Google, Facebook and Amazon seek to hire thousands. Companies must broaden the funnel of potential candidates by making themselves more appealing to potential top talent workers. Despite the high demand for AI and ML workers, essential skills, expertise, and experience are scarce. According to a recent Gartner's 2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap Survey that cited talent availability as the main adoption risk factor, it's no surprise that AI and ML professionals are in high demand at companies utilizing (or seeking to utilize) these emerging technologies, regardless of whether they're just getting started or have a lot of expertise. Its essential for firms, both tech and non-tech, to be creative in their approach.

Here are three tips for recruiting AI and ML talent:

Find where talented AI and ML engineers and data scientists hang out. For many companies, at first, this can be difficult to identify, but through resources like Meetup.com, firms can find groups where engineers and data scientists congregate. Meetup.com is a platform where groups of users focused on a certain topic get together and organize events and is a site which has been used to build professional tech community groups. Firms can find dozens of AI and ML networking communities in all large cities. Its important for firms hiring managers to be involved in networking within these groups and socialize, letting other users know why your firm is the best place to work!

Invest in creating partnerships with top tech universities for recruitment. An example of this is collaborating with data science graduate programs at local universities. From there, you have the first pick of the top talent straight out of the universities. This can provide an unlimited technology talent pipeline and connect you with the best student picks.

When interviewing the talent, its important to paint a clear picture of a culture of digital innovation and share why their work is worth it. This shows the candidates that workplaces are passionate about helping transform their clients' businesses using emerging technologies. For example, give references of AI and ML use cases that team members have contributed which provides value to the firm and clients.

As you invest in AI talent promotion and development, collaborate with your human resources team members to personalize an approach to implement AI skills at work to meet the changing expectations that the industry faces. This will lead to the promotion of internal team members and provide them the advancement of AI skills and training needed to take on roles like data scientist, data engineer, ML engineer, and business intelligence analysts.

Finally, an open innovation culture attracts top tech talent, regardless of the individuals race, gender, or background. It shows firms are passionate about the solutions they build that drive a fantastic client experience. When it comes to recruiting AI and ML talent, firms should no longer try to compete with the big tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and IBM. However, a more viable approach is to collaborate with leading technology companies, allowing teams to work on best-in-class AI and automation solutions from these big tech companies. With the digital revolution that COVID-19 has kickstarted, there is an opportunity for all companies to establish a strong reputation for digital excellence through the recruitment of an open, innovative, and diverse new workforce. As your reputation gets better, your opportunity to attract top AI and ML talent will be more significant.

AI tools to predict hospital stays are hampered by a string of shortcomings – STAT

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Youre reading the web edition of STAT Health Tech, our guide to how tech is transforming the life sciences.Sign up to get this newsletterdelivered in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday.

Biofourmis senses an opportunity

Remote patient monitoring companyBiofourmisannounced a $300 million Series D round this morning, a critical investment as the firm looks to products that not only identify when patients are likely to deteriorate, but can help manage their care. The company says that 20 hospitals have signed on to use its care at home services which includes monitoring devices and an app to help prevent costly ER care and readmissions.

Next up: using patient data to drive treatment decisions, like titratingdrug doses. Biofourmis has a pivotal trial under way for its BiovitalsHF software but even if results are positive, it faces hurdles in patient and provider acceptance. Thats going to be the linchpin, is if the patient trusts it enough to say, Im not seeing my doctor every week, but I have to increase my dose every week, said cardiologist Ritu Thamman.Read more in Marios latest.

Getting wearables on the right hands

When the federalAll of Usresearch programlaunched, its goal was to build a truly representative pool of participants, evening out the imbalances seen in medical research. But the effort hit a roadblock when it tried to fold in data from participants own wearable devices. When our team compared the demographics of all program participants to Fitbit data contributors, we saw the representation of historically underrepresented communities shrink, wrote All of Us team members Yashoda Sharma and Chris Lunt in a newSTATFirst Opinion.

In a newsurveyof federally qualifiedhealthcenters, they confirmed the primary barrier was cost. Thats why last year All of Us launched a program to distribute 10,000 devices to participants; today, they report about 3,000 program-provided devices are sharing data with the researchers.

Metas tool to fight Covid-19 misinformation

WhatsApp, theMeta-owned instant messaging company, has launched a chatbot for theCalifornia Department of PublicHealthto help combat Covid-19 misinformation, particularly in the states Latino community. The free tool, available in English and Spanish, offers users a menu of options, including local vaccination sites, transportation options, and FAQs to help provide factual information about the vaccines. Meta, which also ownsFacebook, has been under pressure throughout the pandemicto fight misinformation, as vaccine skeptics have used its platforms to circulate false information on Covid-19 and the vaccines.

AI tools to predict hospital stays are all over the map

Hospitals across the globe are using AI algorithms to help predictlength of stayto target care to the neediest patients, cut costs, and improve operations. But a newsystematic reviewpublished inPLOS DigitalHealthfound they are hampered by a variety of shortcomings, such as data cleaning approaches that limit their generalizability beyond individual institutions. It calls for the development of a unified framework that would make it easier to assess the quality and durability of these tools and help identify populations with higher risks of adverse events such as hospital acquired infections.

Making the rounds

Other new business

New jobs all around

What were reading

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AI tools to predict hospital stays are hampered by a string of shortcomings - STAT

Google to update business hours with Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Techiexpert.com – TechiExpert.com

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Google has announced how it is trying to update business hours on Google Maps with the help of Artificial Intelligence, for instance, its restaurant-calling Duplex technology. The company claims to update the information in Maps once it becomes confident enough in the AIs prediction of what a businesss hours should be.

Its challenging to keep Google Maps the latest with a business owners working hours. During the pandemic, Google had gone through this new unknown issue. The hours of operation became unforeseeable, and they havent changed much. Resultantly, Google pronounced to use AI to update company hours.

Google drafted a machine learning algorithm that identifies whether the company hours are stated accurately in advance or not. It brings it to an end by recognizing patterns such as when the store is busiest, photographs of the storefront regarding the duration, opening and closing hours, and more. Then it is considered if the Google My Business profile should be updated with the actual hours or not. It helps to update and upgrade the information on the GMB page and analyses if it is different from the obtained data.

Google follows the numerous parameters that AI contemplates while making decisions about improvements in a blog post. To determine how likely the hours are wrong, it looks at when the company profile was latest and Popular Times data.

As per Googles records, if its AI thinks that the hours should be edited, it looks at even more data. Itll collect data from the companys official website and even scrape street view photographs to determine when the company is at its work. Google declared it will double-check the AIs predictions with real people, such as Google Maps users and business owners, and will even use Duplex in some countries to ask businesses about their hours directly.

What is Googles Duplex conversational technology, and how does it exert?

The technology focuses on collecting the right information through interactions. The AI voice dials the saved number and records their conversation. Furthermore, it makes an effort to take very little input from the owner. Google will be avoiding the door-to-door approach by using this technology to assimilate working hours.

Apart from this, Google will recruit AI to change speed restrictions on various pathways. While using Google Maps for navigation, this is a safety feature that reflects speed limitations. Google will perform so by collaborating with third-party image providers, and they will utilize photographs to verify the speed limit signal on a particular road.

As a result, the speed limits will be updated to offer great security for Google Maps users. Toll plaza charges will now be displayed on Google Maps. You can now find out the amount of toll, all thanks to new upgrades, and it can also guide highways to avoid toll booths if available.

