Month: November 2022

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National Geographic Lists Laos as Breathtaking Travel Destination for 2023

Laos is the only ASEAN country featured in the ‘annual list of superlative destinations’ and it is placed under the header of ‘Community: Where conservation benefits everyone’ with specific experiences in other countries like Greece, the US, Canada, and Ghana.
“Board a new high-speed train that makes lesser known regions of Laos accessible to tourists and brings economic opportunities to locals,” says the article about the Laos-China Railway whose bullet trains can clock up to 160 km/hr.
Through the Laos Travel Guide on its website, the publication introduces Laos and its numerous travel destinations to readers and travellers.
“Laos is Southeast Asia’s only landlocked country, yet, paradoxically, life revolves around water. Running the length of the mainly mountainous country is the mighty Mekong River, which floods rice fields, creates vital fish habitat, and serves as the main highway and water source.”
“Villages clustered along the river regularly host backpackers drawn to the country’s exquisite French colonial architecture and stunning palaces and temples, but, the rugged terrain keeps Laos blissfully off the typical tourist trail,” says National Geographic.
Also this week, a prominent UK-based travel magazine hascited Laos as one of the 20 best places to visit in January 2023. It is the top ASEAN country on the list, ranking sixth, while Vietnam was featured in the No.8 position.
Laos has already seen over one million tourists this year, including 644,756 international visitors. The government expects to attract at least 900,000 foreign visitors in 2022, which could lead to over USD 218 million in revenue.

Source: Lao News Agency

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Antibody Treatment Tested as New Tool Against Malaria

Research in Africa found a one-time dose of an experimental drug protected adults against malaria for at least six months, the latest approach in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease.
Malaria killed more than 620,000 people in 2020 and sickened 241 million, mainly children under 5 in Africa. The World Health Organization is rolling out the first authorized malaria vaccine for children, but it is about 30% effective and requires four doses.
The new study tested a very different approach — giving people a big dose of lab-made malaria-fighting antibodies instead of depending on the immune system to make enough of those same infection-blockers after vaccination.
“The available vaccine doesn’t protect enough people,” said Dr. Kassoum Kayentao of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies in Bamako, Mali, who helped lead the study in the villages of Kalifabougou and Torodo.

In those villages during malaria season, other research has shown, people are bitten by infected mosquitoes on average twice a day.
The experimental antibody, developed by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was given by IV — difficult to deliver on a large scale. But the encouraging findings bode well for an easier-to-administer shot version from the same scientists that’s in early testing in infants, children and adults.
The U.S. government research was published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a medical meeting in Seattle.
The antibody works by breaking the life cycle of the parasite, which is spread through mosquito bites. It targets immature parasites before they enter the liver where they can mature and multiply. It was developed from an antibody taken from a volunteer who received a malaria vaccine.
The research involved 330 adults in Mali who got either one of two different antibody doses or a dummy infusion. All were tested for malaria infection every two weeks for 24 weeks. Anyone who got sick was treated.
Infections were detected by blood test in 20 people who got the higher dose, 39 people who got the lower dose and 86 who got the placebo.
The higher dose was 88% effective, compared to the placebo. The lower dose was 75% effective.
Protection might last during the several months of a malaria season. The idea is to someday use it alongside other malaria prevention methods such as malaria pills, mosquito nets and vaccines. Cost is uncertain, but one estimate suggests lab-made antibodies could be given for as little as $5 per child per malaria season.
Lab-made antibodies are used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases and COVID-19, said Dr. Johanna Daily of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study.
“The good news is now we have another, immune-based therapy to try to control malaria,” Daily said.

