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Laos-Vietnam Friendship Vocational School breaks ground in Khammuan

A ground-breaking ceremony for the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Vocational School was held last week, Jan 5 in Nongbok district, Khammuan Province.

The school has been designed to accommodate several hundreds of students including high school graduates, people returning from abroad due to Covid-19 and those looking for jobs.

Governor of Khammuan Province Vanxay Phongsavanh said the school will offer two curricula including a curriculum of secondary education and vocational skills courses.

The vocational school construction project, funded with a grant fund of US$5 million from the government of Vietnam, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Source: Lao News Agency

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Japan supports primary education for ethnic minority children in Oudomxay

The Government of Japan has decided to provide grant assistance worth approximately USD 470,000 for primary education for ethnic minority children in Oudomxay.

The grant contract was signed on Jan 3 between Mr. Nakano Junya, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to the Lao PDR, and Ms. Suzumura Kumiko, Representative of Plan International Japan Laos Office, a Japanese public interest incorporated foundation.

The grant will fund activities for “Basic Education for Ethnic Minority Children in Oudomxay Province” for twelve months.

This grant assistance is 3rd round for the project starting from 2019.

The project aims to provide primary education to enhance the basic academic skills and to improve the educational environment for ethnic students in Pakbeng District, Oudomxay Province.

This area is situated in a heavily mountainous area along the Mekong River with a high poverty rate. Around 90% of the population in Oudomxay are from ethnic groups who don’t speak Lao as a first language.

This project will provide support to 21 pre-primary schools and 30 primary schools in the district through capacity building of teachers, the provision of materials, raising parental awareness on child education and gender equality, as well as providing a preparation for primary schools.

Furthermore, it will contribute towards the construction of pre-primary school buildings and sanitation facilities in three villages within the district. This project commenced in December 2019 and is expected to finish in January 2023.

Plan International Japan commenced its activities in the Lao PDR in 2006. The foundation has implemented many projects to improve maternal and child health care services, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), infant child care, and to promote gender equality and child protection in collaboration with the Government of Japan. Through their activities, Plan International Japan has contributed to improving the living conditions of these people.

The government of Japan has reaffirmed their strong commitment to continue to support Plan International Japan and appreciates their ongoing work at grassroots level which has continued despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Lao News Agency

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Four new Teacher Support Pack modules developed with support of Australia

The Teacher Support Pack (TSP) are stand-alone training modules. Provincial trainers will use them to support teachers as they implement the new primary curriculum in their classrooms and may encounter challenges.

The TSP project started in December 2020 with the establishment of the in-service Continuing Professional Development material writers’ team.

Their role is to write and develop the TSP modules and other teacher support learning resources.

This activity is led by the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) of the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Lao PDR with financial and technical support from the Australian Government through the BEQUAL programme.

“Education research has shown that teaching quality and school leadership are the most important factors in improving student learning outcomes. For teachers and educational leaders to be highly effective, they need to continually expand their knowledge and skills. This includes using appropriate resources to support students’ learning in the classroom. Continuing Professional Development of teachers is key to the success of students,” said DTE Director General Keth Phanhlack.

The writing team is very diverse reflecting the importance of including those who are involved in developing and using active learning and inclusive teaching practices.

It consists of ten staff from DTE, the Teacher Development Centre, Teacher Training Colleges from Luang Namtha, Dogkhamxang, Saravan and Savannakhet, District Education and Sports Office and the school level.

The group is gender balanced and represents national and sub-national education staff. The writers were selected by DTE and BEQUAL based on their collective experience in teaching, teacher support, and designing teacher training resources.

The first four TSP modules have been in use since September 2021 in BEQUAL’s six target provinces – Khammuan, Luang Namtha, Phongsaly, Saravan, Savannakhet, Xekong.

The topics have been aligned with feedback from Grade 1 and 2 teachers who are already teaching the new curriculum: creating and using flashcards, classroom management, teaching Lao Language to non-Lao speakers and teaching multigrade.

Provincial Trainers will use TSP modules to build teachers’ teaching skills and help teachers overcome challenges. The trainers use the TSP module to support teachers through a variety of peer learning modalities such as classroom observations, learning circles, co-teaching, buddy systems and WhatsApp support.

Responding to further feedback on areas in which primary teachers require support, DTE, with Australia’s support organised another series of five-day writing and capacity development workshops developing the capacity of the TSP writing team to produce four new modules.