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Google to update business hours with Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Techiexpert.com - TechiExpert.com

Car-free JFK is great. For true equity and environmental progress, much more is needed. – Mission Local

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

For boomer parents, it seems the No. 1 concern regarding their childrens well-being was vans. As in: Sickos driving vans stocked with candy waiting to spirit young people off to parts unknown.

You dont see vans so much anymore unless youre a traveling musician. Perhaps thats for the best.

Regarding my generation, I was truly unprepared for how much of my parental stress would relate to cars, keeping my kids off the street, and telling them, endlessly, to watch for driveways. This is draining and all-consuming. So the notion of car-free spaces has me at hello.

Make no mistake: I am pleased that after many months of process and many years of pining the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 7-4 to cement John F. Kennedy Drives car-free status. An idyllic space for people to perambulate and socialize and not worry about being maimed or crushed is intrinsically a worthy end. Arguments against this particular closure have either been largely addressed or are baffling and questionably genuine (more on that in a moment).

I am, however, a bit concerned that in a city with so many overt afflictions and existential maladies, that this is the issue to generate such outsize attention and participation. I am more concerned that this decision to limit car access and parking on a mile-long stretch comprising a small fraction of Golden Gate Parks roads and parking spots required such a lengthy, bitter, convoluted and politically malevolent process.

San Franciscans should be satisfied that we have created a much-needed social space. But not too satisfied: Taking cars off JFK drive, among other clear benefits, has been touted as an environmentally friendly move. But thats a dubious claim. And, without taking on much bigger battles regarding much bigger issues and without wading through much costlier and less tangible and compelling processes San Francisco will not begin to address either environmental goals or elusive attempts at equitability.

Ratifying JFKs car-free status is achieving community goals, and is a good thing, says Sarah Jones, the Municipal Transportation Agencys former planning director who played no small role in engineering this long-sought move.

But, as a destination, she continues, its not achieving environmental goals. I think JFK Drive, in and of itself, has limited climate benefits. To really get somewhere on climate action, the focus needs to be on transit.

And as anyone whos ever taken a city bus knows or not taken a city bus while waiting for said city bus thats easier said than done. Removing cars from the road is, by and large, for the good: People need places to be. But this, on its own, does nothing to remove people from their cars.

If San Francisco cant find a way to do that, our future is bleak.

Chris Jones no relation to Sarah loves car-free JFK. He loves roller-skating in the park. But ay, theres the rub: He drives here to do it from his home in Davis.

I have an electric car, he offers. But making the park more of a recreation area free from vehicles is just an attraction to bring in people from far-flung places. I cant see that its going to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.

Jones is the director of the Cool Climate Network at UC Berkeley. He has also analyzed the long-term greenhouse gas emissions for San Francisco and documented how this and hundreds of other cities can reduce them. Hes also helped create this handy-dandy carbon footprint calculator.

On top of everything else, Jones is evidently a fan of roller-skating in Golden Gate park, too. Not being menaced by cars is a definite plus. But this alone isnt going to reduce this citys emission levels which, Jones notes, are remaining steady and not going down. This alone does not mark environmental progress.

Again, to be clear: Thats okay. Social goals and family-friendly amenities are inherently worthwhile. People should enjoy themselves in the park. Its fine. But, unless this is only a first step, removing cars from the park wont make a dent in this citys climate, equity and transportation goals.

In order to work, Jones says, you need the mass in mass transit.

Sarah Jones agrees. Yes, with cars off JFK, cyclists can now traverse the entire west end of the city with relative ease and safety, and yes, this could well connect up to an emerging network of bike-friendly streets. Jones is an avid cyclist (your humble narrator also rides a bike to work every day and totes multiple children on it). So this is for the good.

But, she reiterates, bikes only go so far as a travel mode. But transit everyone could use transit. That is the best, equitable, sustainable, accessible, usable transportation mode.

She pauses: Or it could be, if its designed and managed for and prioritized in that way.

Of course it isnt.

Adding insult to injury, the plan to allow cars back onto JFK would put them in just the place to obstruct the 44 OShaughnessy bus. Thats a bad idea. But, when it comes to Muni, this bad idea will have to take a number and wait in line.

One of the most jarring criticisms of removing cars from JFK Drive was that it harked to the Bull Connor-era American South. That it, to borrow the term used in a whitepaper circulated by the museums that have long considered this stretch of road their de facto loading dock, constitutes recreational redlining.

Lets be clear: This city has not done right by its oppressed minorities. The fact that Black people were, traditionally, relegated to an isolated, transit-poor, remote realm in the southeast which was, casually, irradiated by the United States Navy is no coincidence.

The claim, however, that removing automobile access to one small stretch of road in Golden Gate Park is tantamount to segregation remains mind-boggling. Bayview residents are still free to drive all the way to the museum and park on Fulton or the 90-odd percent of untouched parking spots in the park. Certainly the city could alter the pricing at the cavernous subterranean parking lot it built with taxpayer money (and, for that matter, reconsider the exorbitant prices at the museums).

Yes, it takes a while to ride the 44 from Hunters View to the museum concourse but thats because buses are slow. Heres a novel idea: Speed them up.

It remains elusive to grasp how cars speeding along JFK Drive equals equity. But its not so elusive to see how it would be equitable to create something of a 44 Express, zipping to the park with limited stops, and helped along by transit-only lanes. If theres a greater environmental goal to be achieved by removing cars from JFK, its to listen to people explain why cars were necessary here and then meaningfully address those situations so they no longer are.

This is the road to real progress. Sadly, in San Francisco, it is the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.

Quite simply, Muni is run like the Oakland As: Riders are getting less for more. To mix sporting metaphors, Muni is the Steve DeBerg of transit: Its just good enough to get you beat. Muni is growing less and less reliable and offering less and less in the way of service and it shows. Yes, theres a pandemic and all, but San Franciscans percentage of trips made through sustainable modes has dropped to its lowest rate in a decade.

There is very little interest paid in the San Francisco political and transportation worlds to what makes it workable for people to get out of their cars, sums up Sarah Jones. Mode shift is not concrete. Its not very satisfying. Its not something a politician can point to.

Thats a shame. This should be Job No. 1 at Muni and in City Hall.

This has to be the focus of every [transit] decision and every investment, Jones continues. Having a system that requires cars to get you where you want to go is not equitable, not viable and not livable.

So thats the big picture. Everyone should enjoy yesterdays victory. And then look to tomorrow.

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Car-free JFK is great. For true equity and environmental progress, much more is needed. - Mission Local

Devin Booker injury update: Suns star making progress, could return in first round vs. Pelicans, per report – CBS Sports

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Devin Booker has been out since the middle of Game 2 of his Phoenix Suns' first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans with a strained hamstring, but the All-Star guard is well on his way to returning. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Booker is making progress and could potentially take the floor as soon as Thursday's Game 6 or a potential Game 7 on Saturday.

The expectation, for now, is that Booker would return in limited minutes, and for now, Booker is reportedly expected to be listed as "out" to start on Thursday's injury report with the idea that it could be adjusted depending on his progress. Booker missed time with another hamstring injury during the regular season, so the Suns will exercise some caution in bringing him back up to speed.

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The Suns currently lead the Pelicans 3-2 in their first-round series, and have won two of the three full games that they have played without Booker. A win on Thursday would set them up to play either the Dallas Mavericks or the Utah Jazz in the second round, with Dallas the likelier opponent due to its 3-2 lead over Utah. Should the Suns lose Game 6, they would host Game 7 against New Orleans on Saturday.