Source: Voice of America

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Australia Bans More Single-Use Plastics

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, Australia’s most populous state is banning a range of single-use plastic, including straws, cutlery and bowls.
Polystyrene foam food containers are also banned under the new rules in New South Wales, along with some face, body and hair products that contain plastic micro beads.
Businesses that breach the regulations could face fines of tens of thousands of dollars.
Minister for Environment and Heritage James Griffin said in a statement in September that the ban was just the start of a “massive shift away from single-use plastic.”
He has predicted the ban would stop 2.7 billion items of plastic ending up as litter over the next 20 years.
The laws in New South Wales are part of a nationwide push to curb waste. State authorities in Queensland and Victoria will bring in similar bans next year.
Environmental campaigners have welcomed the laws but insist much more needs to be done. Australia currently recycles 16% of its plastic packaging, below the national target of 70%.
Shane Cucow of the Australian Marine Conservation Society told VOA that recycling needs to be improved, because “Every wrap, pack and snack at a supermarket these days is covered in plastic.”
He added that, “We can get rid of some of those single-use plastics that are highly littered and regularly ending up in our oceans like cups and straws and take-away containers and plastic bags, and that is really important, but at the same time there is just so much plastic packaging on everything that is not able to be recycled properly and so it has got nowhere to go except being buried in landfill or washing out into our oceans.”
In June, New South Wales also banned lightweight plastic bags.

Source: Voice of America

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Peoples Bank Chooses SimpleNexus to Enhance the Customer Homebuying Experience with Home Financing Tools on the Go

Iowa bank’s implementation of Nexus Engagement and Nexus Origination strengthens its relationships with customers and real estate agents

LEHI, Utah, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SimpleNexus (https://simplenexus.com/), an nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) company and developer of the leading U.S. homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced that Clive, Iowa-based Peoples Bank has completed the company-wide rollout of Nexus Engagement™ and Nexus Origination™ to offer customers a modern homebuying experience from the convenience of their phones.

Founded in 1917, Peoples Bank is a locally-owned, independent community bank with more than $422 million in assets and nine locations in central and west-central Iowa. The bank implemented SimpleNexus’ mobile lead engagement toolset, Nexus Engagement, and its from-anywhere mortgage point-of-sale (POS) product, Nexus Origination, to enhance the customer experience, originate mortgage loans more efficiently and improve referral strategies with real estate professionals.

“Our loan officers love using SimpleNexus because it is so intuitive. When a prospect begins a mortgage inquiry or application, the app prompts them to snap and upload pictures of the documentation needed to get them pre-qualified,” said Tracy Van Sickle, vice president, mortgage loan supervisor at Peoples Bank. “By automating time-consuming processes like chasing down documents and giving borrowers modern alternatives to scanning and faxing, SimpleNexus eliminates many of the pain points in the lending process, much to the delight of our customers and loan officers.”

Leveraging SimpleNexus’ native integrations with the bank’s mortgage loan origination system (LOS) and document provider has allowed Peoples Bank to streamline its document workflow by prompting borrowers to eSign standard disclosures and specialty documents alike. Additionally, quickly generating pre-qualification letters from the SimpleNexus mobile app and sharing them with agents has helped loan officers bolster referrals.

“The forward-thinking leaders at Peoples Bank understand the importance of technology and the central role it plays in consumers’ lives,” said Ben Miller, CEO of SimpleNexus. “It is an honor to support a bank that, like SimpleNexus, pursues innovation and is passionate about providing excellent service to homebuyers.”

About SimpleNexus
SimpleNexus, an nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) company, is an award-winning developer of mobile-first technology for the modern mortgage lender. U.S. lenders depend on our namesake homeownership platform to unite the people, systems and stages of the mortgage process into a seamless, end-to-end solution that spans engagement, origination, closing and business intelligence. By helping lenders manage their teams and stay connected with borrowers and real estate professionals, we deliver a measurable return on investment in the form of reduced turn times, increased loan application submissions and more referral business. A four-time Inc. 5000 company, SimpleNexus has been recognized as one of the world’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. For more information, visit https://www.simplenexus.com or follow @SimpleNexus.

About Peoples Bank
As a family-owned bank with a history in Iowa since 1917, Peoples Bank has been committed to serving the personal and business banking needs of the communities we are honored to be a part of. Headquartered in Clive, Iowa, we serve Central Iowans with a total of nine branch locations across the metro and rural markets. Peoples Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Learn more about our company, history, community outreach and environmental initiatives that define us today and into tomorrow at https://www.mypeoples.bank/about-us.

