Australian government has donated through the World Health Organization Covid-19 test kits worth AU$2.25 million to support Covid-19 fight in the Lao PDR.
The handover took place in Vientiane on Aug 26 between Australian Ambassador to the Lao PDR Paul Kelly and Minister of Health Bounfeng Phommalaisith in the presence of Acting Country Representative of World Health Organisation to Laos Jun Gao and relevant officials of both sides.
Source: Lao News Agency
Austin, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, has been named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprisesi for the third consecutive year. A complimentary copy of the report is available here.
“We believe that placement in the Visionary quadrant reinforces our focus on building Kinetic with our customers, for our customers,” said Epicor President Himanshu Palsule. “Kinetic has the functionality necessary to run a modern, future-ready, manufacturing business looking to capitalize on data, transform digitally in the Cloud, and innovate without limits. The partnership with our customers is critical. And that’s why we prioritize customer touch-points and feedback that influence our product innovation.”
Epicor operates in 150 countries around the world with 20,000 customers utilizing its expertise and solutions to improve performance and profitability for manufacturing, distribution, and retail.
Gartner Disclaimer
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
GARTNER and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For nearly 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Epicor’s innovative solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to respond flexibly to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates every customer’s ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective. Visit www.epicor.com for more information.
Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation. Results are not guaranteed, and each user’s experience will vary.
[i] Gartner Inc., “Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises,” by Tim Faith, Paul Schenck, Denis Torii, Dixie John, and Abhishek Singh (August 24, 2021).
Ogilvy epicorus@ogilvy.com
ImmunoBrain Checkpoint Awarded $5 Million US NIA Grant for Phase 1b Alzheimer’s Disease Proof-of-Mechanism Study of Anti-PD-L1 IBC-Ab002
NEW YORK, Friday August 27, 2021 – ImmunoBrain Checkpoint Inc. (“IBC”) an innovative biopharmaceutical company developing potential disease-modifying immune therapies that harness the power of the immune system to help protect and repair the brain to combat neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the Company a grant totaling $5 million over three years to support a first-in-human clinical study of IBC-Ab002, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
IBC-Ab002 is a proprietary anti-PD-L1 antibody developed and engineered with differentiating characteristics tailored to treat Alzheimer’s disease, based on a unique mechanism of action that has the potential to arrest, slow-down or even stop Alzheimer’s disease progression. Its development is based on studies carried out at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, demonstrating that the immune system is needed for the maintenance of healthy brain function and repair, but may be impaired in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. IBC-Ab002 aims to empower the immune system to help defeat the disease and, thereby, to change the disease course and slow-down its progression.
In pre-clinical studies, treatment with an anti-PD-L1 antibody has been shown to reduce both amyloid-beta and tau, two key toxic proteins, alteration in the inflammatory milieu of the brain, preservation of synapses and neurons, and improvement in cognition as measured by learning/memory tests.
The phase 1b safety and proof-of-mechanism study of IBC-Ab002 in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease is expected to start in the first half of 2022 in the UK, the Netherlands and in Israel. In addition to the NIA funding, the study will be funded in part by a grant received from the Alzheimer’s Association under the 2020 Part the Cloud + Bill Gates Partnership Grant Program.
Dr. Eti Yoles, IBC’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are grateful to the NIA for this vote of confidence in our novel approach. IBC is committed to finding a therapy that will bring relief to the millions of patients struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.”
Dr. Jesse Cedarbaum, IBC’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “Aging is the major risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. With aging comes the seemingly paradoxical phenomena of ‘inflammaging’ and ‘immune exhaustion and senescence’. IBC-Ab002 is an antibody that has been designed with the goal of rebalancing the immune system to provide neuroprotection against Alzheimer’s disease and perhaps other neurodegenerative disorders. After a rigorous review process by scientists, clinicians, and key opinion leaders, we thank the NIA for its recognition that augmenting the body’s natural defenses could be an important avenue for treating Alzheimer’s disease.”