Booker is coming off a career year in which he averaged 26.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting. He played some of the best defense of his career, took on more a playmaking burden when Chris Paul was out and ultimately helped lead the Suns to an NBA-best 64-18 record. He will be absolutely critical to Phoenix's hopes of returning to the NBA Finals, so ensuring he is healthy for the next three rounds is just as important as getting him back in the first.

Progress Pride Flag to Fly in Oak Bluffs – The Vineyard Gazette – Martha’s Vineyard News

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

The LGBTQ+ progress pride flag will fly over Oak Bluffs for two weeks in June to coincide with pride month, following a select board discussion Tuesday that saw dozens of community members advocate for the flag to be flown in town.

Please dont turn back the hands of time by disallowing such a flag from being raised in our community, Marthas Vineyard NAACP representative Jennelle Gadowski said.

The progress pride flag is an LGBTQ+ flag designed in 2018 that includes stripes to represent people of color and the transgender community, alongside the larger LGBTQ community.

The flag will be raised beneath the American flag on the Ocean Park flagpole on June 1 during a flag raising ceremony approved earlier this week by the parks commission. The flag will remain raised for two weeks, including through the Oak Bluffs pride parade on June 11, which will march down Circuit avenue and end in Ocean Park.

The select board approved raising the flag in a 4-1 vote. Board member Jason Balboni was the lone dissenter, arguing that a non-governmental flag should not be flown on the same pole as the American flag. Mr. Balboni said he would prefer to see a new flag pole erected specifically for the purpose of flying community flags. In this capacity he said he would like to see the progress pride flag flown through the whole month of June.

So Im not completely a bad guy, he joked. Just a lot.

Board member Brian Packish said he personally agreed with Mr. Balboni but considering the long line of speakers advocating for the flag at the meeting, he said it was his job to represent the will of the community.

Im not here serving as an individual, he said.

Throughout the meeting, speakers stood before the select board to offer their personal experiences and underscore the meaning of the flag for the LGBTQ+ community.

Us taking that stand is so important at this time, Larkin Stallings said, citing national discussion surrounding the handling of LGBTQ+ identity in schools.

Last summers display of pride flags on our Island made a huge impression, Alex Palmer said, adding that flying the progress pride flag is an opportunity for Oak Bluffs to display its values to the world.

Speakers also took aim at a proposed flag policy the town is considering, regarding community flags in general. Members of the board argued that a policy is needed due to potential legal vulnerabilities, such as accusations that the town may fly one community flag over another.

Were constantly working around challenges around how we handle the flag, Mr. Packish said.

Arthury Hardy-Doubleday, attorney and president of the Marthas Vineyard NAACP, argued that discretion over which flags to fly and when is a power the board should have, and approach with careful thought.

I think adopting the policy as written, it ties your hands behind your back, Mr. Hardy-Doubleday said.

The board decided to forgo a decision on a flag policy, and create a subcommittee comprising two select board members and a handful of members of the public to work toward a new draft for the policy.

I think theres a way that we can thread this needle, Mr. Hardy-Doubleday said.

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Progress Pride Flag to Fly in Oak Bluffs - The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News

Crispr Therapeutics: Progress, Risk, And Reward – Seeking Alpha

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

vchal/iStock via Getty Images

In my previous article, I had a hold rating on CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP). My reasoning behind the hold rating was the risks involved with investing in CRISPR. The company was and continues to be a pre-revenue company that is completely reliant on the FDA approving the company's method of treating disease. Further, because CRISPR has not even filed for regulatory submission, I believed the risks involved in CRISPR to be too big. At the time, the progress seemed slow with future potentials of the CRISPR Cas-9 barred by years of research regulatory filings. However, my views on the company have slightly changed. The past few months of rapid progress have shown promising results and the potential to make risk to reward chances more attractive along with their valuations. A plan for regulatory filing in late 2022 is on track with immuno-oncology and in-vivo programs making significant progress with an impressive pace of development. Therefore, given continuous rapid progress towards reaching the potential of the CRISPR Cas-9, I believe CRISPR Therapeutics can be a cautious buy.

(If you are unfamiliar with CRISPR Cas-9 technology and its potential, please go back to my previous article.)

Immuno-oncology program is designed to teach our immune system to recognize and protect the body against specific cancer cells.

Since my previous article, significant progress has been made in CTX 110, 120, and 130 programs. Starting with CTX 110 targeting to treat CD19, after the initial dose testing, the company has found evidence of a dose-dependent response resulting in further progress in testing CTX 110 to test for its safety and efficacy during the consolidation dosing trial. The data for the phase 1 test will come out later in 2022. Further, CTX 120 treating relapsed myeloma and CTX 130 treating solid tumors and hematologic malignancies by targeting CD 70 data are expected to be compiled during the first half of 2021.

What I initially believed to be a talk of the distant future has changed. According to the National Institute of Health, the median development time of a single cancer drug was 7.3 years with about $648 million in costs. Some drugs took up to 12 years to develop. These past results and statistics compared to the progress of CRISPR Therapeutics showed the magnitude of their achievements and potential.

CRISPR Therapeutics was founded in 2013, and in December 2017, the company announced its clinical trial application. Then, in 2019, the company started the first clinical tests of CTX 110 with a CTX120 study quickly following in 2020 with CTX130 following later in 2020. Finally, in January 2020, VCTX210 clinical trials started. Thus, since the start of the company's first clinical test, 4 solutions have followed in a span of about four and a half years. Considering that CTX001 will be filed for approval in 2022 with CTX110 to follow in 2024, the pace of innovation and development continues to be outstanding even in comparison to the average cancer drug development speed of already established companies.

CRISPR Therapeutics has announced that the first patient has been dosed in phase 1 clinical trial of VCTX210 for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The goal of the current clinical trial is to allow the patients to create their own insulin within their bodies. Further, CRISPR Therapeutics has announced that they will be starting and making progress on multiple in-vivo projects simultaneously in the coming 18 to 24 months. I believe this news creates significantly bigger potential considering the accessibility of the in-vivo solutions. Therefore, utilizing ex-vivo approaches as a stepping stone, CRISPR Therapeutics is continuing its fast progress towards a regulatory filing of multiple in-vivo programs in the coming years.

It has become more likely for the company to be on schedule for its CTX-001 regulatory filing in late 2022. Given this timeline, CTX-001 might be in the market in 2023 creating a strong foundation for the company's reputation and future growth. The excitement around the potential after the filing may cause a sudden spike in the company's stock price.

CRISPR Therapeutics currently has a market capitalization of about $4.3 billion as a pre-revenue company. I initially believed this to be expensive. However, considering the current pace of development with an expected CTX001 filing for approval later in 2022 with oncology platforms to follow shortly after, I believe the current market capitalization can be attractive for risk-tolerant investors. Investment in CRISPR Therapeutics at this stage may not be for every investor, but investors who are willing to endure the volatility, potential delays, and chances of failure may find CRISPR attractive.

Once the flywheel starts rolling, CRISPR Therapeutics will likely thrive; however, because the company is still in the clinical phase or pre-revenue phase, the risks in investing in CRISPR Therapeutics are still large. There may be significant delays due to unexpected side effects, or FDA and EMA reviews may be prolonged or delayed because this is such a new technology and needs careful decision-making. Whatever the reason may be, delays will likely be detrimental to the company. Further, it may be years until CRISPR generates consistently growing revenues since the approval may not immediately mean demand for this product. Finally, It is not even relevant to talk about the company's future profitability yet.

