DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Canada has officially banned testing cosmetics on animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Canada has moved to ban the testing of cosmetics on animals, joining a number of other countries and American states to outlaw the practice. Bill C-47 amends the Food and Drugs Act to ban both the testing of cosmetic products on animals and the sale of products relying on animal testing data, according to the news release. The news release noted animal testing for cosmetics was “rarely conducted in Canada.”Canada will join the ranks of the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, which have all moved to ban cosmetic testing on animals, according to the release. A total of 44 countries have passed laws banning cosmetic animal testing, according to the Humane Society International. The amendment banning cosmetic testing on animals in one of a package of amendments included in the measure.

Persons: Bill C, ”, Health Jean, Yves Duclos Organizations: CNN, Canada, Canadian, Drugs, European Union, Humane Society, Health, Commons Locations: Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, South Korea, New York, Virginia , California , Louisiana , New Jersey , Maine, Hawaii , Nevada , Illinois, Maryland

☆ Scientists isolate human gene able to fend off most bird flu viruses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - UK researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Nicknamed B-force by the researchers, the gene was found to block the replication of most strains of bird flu in human cells. However, the gene's antiviral activity failed to protect against seasonal human flu viruses. This gene is part of a broader defensive apparatus in the human immune arsenal against bird viruses. To be sure, viruses mutate all the time, and this does not mean that bird flu viruses could not evolve to escape the activity of BTN3A3.

Persons: Massimo Palmarini, ”, Sam Wilson, Natalie Grover, Nancy Lapid, Christina Fincher Organizations: MRC, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: London

☆ How surgeons in Ukraine are saving soldiers' lives with a simple tube grown from human cells
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's a small tube called the human acellular vessel (HAV) designed to treat traumatic vascular injuries mostly due to blasts and shrapnel. Why vascular injuries are so dangerousVascular injuries are a leading cause of preventable death in military combat and a leading cause of amputation. They're lab-grown from human vascular cells in about eight weeks and then sanitized to be ready as an off-the-shelf replacement blood vessel. HumacyteVascular surgeons often treat traumatic vascular injuries with grafts. Humacyte plans to file an application with the FDA later this year for HAVs to treat traumatic vascular injuries.

Persons: HAVs, —, Oleksandr Sokolov, Sokolov, Humacyte, Laura Niklason, they're, Niklason, Niklosan, Jeffrey Lawson Sokolov, HAVs aren't, Miechia, Esco, What's Organizations: Service, FDA's, International, Ukrainian Ministry of Health, Humacyte, Humactye, FDA, HAVs Locations: Ukraine, It's, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ Here’s what Pfizer and Moderna say is next for their Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesThree years and billions of Covid vaccinations into the pandemic, Pfizer and Moderna say their work is far from over. Here's what Moderna and Pfizer say is next for their Covid shots. Annual Covid shotsPfizer and Moderna aim to keep up with a shift in the U.S. toward annual Covid shots rather than frequent booster doses. Miller, who helped lead the development of Moderna's Covid shot in 2020, said the advantages of using mRNA became evident earlier on in the pandemic. 'Next-generation' Covid shotsPfizer's and Moderna's Covid vaccines both deliver robust protection against the virus, but that immunity can start to fade after four to six months.

☆ Moderna posts surprise quarterly profit despite waning demand for Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna on Thursday blew past estimates for first-quarter earnings and revenue, posting a surprise quarterly profit, despite lower demand for Covid vaccines, its only marketable product. The biotech company generated first-quarter sales of $1.9 billion, driven by Covid shot revenue deferred from 2022. Moderna maintained its full-year guidance of around $5 billion in revenue from its Covid vaccine, which will come from signed government contracts for the shot. But Covid shot demand is still falling as the pandemic eases and the U.S. shifts to an annual vaccination schedule rather than repeated booster doses. Moderna in April said it hopes to offer a new set of life-saving vaccines targeting cancer, heart disease and other conditions by 2030.

☆ Dished up by 3D printers, a new kind of fish to fry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish fillet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory. Israel's Steakholder Foods has now partnered with Singapore-based Umami Meats to make fish fillets without the need to stalk dwindling fish populations. Steakholder Foods then adds them to a 'bio-ink' suited for special 3D printers. It has the flakiness of traditional fish and when fried and seasoned it is hard to tell the difference. "The number of scientists, you can imagine, working on fish stem cell biology is a small fraction of those working on animal cells and human cells."