Professor Michal Schwartz, IBC’s Chief Scientific Officer, said: “Seeing the robustness of the effect in so many animal models, and on both symptoms and disease pathology, reinforces my optimism that we have the potential to activate a general mechanism needed for brain repair that will overcome many of the unique complexities of Alzheimer’s disease. I am very grateful to the NIA for its belief in and support of our novel therapy.”
Dr. Philip Scheltens, Director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and Principal Investigator for the planned clinical study, said: “I am pleased that the NIA recognizes the innovative approach of IBC, supporting its progress to the clinic. I am confident that these funds will help the IBC team to progress its therapeutic target through the clinical study here at Amsterdam UMC.”
There are no approved therapies for Alzheimer’s disease that have been shown to have a major impact on the clinical course of the disease. If successful, IBC’s therapy will be a first-of-its kind approach with the potential to change the course of Alzheimer’s disease and arrest its progression. The success of IBC’s approach would lead to better understanding of how the immune system helps protect the brain, would contribute to the understanding of the biology of Alzheimer’s disease, and could ignite a new era in developing therapies to combat this family of devastating diseases.
About ImmunoBrain Checkpoint
ImmunoBrain Checkpoint (IBC) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel disease-modifying immune therapies to combat neurodegenerative diseases, and in particular, Alzheimer’s disease. IBC’s IP platform emerged from the laboratory of Professor Michal Schwartz and licensed from Yeda, the commercialization arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. IBC’s technology is based on more than 20 years of studies by Schwartz’s team, who pioneered the idea that the brain engages in a life-long dialogue with the immune system for its maintenance and repair, and that this communication is compromised in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Schwartz’s team’s results in preclinical studies indicate that loosening the restraints from the immune system using antibodies that target inhibitory immune checkpoints (commonly expressed by exhausted immune cells), can rewire brain/immune communication, and thereby protect the brain from functional loss.
Previously, IBC received a $500,000 grant from the ALS Association to pursue a novel immunotherapeutic approach to treat ALS and identify optimal immune-checkpoint pathways to target, a $1,000,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association under the 2020 Part the Cloud + Bill Gates Partnership Grant Program, and additional support from the Israel Innovation Authority. www.immunobrain.com
About IBC-Ab002
IBC’s therapeutic approach seeks to harness the body’s own immune mechanism of repair to optimize the communication between the body and the brain. IBC-Ab002 is a proprietary antibody developed by IBC’s team led by Drs. Eti Yoles and Carol David, specifically optimized for IBC’s therapeutic mechanism of action. It is designed to transiently inhibit the activity of certain immune system molecules that act as “checkpoints” to restrain the activity of the immune system, and thereby enable a neuroprotective immunological cascade to combat the effects of neurodegenerative proteinopathy. In preclinical studies, anti-PD-L1 treatment was found to be effective in five different animal models of Alzheimer’s disease, including both amyloid and tau transgenic mice. In these studies, anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment reduced both cognitive deficits and toxic pathological proteins that accumulate in the brain.
IBC-Ab002 has also been engineered to have an improved safety profile relative to other antibodies with respect to inducing immune-mediated adverse effects. IBC plans to start its phase 1b clinical trial in the first half of 2022 in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease.
Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release will be supported by the National Institute On Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AG071810. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health
For more information, please contact info@immunobrain.com
SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, announced today that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has accepted an investigational new drug application for UBP1213sc, its subcutaneous injection of recombinant humanized anti-BLyS monoclonal antibody.
About UBP1213sc
UBP1213sc is a subcutaneous injection of a recombinant humanized anti-B lymphocyte stimulator (“BLyS”) monoclonal antibody, which is used to treat Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (“SLE”).
In November 2016, the intravenous dosage form (IV) of UBP1213 was approved by the NMPA for clinical trial. Junshi Biosciences was the first domestic company to obtain the approval for investigational new drug (IND) application for an anti-BLyS target monoclonal antibody drug. The subcutaneous injection has certain advantages over IV administration, including the flexibility to allow patients to administrate the drug themselves after training, which improves patient compliance.
About Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (“SLE”).