However, I believe that given the current valuations and the potential from the ongoing progress, it may be worth a small initial position in the speculative portfolio.

CRISPR Therapeutics is at the center of innovation. Utilizing the CRISPR Cas-9 technology to edit parts of our genome, the company is rewriting the ex-vivo and in-vivo approaches to treating a multitude of diseases that have been considered incurable in the past. To my surprise, the pace of innovation shown through the progress made by CRISPR Therapeutics in the past few months showed the massive potential of the CRISPR technology in relation to the risks it possesses. Therefore, considering the potential of the innovation and the pace of innovation shown through the company's progress, I believe CRISPR Therapeutics is a cautious buy.

CAL FIRE stops forward progress of fire in Shasta County – Action News Now

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. -UPDATE 4/27/22 at 6:12 p.m.:Forward progress of the fire has been stopped, according to CAL FIRE. The fire has burned about 8 acres and remains 0% contained.

Officials said the fire is burning in a remote area with limited access. Crews will be at the scene throughout the night.

At least 40 personnel, five engines, four water tenders, two helicopters, two hand crews, two dozers, and two air tankers responded to the fire.

No injuries have been reported and no structures have been destroyed, CAL FIRE said.

CAL FIRE is at the scene of a vegetation fire in Shasta County.

CAL FIRE said the fire is 10 acres in the area of Platina Road and Nono Road. This is southwest of Redding.

The fire was first reported at 1:56 p.m. on Wednesday, according to CAL FIRE.

Crews are calling it the Platina Fire.

There have been no reports of evacuations as of 4:30 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to CAL FIRE.

This is a developing story. Action News Now will keep you updated with new information on-air and online.

Follow Action News Now on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, weather and sports in Northern California.

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CAL FIRE stops forward progress of fire in Shasta County - Action News Now

Five-year anniversary for ilani celebrates progress, luxury hotel under construction – The Reflector

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Rick Bannan /rick@thereflector.com

At ilani, a shining blue tower is rising from the ground into the sky.

When complete, the nearly 300-room luxury hotel will be the latest expansion of the Cowlitz Indian Tribes most prominent venture. Breaking ground roughly a year ago, the project was at the forefront of the tribes celebration of five years of ilani on April 25. Around 100 people gathered to commemorate the tribes progress on reservation land.

It was a monumental day for the Cowlitz Tribe, Mohegan Gaming CEO Ray Pineault said. The Cowlitz Tribe and Mohegan have partnered in the ilani endeavor since the beginning, providing expertise on casino and entertainment endeavors from Connecticut to Washington state.

Mohegan Tribal Councilor Joe Soper said the partnership went beyond a mere business matter, and was really a true union between two culturally rich tribes who shared a similar vision in providing the experience at ilani.

As part of the event, the construction crew hoisted a metal beam signed by community members to the top of the hotel structure as part of a topping off ceremony for ilanis latest project. Five years in, ilani employs some 1,500 people, with the hotel expansion planned to include hundreds more, President and General Manager Kara Fox-LaRose said.

When we look at this beacon of progress for the Cowlitz Tribe, it certainly is amazing, Fox-LaRose said about the hotel, now substantially clad in its reflective blue facade.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox-LaRose said the Cowlitz Tribe decided to postpone the hotel project for six months. She mentioned while the hotel was going up ilani made a more low-profile expansion late last year which added two restaurants to the building.

When complete, the nearly 300-room hotel will feature 28 suites and a pool with a retractable wall and private cabanas. The 14-story building will host a restaurant on the top floor which will be open to the public. It will feature an hourly child care service provided by Kids Quest. The casino resort anticipates the hotel will be open for business in about a year.

Chuck Jones, vice president of the Las Vegas-based architecture and interior design firm Friedmutter Group, remembers when the land ilani sits on was a grass prairie. Jones commented on design features like the portico that uses shapes drawn from those of canoes, and the blue glass, which when reflecting the sun, will make it look like the sky.

Jones said it was a personal honor to be involved with the project.

It doesnt matter what the building looks like, Jones said. It matters about the relationship and the legacy that you build for people.

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Five-year anniversary for ilani celebrates progress, luxury hotel under construction - The Reflector

Animal shelter making progress with dogs from hoarding situation – Wyoming Tribune

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Less than two weeks after being rescued from whats been described as a hoarding situation, the Cheyenne Animal Shelter says the more than 60 dogs are doing well.

Several have already been adopted, with more being fostered or awaiting assessment for adoption. And the community having stepped up with donations, volunteering and foster homes has made a difficult situation more manageable, shelter CEO Britney Tennant told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday.

On April 16, animal control officers responded to a call about 20 large-breed dogs running loose on the south side of Cheyenne, according to a Saturday news release from the city. With help from the citys Compliance Department, the Laramie County Sheriffs Office and community members, animal control officers rounded up 23 dogs and transported them to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, along with a handful more over the next few days.

The citys Compliance Department took charge of animal control services for both the city and county Sept. 1.

Upon contacting the dog owner, animal control quickly became aware of the gravity of the situation the dogs and their owner were in, the news release said. The owner accepted an offer to surrender all animals so they could receive medical care and more adequate housing.

Tennant said it was her understanding that animal control officers had not issued the former owner a citation because the owner surrendered the animals. She said the shelter supported the decision because this type of case is typically difficult to prosecute, and animals must be held as evidence during the duration of the criminal proceeding, which puts strain on both the shelter and the animals themselves.

An animal control supervisor could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A total of 64 dogs, 13 birds and a handful of cats nine, Tennant estimated were taken from the situation. The dog breeds included Saint Bernards, English Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and Great Pyrenees, according to an email newsletter from the animal shelter.

The birds were of miscellaneous types. Although the shelter was originally told there were about 100 birds, that number later went down to 40, and 13 were ultimately surrendered from the home. Tennant said she was unsure what caused such a big discrepancy in the bird numbers.

Within about 48 hours, the shelters dog population doubled, Tennant said in an interview.

Thirteen puppies have been born since the dogs rescue, with one more mother waiting to give birth.

For the first days they were in the shelter, the dogs were pretty shut down and fearful, Tennant said. In an April 19 newsletter, she described them as under-socialized, unaccustomed to living as house pets, filthy, and generally unwilling or unable to walk on leashes.

The shelter added in a later email newsletter that it decided to label it a hoarding situation because the animals were covered in their own waste, were permitted to breed indiscriminately, had no medical records or established relationship with a veterinarian, and have untreated illnesses and injuries, though they were minor.

Where we can, weve doubled them up in kennels so they can enjoy some companionship and we can make the best use of our available space, Tennant wrote. But, at 150 pounds or more, most of the adults cannot share space. There are so many that we have been forced to take all of our other shelter dogs and condense them into just two adoption rooms. The available space per dog is less than half our usual allotment.

One of the shelters adoption rooms is currently shut down, Tennant said, to house some of the biggest dogs in the group that still need significant grooming care. These dogs need to have matted fur removed before they can be examined for medical issues, she said.

Last Thursday, less than a week after the huge influx of dogs, the shelter said in a newsletter that the dogs were already improving. Shelter staff were working diligently to care for the animals, the newsletter said, and each were provided daily enrichment and time out of their kennels. Veterinary staff were working through ill and injured dogs, and they were on appropriate medication. The shelter had partnered with numerous rescue groups and were met with a lot of community members interested for fostering and adopting.