☆ Moderna teams up with IBM to put AI, quantum computing to work on mRNA technology used in vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna and IBM are teaming up to use generative artificial intelligence and quantum computing to advance mRNA technology, the development at the core of the company's blockbuster Covid vaccine, the companies announced Thursday. The companies said they signed an agreement for Moderna to access IBM's quantum computing systems. IBM will also provide experts who can help Moderna scientists explore the use of quantum technologies, the companies added. Unlike traditional computers, which store information as either zeroes or ones, Quantum computing hinges on quantum physics. The companies said Moderna will use IBM's model to understand "the characteristics of potential mRNA medicines" and design a new class of vaccines and therapies.

☆ Moderna says it hopes to offer new vaccines for cancer, heart disease, and other conditions by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Moderna hopes to offer a new set of life-saving vaccines targeting cancer, heart disease and other conditions by 2030, a spokesperson for the company told CNBC on Monday. "It can be applied to all sorts of disease areas; we are in cancer, infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, rare disease." Burton's remarks also come ahead of Moderna's Vaccine Day on Tuesday. He highlighted Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine, a highly anticipated mRNA shot being developed to target different tumor types. In February, the Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine in combination with Merck's immunotherapy drug Keytruda for patients with a deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma.

☆ Moderna shares pop 7% after Cowen upgrades stock, saying it 'will be a leader' in RSV vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna shares jumped by nearly 7% on Wednesday after TD Cowen upgraded the stock, saying the company will "be a leader" in the RSV vaccine market. Cowen pointed to the company's potential RSV vaccine, noting that key opinion leaders believe RSV will be a "three-player vaccine market" between Moderna and drugmakers Pfizer and GSK. Moderna's RSV vaccine performed well in clinical trials and was well tolerated by patients, the note said. Moderna's RSV vaccines for adults ages 60 and older received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the Food and Drug Administration in late January. Cowen noted that Moderna believes the regulatory support of its competitors' RSV candidates "should read-through" to its own.

☆ Scientists have created mice with two biological fathers. They say the technique could one day be replicated in humans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Speaking at a conference, they said they made female eggs from male cells. He then used that technique to make female eggs, called oocytes, from male cells and fertilized them to create seven mice with two biological dads. REUTERS/Alan Trounson/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/HandoutThey then deleted the Y chromosomes in the cells and duplicated the cells' X chromosomes, before prompting the cells to turn into egg cells with two X chromosomes. The technique could also help women and people with two X chromosomes who have a genetic issue with one of the X chromosomes to have children, he said. Human reproductive cells are very complex and much less well-known than mice cells.

☆ SpaceX capsule delivers latest four-member crew to International Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 3 (Reuters) - A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) after a brief delay early on Friday, carrying two U.S. astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a United Arab Emirates astronaut on a six-month science mission. The autonomously flying spacecraft dubbed Endeavour docked with the space station shortly after 1:40 a.m. EST (0640 GMT) on Friday, about 25 hours after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Docking maneuvers fell behind schedule as the Crew Dragon was making its final approach to the station. The ISS crew also is responsible for performing maintenance and repairs aboard the station, and to prepare for the arrival and departure of other astronauts and cargo payloads. Rounding out the four-man Crew 6 was Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, 42, who like Alneyadi is an engineer and spaceflight rookie.

[1/2] A Falcon 9 rocket is readied for another launch attempt for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission after a technical delay, which will take four crew members to the International Space Station, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., March 1, 2023. The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, was set for liftoff at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The four-man crew should reach the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting some 250 miles (420 km) above Earth, about 25 hours after launch, early on Friday morning. Crew 6 also is notable for its inclusion of UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, 41, only the second person from his country to fly to space and the first to launch from U.S. soil as part of a long-duration space station team. The Crew 6 team will be welcomed aboard the space station by seven current ISS occupants - three U.S. NASA crew members, including commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, the first Native American woman to fly to space, along with three Russians and a Japanese astronaut.