Media Contacts
Leslie Colley
DepthPR for SimpleNexus
+1 678.622.6229
leslie@depthpr.com

David Bolin
SimpleNexus
+1 414.688.6077
dbolin@simplenexus.com

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “might,” or “continues” or similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon nCino’s historical performance and its current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent nCino’s expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change and, except as may be required by law, nCino does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially including, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to the market adoption of our solution and privacy and data security matters. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect nCino’s business and financial results are included in reports filed by nCino with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available on our web site at www.ncino.com or the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov). Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in other filings nCino makes with the SEC from time to time.

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Jeito Capital becomes a significant investor in HI-Bio, a clinical-stage biotech company developing targeted therapies for patients with severe immune-mediated diseases

                                                            Jeito Capital becomes a significant investor in HI-Bio, a clinical-stage biotech company developing targeted therapies for patients with severe immune-mediated diseases

  • Jeito Capital participates in $120 million financing alongside ARCH Venture Partners and Monograph Capital
    • HI-Bio is a San Francisco-based clinical-stage biotechnology company developing targeted therapies for patients with severe immune-mediated diseases
    • Investment marks Jeito’s first investment in the United States demonstrating its ambition to build a solid and diversified portfolio of international investments in healthcare companies across therapeutic areas of high unmet need

Paris, France, November 1st 2022 – Jeito Capital (“Jeito”), a leading independent international private equity firm dedicated to biopharma, announced today that it has participated in the $120 million financing of Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio™), a clinical-stage biotech company developing targeted therapies for patients suffering from severe immune-mediated diseases (IMD). Jeito Capital joins a syndicate of world class investors including ARCH Venture Partners and Monograph Capital in backing the San Francisco-based company.

The investment in HI-Bio is Jeito’s 11th to date and its first in the United States, demonstrating the fund’s ambition to build a global and diverse portfolio of companies operating in numerous therapeutic areas of unmet need for patients and at different stages of development (from pre-clinical to advanced clinical-stage).

HI-Bio has multiple clinical-stage programs and a strong translational platform with the potential to address several diseases with unmet medical needs. Few targeted therapies exist for patients affected by IMDs, which include autoimmune, allergic and inflammatory diseases. Conventional therapies are generally broad-acting and do not address the root cause of disease. As a result, many patients with IMDs experience limited relief from symptoms and may experience unnecessary side effects.

Nearly 4% of the world’s population is potentially affected by one of these diseases, and more than half of those treated with currently available therapies are not in remission. With such large unmet medical patient need, the global therapeutic market for these diseases could reach $150 billion by 2025.

Many IMDs stem from the dysfunction of cells that make up the immune system, including plasma cells, neutrophils, mast cells and more. These cells are responsible for critical functions and processes, including the secretion of antibodies, signaling mediators, and tissue repair and allergic responses. HI-Bio’s programs apply a precision medicine approach to target, modulate or deplete these cellular drivers of disease with therapeutics.

Dr Rafaèle Tordjman, founder and CEO of Jeito, commented: “Jeito’s investment in HI-Bio, alongside distinguished investors such as ARCH Venture Partners and Monograph Capital, represents an important step as we make our first investment in the United States, further demonstrating our ambition to support international companies developing groundbreaking therapies in areas of high unmet need. HI-Bio is launching with a team of renowned experts with impressive track records and a pipeline of precision therapies that have the potential to address unmet patient needs around the world today.”

Rachel Mears, Partner at Jeito, added: “Jeito’s investment supports the important work by HI-Bio on behalf of patients suffering from immune-mediated diseases. The potential to reduce the enormous health burden for these patients using HI-Bio’s precision medicine approach was a key motivator for this investment. With HI-Bio’s ongoing clinical programs and its strong pipeline of additional development candidates, Jeito’s strategy to invest behind strong teams founded on great science and positioned for growth driven by making a difference for patients fits hand-in-hand with HI-Bio.”