In the days since then, all of the dogs from the hoarding situation have begun walking on leashes, with some taking to it well, Tennant said in the interview. The dogs are eating, and most have come out of their shells.

Every day, we see improvements, she said. Theres a couple of new dogs every day that have been hiding in the back of their kennel until this new day, and now all of a sudden theyre at the front of their kennel, wagging their tail, looking for attention and interaction from people. So, I think theyre settling in really well.

The shelter CEO also described them as the nicest dogs from a hoarding situation that weve ever seen.

As of Tuesday evening, 36 dogs appeared on the shelters website as available to adopt. Tennant said all but about 10 of the dogs currently available were surrendered from the hoarding situation.

The week these dogs came to the shelter, the CEO said, 13 dogs not from that situation that had been available at the shelter for quite some time were adopted.

(The hoarding) case brought attention not only to these dogs, but to lots of dogs in the shelters, so we saw a pretty marked increase in adoptions over the last two weeks from what weve had since early in the year, Tennant said.

Even so, the shelter is still way over its typical 125- to 140-animal capacity. Tennant said the shelter was housing 212 animals as of Tuesday afternoon, and the situation is only tenable because such a large number of people have taken in foster animals.

Being so overwhelmed with animals needing a high level of care has put a strain on shelter workers, Tennant said physically, mentally and emotionally with many working 12- to 15-hour shifts.

The large influx of dogs also came during the shelters busiest week of the year, when it was preparing for its annual Fur Ball gala fundraiser.

The shelter is always in need of monetary donations, especially because of the large amount of overtime it must pay employees at the moment, said Niki Harrison, the shelters director of annual campaign and branding, in an interview with the WTE.

But Harrison and Tennant said that what will really help the shelter out and get it back to normalcy is more adoptions.

People can now simply show up for an adoption appointment, rather than make one beforehand, Harrison said, although the wait can sometimes be up to an hour.

Through the end of the week, all adult dogs those seven months and older available for adoption will have a fee of just $50.

And while the impact on staff has been real and challenging, the situation has been largely positive, Tennant said. Donations of dog food and other supplies have flooded in, both from companies and individuals. Veterinary clinics and groomers have donated their services. Supply drives have been organized, and mental health care services for staff have been donated. Black Dog Animal Rescue took in five of the animals, including a pregnant dog.

So many people have asked to volunteer that a fast-track onboarding process has been created for those who want to walk dogs, spend time with cats, clean kennels, do laundry and dishes or otherwise keep the shelter space clean.

Because of publicity given to the case and the huge community response, Tennant said, these animals are going to be in a really good spot in a pretty short amount of time.

Animal shelter making progress with dogs from hoarding situation - Wyoming Tribune

McLaren: Imola podium proof that F1 progress is real – Motorsport.com

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

The Woking-based squad endured a difficult start to the 2022 campaign, with brake problems marring the final pre-season test and it subsequently having a tough first event in Bahrain that it left without any points.

Since then, however, its car has looked more competitive and, at Imola last weekend, Lando Norris was able to qualify third in the wet/dry Friday session before finishing behind Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on Sunday.

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl reckoned that following a fifth and sixth placed finish in Australia a fortnight ago, that the indications point to the current form being a realistic picture of where the team is at.

"It's great to see that we have this consistency in there, and great to see that we have confirmation now that Melbourne was not just a one off, but that actually the MCL36 is a good car and a solid foundation for all the further developments that are in the pipeline now," he explained.

"It was great to see on normal conditions really this weekend that we were competitive, and that we were in the end the third fastest team this weekend.

"Of course, scoring a podium in the current situation, one of the two cars need to have an issue from the Red Bulls and the Ferraris, because they seem to be a big step ahead in terms of performance, but at the same time it's not just about performance.

"It's about putting the race weekend together as well, which we did this weekend."

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Despite the good result that has helped McLaren to fourth place in the constructors' championship, Norris thinks the team still needs to bring "next level" improvements to have any hope of consistently fighting nearer the front.

"We need the improvements everywhere: high speed, medium speed, and slow speed, maybe more bias towards the slower to medium speed," explained the Briton. "But as a package, everything needs to be just that next level, you know?

"As we've said in the past, the balance has been good. And we're happy with the balance. It's just you do a good lap, you do something that feels good, and you are just slow because you go around every corner slower than the others.

"So it's not easy: you want to focus on everything but over this long season, you have got to focus on certain things first.

"We've not brought anything big. I know there's been big steps but it's not like we've brought a new floor or new things or whatever. So, just smaller things. But those smaller things seem to be having an effect when you put them all together on a weekend like this."

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McLaren: Imola podium proof that F1 progress is real - Motorsport.com

Harley-Davidson Is Still A Work In Progress – Jalopnik

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Photo: Getty Images (Getty Images)

Harley-Davidson, which still makes motorcycles, sold all of 387 LiveWires last year, its expensive all-electric offering, according to Bloomberg. Its a figure that I almost cant believe given that Harley aspires to sell tens of thousands of LiveWires, and its been out for a few years now. In other news, Harley said Wednesday that North America sales in the first quarter were down five percent.

Harley blamed supply chain issues, even while sales in Europe were up 28 percent compared to the first three months of last year, probably in large part due to a deal to reduce Trump-era tariffs last fall. Meanwhile, sales in Asia were up 16 percent, and in Latin America sales were up 13 percent, in what seems like the opposite results of what Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz wants, which is bigger sales at home.

Still, Harley did just fine overall. From Bloomberg:

The Milwaukee-based company posted earnings of $1.45 a share, excluding some items, slightly beating the $1.44 per share average of analysts estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue from motorcycles and related products rose to $1.5 billion, Harley said Wednesday, above the $1.3 billion forecast by analysts.

[...]

Harley left intact a previous full-year forecast for 5% to 10% revenue growth and operating margins of 11% to 12%, saying achieving those targets assumes logistics and chip supplies improve in the second half.

Our teams continue to work through the impact of the ongoing global supply chain disruption, and despite the challenging macro environment, we are optimistic for improvements in the second half of the year, the company said in a statement.

Our own Bradley Brownell recently bought a LiveWire, which is a good if overly-expensive motorcycle, which is probably why sales are garbage. Harley is also in the midst of spinning off LiveWire to get in on Wall Streets EV hype, a plan which Im pretty skeptical of, but good luck. Harley said Wednesday that that plan is on track to close in mid-2022, so still a work in progress, like Harley itself. Harley is either the most interesting automaker/motorcycle maker in the world right now or possibly the least, given that it is slowly dying and aspires, these days, to mostly cash in on its legacy. That is fine short-term, but long-term Harley has a lot of work to do.

Here’s the Husky Who’s Made the Most Progress This Spring – Sports Illustrated

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Troy Fautanu has had a productive spring, no question. He's been the starting left tackle for the University of Washington, holding down what's considered the offensive lineman's NFL money position, since the first practice.

While plenty of players have rotated through the other positions, Fautanu and senior center Corey Luciano really haven't shared their starting jobs with anyone.

Entering the final week of April drills, the 6-foot-4, 307-pound sophomore from Henderson, Nevada, easily could be considered the Huskies' best offensive lineman right now.

Where nearly half of the players on the roster had to slim down and get in better shape to appease Kalen DeBoer's new UW coaching staff, Fautanu put on five pounds of muscle while dropping two percent of his body fat.

Which leads everyone to this interesting Husky football dilemma: What happens when or if two-time All-Pac-12 offensive tackle Jackson Kirkland, awaiting an NCAA decision on his eligibility, returns for another season?