☆ Analysis: Why public health officials are not panicked about bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They say the attributes that have made this virus thrive in wild birds likely make it less infectious to people. Although the exact changes required for a bird flu virus to become easily transmissible in people are not known, a pair of landmark studies done a decade ago offer some clues. Mink have both avian and human-type receptors, but avian receptors are scarce in humans and located deep in the lungs. That change is a must if a bird flu virus is to spread easily in people. None of the experts discounted the possibility that H5N1 or another avian flu virus could mutate and spark a pandemic, and many believe the world has not seen its last flu pandemic.

☆ Fact Check-Chinese study made coronavirus antibodies in eggs by vaccinating hens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A 2021 study in China investigated antibodies generated by immunizing hens with a specific protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and found that the antibodies extracted from yolks could neutralize some versions of the coronavirus tested in the lab. The results do not mean that all egg yolks contain coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies or that eating eggs would prevent COVID-19, as suggested in some widely shared posts online. Posts refer to a study originally published in November 2020 (here), which analyzed immunoglobulin Y (or lgY) antibodies generated in the yolks of eggs from laying hens that had been immunized with the “spike” protein from SARS-CoV-2. Not all eggs, however, contain the specific antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, Rodrigo Gallardo, professor in poultry medicine at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, told Reuters via email. A study in China immunized hens to generate antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in their eggs, it did not find that all eggs contain such antibodies or that eggs have any effect on COVID.

☆ Fact Check-COVID-19 vaccines do not add a ‘third strand’ of DNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine does not alter human DNA or add a third strand to people’s DNA, as claimed in a video circulating on social media and viewed more than 400,000 times on Twitter. This gave me chills.”However, the video offers no evidence for its claim about the vaccine altering human DNA. The messenger RNA (mRNA) in approved COVID-19 vaccines does not interact with human DNA inside cells, and does not enter the cell nucleus where DNA is housed. Reuters has also addressed other false claims that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA (here, here, here). COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA do not alter human DNA or add a third strand to the DNA double helix.

☆ A scientist is using AI to design a nasal spray that could protect us from the flu, COVID, and colds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A researcher is developing a nasal spray using custom proteins that could protect against COVID-19. Baker's lab plans to start early human testing of the nasal spray later this year to make sure it's safe and test its efficacy. Using AI, his ultimate goal is to create a nasal spray that's full of proteins that can block many different viruses. Then the proteins could be manufactured and placed in a nasal spray. Baker said that designed proteins are more stable than naturally occurring proteins, so they won't degrade before they make it to one's nose.

☆ The hunt is on for a tiny radioactive capsule missing in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Emergency services were first notified last Wednesday, officials said, and alerted the public last Friday. The truck arrived at Perth on Jan. 16, said DFES, while the emergency services were only notified about the missing capsule on Jan. 25 when a gauge was unpacked for inspection. “Upon opening the package, it was found that the gauge was broken apart with one of the four mounting bolts missing and the source itself and all screws on the gauge also missing,” said the emergency services. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services released this diagram showing the missing capsule. Radioactive material is routinely transported around Western Australia, although under strict regulations, and is used commonly in medicine, industry, mining as well as research, Robertson told NBC News in a separate statement Monday.

☆ Omicron booster shots provide some protection against mild illness from Covid XBB subvariants, CDC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The CDC study published Wednesday provides the first estimate of the omicron booster shots' real-world effectiveness against the XBB family of subvariants. Some scientists have warned the XBB subvariants could cause another Covid wave because they are so good at evading the antibodies that block infections. The study compared people who received the new booster with those who received between two and four doses of the original vaccine. People who only received the original shots generally got their last dose about 13 months ago. But the CDC study found that the omicron boosters provide about as much protection against the XBB family as they do against the BA.5 subvariant and its descendants such as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.

☆ UV light from gel manicures can cause cancer-causing mutations, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In fact, the results reaffirm the reason why some dermatologists have changed the way they get their gel manicures or have stopped getting them altogether. “Tanning beds are listed as carcinogenic and UV nail lamps are mini tanning beds for your nails in order to cure the gel nail,” Curtis said. “I would recommend alternatives to gel nails, such as the new wraps that are available online.” (Gel nail wraps or strips are stick-on gel nail products that don’t always require being set by UV nail dryers.) Some salons use LED lights, which “are thought to emit either no UV light or much, much lower amounts,” Lipner said. Russak doesn’t get gel manicures very often but uses sunscreen and gloves when she does, she said.