Travis Murdoch, M.D., CEO of HI-Bio concluded: “We at HI-Bio are an embodiment of the urgent need to develop precision therapies that are more targeted for patients suffering from immune-mediated diseases. Immune-mediated diseases represent a landscape where the scale of unmet need and potential patient benefit is truly enormous. We are grateful to our investors Jeito Capital, ARCH and Monograph who share our vision for HI-Bio. They see that we have an actionable opportunity to bring an unprecedented degree of precision and creativity to clinical immunology, with all the potential safety and efficacy enhancements that come with our approach.”

About Jeito Capital
Jeito Capital is a global leading investment company with a patient benefit driven approach that finances and accelerates the development and growth of ground-breaking medical innovation. Jeito empowers and supports entrepreneurs through its expert, integrated, multi-talented team and through the investment of significant capital to ensure the growth of companies, building market leaders in their respective therapeutic areas with accelerated patients’ access globally, especially in Europe and the United States. Jeito Capital has €534 million under management and a rapidly growing portfolio of investments. Jeito Capital is based in Paris with a presence in Europe and the United States.

@Jeito_lifeLinkedIn For more information, please visit www.jeito.life, or follow @Jeito_life on Twitter or LinkedIn.

For further information please contact :

Jeito Capital
Rafaèle Tordjman
Assia Mouhout, PA
assia@jeito.life
Tel : +33 6 76 49 37 94

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott / Davide Salvi / Kris Lam

Jeito@consilium-comms.com

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

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Anglepoint Acquires Fisher Information Technology Services

Anglepoint expands its UK footprint, accelerates EMEA revenue growth

Featured Image for Anglepoint

Featured Image for Anglepoint

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Anglepoint, the leading provider of Software Asset Management (SAM) Managed Services for the Global 2000, is announcing the completed acquisition of UK-based Fisher Information Technology Services (FisherITS). FisherITS brings a 10-year track record of providing high-quality SAM consulting and Managed Services to large and midsize clients in the UK, USA, Canada, and EMEA.

Anglepoint CEO Brian Papay says of the acquisition, “The successful completion of this deal is a testament to the high-caliber organization that FisherITS has created. Anglepoint is committed to expanding our presence in the EMEA region. Adding the deep expertise of the FisherITS team, their outstanding partners, and long-time clients only bolsters Anglepoint’s momentum.”

The FisherITS team will join Anglepoint, bringing industry-leading clients, worldwide channel partners and the intellectual platform OpenSAM, FisherITS’s SaaS-based BI automation solution. “Large enterprises are increasingly seeing the need and benefit of SAM Managed Services. Anglepoint has more than tripled since 2017, and that growth is because of the strong value that high-quality SAM services provide to our clients,” adds Brian Papay.

Eric Chiu, founder and Managing Director of FisherITS, says, “FisherITS’s DNA of focusing on business value, deep vendor expertise and automation is very similar to Anglepoint’s. In addition to expanding our geographical service coverage, our global clients and partners can now leverage added areas of expertise such as SAM tooling, cloud cost management (FinOps) and information security.”

ABOUT ANGLEPOINT 

Anglepoint is the leading provider of Software Asset Management & Technology Asset Management services to the Fortune 500 & Global 2000. Anglepoint’s services drive cost optimization, risk mitigation, & strategic planning within the cloud, SaaS, enterprise software & hardware estates of complex hybrid IT environments. Anglepoint delivers comprehensive managed services, including SAM strategy, execution, process automation, and technology selection & implementation.

For media inquiries, please contact: Alison Frederick, Analyst Relations at info@anglepoint.com.

Connect with Anglepoint on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and at Anglepoint.com.

ABOUT FISHER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

FisherITS provides Software Asset Management consultancy and managed services to large and fast-growing organisations across the world. Specialising in audit support, software optimisation and ITAM programme implementation, FisherITS provides expertise across all leading software publishers such as Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Oracle, Quest and Micro Focus.

OpenSAM is a SaaS-based automation platform built by FisherITS to deliver SAM-related business intelligence to its Managed Services clients.

Connect with FisherITS on LinkedIn and at FisherITS.com.

Contact Information:
Alison Frederick
Analyst Relations Manager
info@anglepoint.com

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