Of course, both of these Huskies would be used as starters and focal players in pushing the offense forward, but who would become the No. 1 left tackle and who would play elsewhere?

"Whatever the coaches decide and put us is where I'm going to play," Fautanu said, making it easy.

Kirkland has started all 39 games he's entered for the UW, 14 at left tackle and the rest at right guard. He wants to return for a sixth year to solidify himself as a No. 1 NFL draft pick after an injury-interrupted 2021 season.

Fautanu has played in 13 career games, starting twice at left tackle as an injury fill-in for Kirkland and once, in the most recent Apple Cup, at left guard next to Kirkland.

They get along well in the trenches. To have both of them available this coming season would go a long way to fixing a UW offensive line that underperformed in 2021.

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"Regardless of whatever the situation is with him, it's always good to have him back because he's been kind of a mentor the past couple of years," Fautanu said of Kirkland. "Just me picking up game off of him. Him teaching me all this type of stuff."

The Nevada native has been one of the most positive developments for the Huskies this spring for the new coaching staff, with DeBoer praising his play.

The tackle has put his body in top shape and he's played more consistently than anyone else across the front five. As a sophomore, he's poised to become a full-fledged starter and O-line leader for the next three seasons.

Fautanu actually began to make his move at the end of last season when the interim coaches started him at left guard over Ulumoo Ale and Julius Buelow, who had shared the position all season, against Washington State.

"They called my number and I was ready," he said, equally comfortable at playing guard or tackle. "It's easy for me to flip flop back and forth.My main goal when I got here is I'm just trying to get on the field as fast as I can."

The way it looks now, Fautanu is not coming off it any time soon.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky FanNation stories as soon as theyre published.

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Find Husky FanNation on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

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Here's the Husky Who's Made the Most Progress This Spring - Sports Illustrated

Affimed Announces Clinical Update and Trial in Progress Posters at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (ASCO) – Yahoo…

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

Affimed N.V.

A presentation on the phase 1/2 study evaluating cord blood-derived NK cells that are pre-complexed with the innate cell engager AFM13, in patients with CD30-positive lymphomas will be given in an oral abstract session.

Three Trial in Progress posters will present background information and the designs of the AFM24 studies for the treatment of patients with advanced EGFR-expressing solid tumors as monotherapy or in combination with atezolizumab or SNK01 autologous natural killer cells.

HEIDELBERG, Germany, April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced that four abstracts with clinical trial designs and clinical data of its innate cell engagers (ICE) have been accepted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place June 3-7, 2022 in Chicago, IL.

The events include an oral presentation by Yago Nieto, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with an update of the study that evaluates AFM13 pre-complexed with NK cells in patients with relapsed/refractory CD30-positive lymphomas. In addition, three Trial in Progress posters will be presented to provide background information and introduce the study design of the three ongoing AFM24 studies in which patients with EGFR-positive solid tumors are treated with AFM24 monotherapy or combinations with either Roches checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab or NKGen Biotechs NK cell product SNK01.

Oral presentation details:

Title: Innate cell engager (ICE) AFM13 combined with preactivated and expanded cord blood (CB)-derived NK cells for patients with refractory/relapsed CD30+ lymphoma

Authors: Yago Nieto, Pinaki Banerjee, Indreshpal Kaur, Roland Bassett, Lucila Kerbauy, Rafet Basar, Mecit Kaplan, Lori Griffin, Daniel Esqueda, Christina Ganesh, Melissa Barnett, Amin Alousi, Chitra Hosing, Jeremy Ramdial, Neeraj Saini, Samer Srour, Sairah Ahmed, Swaminathan Iyer, Hun Lee, Ranjit Nair, Raphael Steiner, Karenza Alexis, Andreas Harstrick, Elizabeth J Shpall, Katayoun Rezvani

Story continues

Oral session: Hematologic Malignancies Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Friday, June 3, 2022, 1:00 - 4.00 p.m. CDT

Poster details:

Title: A phase 1/2a open label, multicenter study to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of AFM24 in patients with advanced solid cancers: Study design and rationale.

Authors: Omar Saavedra Santa Gadea, Elena Garralda, Juanita Suzanne Lopez, Mark M. Awad, Jacob Stephen Thomas, Crescens Diane Tiu, Daniela Morales-Espinosa, Christa Raab, Bettina Rehbein, Gabriele Hintzen, Kerstin Pietzko, Paulien Ravenstijn, Michael Emig, Anthony B. El-Khoueiry

Poster details:

Title: AFM24 in combination with atezolizumab in patients with advanced EGFR-expressing solid tumors: Phase 1/2a study design and rationale.

Authors: Omar Saavedra Santa Gadea, Eric Christenson, Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, Andres Cervantes, Christa Raab, Ulrike Gaertner, Kerstin Pietzko, Gabriele Hintzen, Paulien Ravenstijn, Daniela Morales-Espinosa, Juanita Suzanne Lopez

Poster details:

Title: The combination of CD16A/EGFR innate cell engager, AFM24, with SNK01 autologous natural killer cells in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Authors: Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, Paul Y. Song, Jennifer Rubel, Dorna Y. Pourang, Christa Raab, Gabriele Hintzen, Michael Emig, Pilar Nava-Parada

Poster session for all posters: Developmental Therapeutics Immunotherapy, Sunday, June 5, 2022, 8:00 11:00 a.m. CDT

Abstract release: The full abstracts will become public at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 26.

More details about the programs for the ASCO Annual Meetings are available online at http://www.asco.org

About AFM13

AFM13 is a first-in-class innate cell engager (ICE) that uniquely activates the innate immune system to destroy CD30-positive hematologic tumors. AFM13 induces specific and selective killing of CD30-positive tumor cells, leveraging the power of the innate immune system by engaging and activating natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. AFM13 is Affimeds most advanced ICE clinical program and is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy in a registration-directed trial in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (REDIRECT, NCT04101331).

In addition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is studying AFM13 in an investigator-sponsored phase 1/2 trial in combination with cord blood-derived allogeneic NK cells in patients with relapsed/refractory CD30-positive lymphomas (NCT04074746).

About AFM24

AFM24 is a tetravalent, bispecific innate cell engager (ICE) that activates the innate immune system by binding to CD16A on innate immune cells and EGFR, a protein widely expressed on solid tumors, to kill cancer cells. Generated by Affimeds fit-for-purpose ROCK platform, AFM24 represents a distinctive mechanism of action that uses EGFR as a docking site to engage innate immune cells for tumor cell killing through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis.

Affimed is evaluating AFM24 in patients with advanced EGFR-expressing solid malignancies whose disease has progressed after treatment with previous anticancer therapies as monotherapy and in combinations with other cancer treatments. AFM24-101, a monotherapy, first-in-human phase 1/2a open-label, is a non-randomized, multi-center, multiple ascending dose escalation and expansion study. Additional details may be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov using the identifier NCT04259450. Furthermore, AFM24 is being evaluated in a phase 1/2a study in combination with Roches anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (AFM24-102, NCT05109442). Affimed and NKGen Biotech have initiated a phase 1/2a study (AFM24-103), investigating AFM24 in combination with SNK01, NKGen Biotechs NK cell product (NCT05099549).

About Affimed N.V.