Persons: ”, Julia Curtis, wasn’t, ” Curtis, Ludmil Alexandrov, ” Alexandrov, Julie Russak, Russak wasn’t, there’s, ” Russak, Shari Lipner, Lipner wasn’t, Curtis, “, ” Lipner, Lipner, —, Russak, Joshua Zeichner Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Utah, UCAR Center for Science Education, University of California, Dermatology, Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, Mount Sinai Locations: San Diego, New York City, corneocytes, Mount

The study didn't look at real people, however: The researchers exposed cells derived from humans and mice to UV light from nail dryers. Previous studies have linked only a few instances of skin cancer to gel manicures. Scientists will need to study the effects of UV nail dryers in actual humans before they can make definitive conclusions about cancer risk, she added. Even so, Curtis and Zhivagui said that in their own lives, they don't ever get manicures that require UV nail dryers. Davis said some people may decide that exposure to UV radiation from gel manicures just isn't worth the gamble, given how much we still don't know.

☆ Omicron XBB.1.5 is rising in U.S. though revised CDC data shows slower increase than previously reported
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

XBB.1.5 made up 27.6% of sequenced Covid cases nationally for the week ending Jan. 7 compared with 18.3% for the week end Dec. 31. The CDC previously reported that XBB.1.5 made up about 41% of sequenced cases for the week ending Dec. 31, more than any other variant. Although the agency has revised its estimate downward, XBB.1.5 remains the only omicron subvariant showing significant growth in the U.S. right now. U.S. health officials should have more data soon on how much protection the omicron boosters provide against XBB.1.5., Jha said. Weekly Covid cases have increased by about 16% to 470,699 over the past week, according to CDC data.

☆ Moderna signs $35 million deal with cancer drug developer CytomX
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) on Thursday announced a $35 million licensing deal with cancer-focused drug developer CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX.O) to work on messenger RNA-based therapies for a wide range of diseases. The news comes a month after an experimental cancer vaccine from Moderna based on mRNA technology was shown to work against a type of skin cancer. The deal offers CytomX access to Moderna's mRNA technology, which has been used to develop COVID-19 vaccines, while Moderna would get access to CytomX's Probody platform, used in the development of cancer therapies targeting diseased tissues. Moderna said it will also pay tiered royalties to CytomX on global sales of any products which enter the market under the deal. The companies will work together to discover experimental therapies and Moderna will be responsible for human trials and commercial activities of products.

☆ Siddhartha Mukherjee on How Cellular Medicine Could Fight Cancer, Diabetes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alex Ossola | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It took centuries for scientists to get a complete picture of the cell, the tiny units of life that make up every living thing. Flash forward, and doctors are increasingly working at the cellular level, transplanting or altering individual cells to find treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes. Siddhartha Mukherjee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and cancer physician, believes this new understanding of cellular medicine could lead to medical breakthroughs—ways to repair our cells, or someday even enhance them. In his latest book, “The Song of the Cell,” Dr. Mukherjee also warns of ethical gray areas that could result from cellular medicine’s potential to augment human cells.

☆ Fact Check-Food products do not contain human fetal cells
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

There is no evidence that food products contain cells from aborted human fetuses as flavor enhancers, contrary to a social media claim that revives a related, previously-debunked charge about cells used in biomedical research. Research by Senomyx into the use of ‘HEK-293’ aborted human fetal cells as a flavor enhancer was published in Pubmed in 2002, after which several patents were filed by them. Reuters previously factchecked false claims that PepsiCo drinks contained aborted fetal cells. AN OLD CELL LINEThe controversial cell line is derived from fetal cells dating to the 1970s. There is no evidence that any food or beverage products contain cells from human fetuses or derived from fetuses.

☆ Pfizer rejects Moderna claim it copied Covid vaccine, accuses rival of rewriting history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. Pfizer has rejected allegations made by rival Moderna that its Covid-19 vaccine is a copy, accusing the Boston biotech company of rewriting history to lay claim to technology developed by a field of scientists over many years. Pfizer asked a federal court in Massachusetts on Monday to dismiss Moderna's lawsuit seeking monetary damages for alleged patent violations related to the Boston company's Covid vaccine. "The Moderna inventions that Pfizer and BioNTech chose to copy were foundational for the success of their vaccine," the company claimed. Pfizer and BioNTech did not copy Moderna's technology," Pfizer said in its response.

Search resuls for: "Human Cell"

25 mentions found