SLE is a highly heterogeneous systemic autoimmune disease with limited treatment options. According to the data in the Journal of Rheumatology and the Journal of Arthritis Research & Treatment, the current prevalence of SLE is 0-241/100,000 globally and 30-70/100,000 in mainland China. SLE is characterized by overactive B cells and massive autoantibody production. An anti-BLyS monoclonal antibody can inhibit the proliferation and survival of B cells by combining itself with soluble BLyS, so as to achieve long-term alleviation of SLE and reduce the risk of recurrence.
About Junshi Biosciences
Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R & D pipeline comprising 28 innovative drug candidates and 2 biosimilars, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Junshi Biosciences was the first Chinese pharmaceutical company that obtained marketing approval for anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in China. Its first-in-human anti-BTLA antibody for solid tumors was the first in the world to be approved for clinical trials by the FDA and NMPA and its anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody was the first in China to be approved for clinical trials by the NMPA. In early 2020, Junshi Biosciences joined forces with the Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Science and Eli Lilly to co-develop JS016 (etesevimab), China’s first neutralizing fully human monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2. JS016 administered with bamlanivimab has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA in February 2021 for the treatment of recently diagnosed, mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients who are at a high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. The JS016 program is a part of our continuous innovation for disease control and prevention of the global pandemic. Junshi Biosciences has over 2,000 employees in the United States (San Francisco and Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou). For more information, please visit: http://junshipharma.com.
Contact Information
IR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
info@junshipharma.com
+86 021-2250 0300
Solebury Trout
Bob Ai
bai@soleburytrout.com
+1 646-389-6658
PR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
Zhi Li
zhi_li@junshipharma.com
+86 021-6105 8800
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) launched the Legal Aid Webpage at a ceremony in Vientiane on Aug 26, 2021.
Recently developed and added to the MOJ’s main website (moj.gov.la), the Legal Aid Webpage will be used by the Ministry of Justice to provide Lao citizens with information about legal aid services.
The public can go to the website, ask questions, and request advice and consultation from the MOJ free of charge.
MOJ utilizes legal aid, including the webpage, to ensure that vulnerable people — such as the poor, disadvantaged, people living with disabilities, children, victims of violence, and victims of human trafficking — have access to legal resources.
The launch of the webpage was witnessed by Vice Minister of Justice Mr. Bountha Xongyhethao, USAID Country Representative Mr. Michael Ronning, and TAF Country Representative Todd Wassel and attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice along with the press, lawyers, and development partners.
This Legal Aid Webpage was developed with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Asia Foundation through the USAID Legal Aid Support programme.
“Today’s launch of the Legal Aid Webpage demonstrates the United States’ firm commitment under the U.S.-Laos Comprehensive Partnership to promote access to justice in Laos,” said Mr. Michael Ronning. “This year, the United States and the Lao PDR are celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership, and the United States is proud to continue supporting the Lao PDR to achieve its national development goals.”
The webpage will provide a greater number of Lao citizens with access to important legal aid services, including information and referrals for advice and documentation. The Legal Aid Webpage will also support the MOJ to increase access to justice for all and ensure equality, with the aim of building a more just and prosperous Laos. To date, the programme has doubled the
number of legal aid offices, which will benefit vulnerable populations across the country for many years to come.
Source: Lao News Agency
An opening ceremony for the Laos – China cross-border freight transportation between Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province of China and Vientiane, the commercial and administrative centre of Laos was held in Kunming on Aug 25, according to China Radio International-CRI.
A truck carrying nearly 3 million yuan worth of machinery, equipment and electronic appliances, set out a long trip from Kunming passing through Bohan-Boten checkpoint en route to Vientiane.
At the same time, some trucks carrying Laos’ unique goods traveled from Vientiane to the Bohan-Boten border checkpoint before arriving in Kunming to distribute goods to other parts of China.
The launching of the cross-border freight transportation between the Chinese city and the capital of Laos aimed to find out difficulties related to freight procedures, transport costs and traffic along the road between Kunming and Vientiane in preparation for the opening of international freight transport, both by road and rail, between Laos and China which is expected to take place after the opening for public use of the Laos-China Railway which has been scheduled for Dec 2, 2021.
Source: Lao News Agency