Affimed (Nasdaq: AFMD) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to give patients back their innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped potential of the innate immune system. The companys proprietary ROCK platform enables a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors, enabling a broad pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered single agent and combination therapy programs. The ROCK platform predictably generates customized innate cell engager (ICE) molecules, which use patients immune cells to destroy tumor cells. This innovative approach enabled Affimed to become the first company with a clinical-stage ICE. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, with offices in New York, NY, Affimed is led by an experienced team of biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders united by a bold vision to stop cancer from ever derailing patients lives. For more about the companys people, pipeline and partners, please visit: http://www.affimed.com.

Investor Relations Contact

Alexander FudukidisDirector, Investor RelationsE-Mail: a.fudukidis@affimed.comTel.: +1 (917) 436-8102

Media Contact

Mary Beth Sandin Vice President, Marketing and CommunicationsE-Mail: m.sandin@affimed.com Tel.: +1 (484) 888-8195

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Affimed Announces Clinical Update and Trial in Progress Posters at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (ASCO) - Yahoo...

UVA Football | Elliott Pleased with Hoos’ Progress – Virginia University

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE Under cloudless skies at Scott Stadium, the University of Virginia football team wrapped up spring practice Saturday. But the work continues for the Cavaliers and their first-year head coach, Tony Elliott.

Four months in, I feel like Im about where I expected, Elliott said after the Blue-White Game. I thought that the majority of the guys were going to buy in, but I was still going to have a couple that were skeptical and kind of one foot in the water. And Ive got a couple of those. And really that was my last message to the guys just now: Hey, the coaches are getting ready to go on the road. This is about to be discretionary time. Weve got to finish academically and then weve got to come back and its on you guys to become a team. I was really just challenging those guys that have one foot in the water to just jump on in.

With the coaches out recruiting, the players will have to push themselves until the summer strength and conditioning program starts.

It is on us right now, said linebacker Nick Jackson, one of UVAs captains last season. I definitely think weve got guys that are 100 percent in, and were working every day to get everybody in. So weve got the offseason right now where everybody is going on their own right now, theres really no accountability, but theres accountability to your [teammates]. So I think a lot of guys are gonna come back ready to play after this spring. I think theres a lot of energy around the program and a lot of energy around what everyones trying to do, and I think that its gonna pay off when we get back in the summer.

Preceding the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday was the Wahoo Walk, a program tradition that Elliott revived this spring. Fans and UVA cheerleaders greeted the Cavaliers when the team arrived at Scott Stadium.

I was really, really pleased with the attendance at the Wahoo Walk, Elliott said. That was pretty cool, just the excitement, the energy coming into the into the stadium. I think the guys really, really liked that. I saw some smiles, how they were excited.

Virginias lack of depth at several positions, most notably quarterback and the offensive line, meant some players had to line for both teams in the Blue-White Game. That group included quarterback Brennan Armstrong, offensive tackles Jonathan Leech and Charlie Patterson, and kicker-punter Brendan Farrell. The Blue team won 23-0, with its points coming from running backs Amaad Foston and Perris Jones, wide receiver Malachi Fields, and Farrell.

Farrell kicked a 26-yard field goal and two extra points. Foston had a 3-yard touchdown run, and Fields caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jared Rayman. Jones contributed the games biggest play, a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half.

Im just proud overall of the effort, Elliott said. There was a lot of guys that played a lot of snaps all spring, not just today. Youre talking about eight, nine offensive linemen, but they never complained. They just worked. Im proud of Brennan. He made a decision to come back, and then some of his buddies decided not to come back. But he still stuck with it, and he had to do the best that he could, and I saw him just lead and grow as a leader and challenge himself to get better in the little things. So theres a lot to be proud of.

The Hoos went through 15 spring practices with a patchwork offensive line, and there werent many holes for running backs Mike Hollins and Foston on Saturday. Even so, the respective offensive coordinators for this gameDes Kitchings (Blue) and Taylor Lamb (White)continued to call running plays. The new coaching staff doesnt want the Hoos to rely as heavily on the pass as they did in recent seasons.

Its a mindset, Elliott said. As Ive said, we want to be balanced, and for us its not just statistically balanced, its a mindset.

Armstrong, a dangerous runner, was off-limits to tacklers Saturday, and that made life easier for the defense. But Elliott said he wanted to see the backs compete, and I thought there were a couple of situations that the offensive line did good enough just to get them to a one-on-one, and we didnt win those one-on-ones in the first half. So thatd be a great opportunity for us to go back and challenge those guys A great running back, he makes the offensive line right. And I think these guys are capable. Theyve just got to develop that mindset that I dont care how its blocked, Im going to get 4 yards. Thats my mindset. And so we wanted to force that.

Hollins carried nine times for 19 yards, and Foston gained 37 yards on 14 carries. Jones, who played in the second half, when most of the starters were on the sidelines, finished with 129 yards on nine rushes.

The Cavaliers commitment to running the ball was evident in their first 14 practices, too. With running backs Ronnie Walker Jr. and Jones sidelined for most of that time with injuries, Hollins and Foston took countless handoffs.

Repetition after repetition, said Foston, a rising sophomore. With all the running plays weve been doing, its an adjustment, because we didnt run the ball as much last year, but it feels great as a running back to know that were going to get the ball a lot this year, and were expecting to run the ball. Thats what Coach Elliott is expecting. Its going to be a fun season for us.

See the article here:

UVA Football | Elliott Pleased with Hoos' Progress - Virginia University

YRMC systems still down, but are a work-in-progress – KYMA

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - This past Monday, the Yuma Regional Medical System (YRMC) had its computer systems hacked.

Fortunately, the IT department caught on to it quickly.

"When we detected that there was a potential attack coming in on Monday, our team here made the choice to shut all of our systems down and remove it from the network, which would prohibit anybody from actually hacking in," Marketing and Communications Vice President Machele Headington reasoned.

The YRMC is still in "downtime mode," where the staff resorted to using pen and paper.

The variety of paper the staff uses includes print-outs, index cards, and a set of forms on every patient care unit to perform their processes manually.

As a result, doctors and medical professionals had to cancel appointments already scheduled before the hack.

"I was surprised when I showed up for my appointment this morning. They couldn't see me because they told me that the system was hacked, and the system was down," YRMC patient Lourdes Sanchez explained.

However, they are working to get the systems back online and will continue providing services to the community.

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YRMC systems still down, but are a work-in-progress - KYMA

Fire crews make progress on Crooks Fire, some residents allowed to return home – ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

PRESCOTT The Crooks Fire, near Prescott, has charred more than 6,400 acres. Fire crews have contained 16% of the fire and have it under control enough to lift some evacuation orders.

The return, for the people evacuated from the Lynx Lake area, is welcomed news. Homeowners said being away from their home was frustrating and hectic. Officials say, even with homeowners being let back in their home, homeowners should stay alert.

The Cliff Castle Chopper above the Crooks Fire Monday, as it continues to spread, but crews feeling confident in their progress to allow some homeowners near Lynx Lake back into their homes. ABC15 was with dozens as they waited in line to get passed Yavapai County Sheriff's Deputies.

Verne Tocker left with his three dogs a week ago.

"I'd like to get back in, especially for them, so they can get back to their own element and we can get back to our normal life, said Tocker.

Normalcy is also what Conrad Walton wants for him, his wife and dog.

"Just being away from home and the uncertainty just adds a level of stress. It's just difficult, said Walton.

The Crooks fire was the first to cause an evacuation for Steve Fredericks.

But, he says, he felt better knowing his surveillance cameras were rolling and his neighbors were talking.

"It was quite a relief just to see the structure was still there. We have a good network of people talking to each other, so it was good, said Fredericks.

"They're not out of the woods. They are still on, what we call, a set evacuation which means they can be re-evacuated at any time, said Yavapai County Sheriffs Office Spokeswoman Kristin Greene.

Fire is still a concern in other areas south of Prescott. One spot, under close watch, is near Palace Station. Fire crews are getting creative by protecting the historic 'Stagecoach Stop' Cabin with a foil-like protective wrap to reflect heat away from it. The cabin was built in the 1870s.

"Without our local firefighters, I would be freaked out and talking to an insurance company right now instead of talking to you, added Walton.

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Fire crews make progress on Crooks Fire, some residents allowed to return home - ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix

Wico. Co. Council makes progress with police accountability board, provides additional funding for new sheriffs office – 47abc – WMDT

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

SALISBURY, Md. Tuesday night, the Wicomico County Council got the process moving forward on the creation of its police accountability review board.

A main focus of the meeting was eligibility requirements for board members, which includes active shooter training.

Council President John Cannon tells 47ABC he thinks the council is making a lot of progress and doing their best to take into account the voice of the public but says theres still a lot of work to be done.

A lot of times you have to make sure you try to get it right from the very beginning. There were concerns about the qualifications for a chair and etc. I think weve come to a good compromise on whats needed and I think its a good bill for the county, Cannon said.

Obviously there are still things that need to be addressed including compensation and some of the more in the weeds stuff. I think Wicomico County still has a unique opportunity to pass a good PAB, ACLU of Maryland Eastern Shore Jared Schablein said.

Another topic of discussion included a proposed resolution for $7 million in additional funding for the construction of a new Wicomico County Sheriffs Office. The project currently has a price tag of $33 million.

Sheriff Mike Lewis and the County Director of Finance discussed it with the council. Although no expansions to the project have been made since it was introduced two years ago, the cost of construction has gone up due to inflation which is why the extra funding will be needed.

After much discussion, the county passed the legislation which green lights the groundwork to begin. That allows them to start doing ordering and start getting their subcontractors working on the project, Olden said. We dont have a specific date but this does allow us to start that process so we expect to be under construction sooner rather than later.

The new sheriffs office will be the headquarters for Wicomico Countys 91 sworn deputies.

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Wico. Co. Council makes progress with police accountability board, provides additional funding for new sheriffs office - 47abc - WMDT

Review Highlights Progress and Potential in Immunotherapy Plus Radiotherapy for Cancer Treatment – AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Danzig

With further research, a selection of combination therapies could increase patient response in various cancer types.

Immunotherapy and radiotherapy have both improved survival rates for cancer, and combination therapies have potential to be even more effective and reduce recurrence. A recent review published in Frontiers in Oncology examined the mechanisms of immunotherapy and radiotherapy and how they can be combined and administered for maximum efficacy.

Radiotherapy is standard for cancerous tumors, with approximately 70% of patients with tumors being treated with it. It works by damaging the DNA of tumor cells within the irradiation field to control tumor growth. Data has increasingly shown that radiotherapy also leads to the release of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, M2-like tumor-associated macrophage, T-regulatory cells, N2 neutrophils, and immunosuppressive cytokines, promoting an immunosuppressive microenvironment.

Advances in technology have made radiotherapy more precise and effective, with proton heavy ion therapy being the most advanced option in the current treatment landscape. With the advancement of heavy ion therapy equipment and technology, the decline of treatment costs, and the advancement of research, heavy ion therapy will gradually be popularized in various countries across the world, study authors wrote.

Recent research has also found an abscopal effect caused by radiotherapy, further suggesting that radiotherapy affects not just the tumor site of treatment, but also the immune system.

Many preclinical studies have shown that irradiation triggers immunogenic cell death (ICD), which promotes the release of tumor-associated antigens, changes the tumor microenvironment (TME), and activates the immune system to exert an anti-tumor immune response, the authors wrote.

Radiation alone does not eradicate all malignant cells, though. Tumors with hypoxic cells can be resistant to radiotherapy compared with more oxygenated cells. Hypoxia can also lead to HIF signaling pathway activation, causing gene expression that can help tumors survive. A variety of other TME changes due to radiotherapy can also spur cell growth, and both short- and long-term adverse effects can occur.

Radiotherapy has seen advances in recent years, but as immunotherapy has gained traction, it has emerged as the most likely route to find a cancer cure, study authors wrote. The use ofimmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) tumor vaccines, adoptive cell therapies, cytokine therapies, and other immunotherapies has increased in recent years.

Immunotherapy alone, however, is only used on a selection of tumor types in clinical practice and does not benefit all patients. Only approximately 10% to 30% of patients respond to single ICIs because of the complexity of cancer cell immune systems and tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Single ICIs or combination therapy is most likely to be effective in hot tumors, which have tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), versus cold tumors, which do not have TILs. Immunotherapy can also lead to immune-related adverse events that can happen in all organs.

Given the resistance of hypoxic cells to radiotherapy and the generally low response to single immunotherapy, the 2 methods can be complementary. Radiotherapy can release tumor neoantigens, induce ICD, and have an anti-tumor effect in vivo.

Combinations of radiotherapy and immunotherapy have been increasingly studied, although large-scale clinical data are still limited. These combinations include ICIs and radiotherapy, tumor vaccine and radiotherapy, adoptive cell therapy and radiotherapy, and cytokine therapy plus radiotherapy.

Combining radiotherapy with ICIs targeting programmed cell death receptor 1 and programmed cell death ligand 1is one promising option that has been approved in certain advanced lung cancers and has been most effective in non-small cell lung cancer. However, many of these patients are still resistant to ICIs.

With tumor vaccines, which do not elicit tumor-eliminating immune response alone, radiotherapy may enhance immune response in vivo through several mechanisms. Various trials are underway investigating this combination.

Adoptive cell therapy, which is done by isolating immunoreactive cells from patients and reintroducing them to target antigen-specific tumor cells, is another increasingly studied treatment option that includes chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Approximately 90% of patients experience relapse with CAR T-cell therapy, and early data show that radiotherapy may promote CAR T-cell effectiveness in solid tumors.

Cytokines, which regulate innate and adaptive immunity, have been shown to have significant anti-tumor activity but have dose-limiting severe toxicity that inhibits their efficacy. Studies are ongoing, but there may be potential for radiotherapy with adjuvant cytokine treatment or cytokine treatment followed by radiotherapy to increase effectiveness.

Study authors also highlight the development of multifunctional nanomaterials that can deliver immunomodulators and other drugs to tumors and improve the immunosuppressive environment. Multifunctional nanomaterials also have potential for use as radiosensitizers, potentially improving the effects of radiotherapy.

Overall, while some studies point to the effectiveness of combination radiotherapy and immunotherapy to improve treatment response, it is still unclear what sequence these therapies should be administered in and what the optimal timing is. The ideal radiotherapy fraction and dose selection are also questionable, as are the best immunotherapy-radiotherapy combinations for maximum anti-tumor response.

Toxicity and safety are also causes for further research, and it is still not clear which biomarkers are most useful to determine which patients may respond best to certain therapy combinations.

If the results of more and more clinical trials are positive, it will determine how best to integrate these models and optimize synergy, study authors wrote.

Reference

Yu S, Wang Y, He P, et al. Effective combinations of immunotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment.Front Oncol. Published online February 7, 2022. doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.809304

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Review Highlights Progress and Potential in Immunotherapy Plus Radiotherapy for Cancer Treatment - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

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