The workshops were fully online to respect COVID-19 prevention measures. The topics of the new TSP are formative and summative assessment, lesson planning, setting up and managing pair and group work, and building confidence to teach English.

The newly written TSP modules are now with the designing team for layout. They will include pictures taken in a Lao classroom to help trainers and teachers visualize the teaching strategies in a real teaching environment. Master Trainers in BEQUAL’s 6 target provinces will receive 8-days of training in March 2022 which they will cascade to the Provincial Trainers in BEQUAL’s target provinces.

The stand-alone modules are available nationwide to all trainers. At the same time, DTE and E-Learning department are producing training videos to accompany the TSP modules. The first TSP module video will be on how to use and create flashcards and the filming is scheduled for January 2022 in Vientiane Province.

Source: Lao News Agency

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Junshi Biosciences and Coherus Expand Immuno-Oncology Collaboration to Include TIGIT-Targeted Antibody

  • Junshi Biosciences and Coherus plan to evaluate the toripalimab + JS006 combination
    in clinical trials in multiple tumor types
  • Combinations of PD-1 + TIGIT inhibitors have potential to expand checkpoint inhibitor utilization
    to new tumors and lines of therapy

SHANGHAI, China, and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd. (“Junshi Biosciences”, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) and Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (“Coherus”) today announced that Coherus has initiated the process to exercise its option to license JS006, Junshi Biosciences’ TIGIT-targeted antibody, in the United States and Canada, expanding the companies’ 2021 immuno-oncology collaboration agreement. Coherus will pay Junshi Biosciences $35 million upfront, up to $255 million in development regulatory and sales milestones, and an 18% royalty on net product revenue, subject to terms and conditions agreed between the parties. Closing of the transaction is expected to follow receipt of any applicable regulatory clearances. Antibodies blocking TIGIT (T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain) have shown potential for synergistic anti-tumor activity in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. In pre-clinical studies, JS006 has demonstrated excellent binding affinity and strong inhibition of the TIGIT pathway. Investigational new drug (IND) applications allowing clinical development of JS006 have been approved in Chinese Mainland and in the United States. A dose escalation, dose expansion clinical trial (NCT05061628) evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic properties of JS006 as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab in patients with advanced solid tumors is ongoing.

“We are excited to extend our productive immuno-oncology collaboration with Coherus to include our anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody JS006, after achieving several key milestones on toripalimab,” said Dr. Ning Li, CEO of Junshi Biosciences. “Following our ‘In China, For Global’ corporate strategy, we are actively conducting global clinical R&D programs in China, the U.S., Southeast Asia and European countries. We are grateful for the joint effort from our pre-clinical as well as clinical teams at the company’s innovation centers in China and the U.S. We believe the collaboration with Coherus will strengthen the development and commercialization of our products in the U.S. and Canada.”

“Since 2012, Junshi Biosciences has built a rich pipeline with complementary products in the area of immuno-oncology, which enable us to explore combination therapy of I-O drugs and combination of immunotherapy with other modalities, including traditional chemotherapy, radiotherapy, angiogenesis inhibitors and cytokine drugs, to provide patients with better treatment options,” said Dr. Sheng Yao, Senior Vice President of Junshi Biosciences. “The combination of anti-TIGIT and anti-PD-1 is quite promising with a potential to not only increase patients’ response to I-O therapy, but also expand the beneficial patient population. We look forward to working together with Coherus to quickly advance the combination therapy of JS006 with toripalimab across multiple tumor types.”

“TIGIT is a leading-edge immuno-oncology target with significant therapeutic potential across multiple major tumor types. The exercise of the option for JS006 marks the emergence of Coherus as an immuno-oncology development company with a rich clinical and preclinical pipeline of product candidates to drive long-term growth,” said Denny Lanfear, CEO of Coherus. “We are making rapid progress on our objective to become a leading immuno-oncology company, and the development of toripalimab combinations with therapeutics addressing novel targets such as TIGIT will allow us to access future growing markets. While toripalimab + JS006 is the first novel combination in our pipeline, our internal analytic, protein science and bioinformatics capabilities have generated additional toripalimab combination candidates. The first of these proprietary product candidates is expected to enter human clinical trials in 2023.”

“Blockade of the TIGIT pathway may be a crucial underlying mechanism for overcoming resistance to checkpoint inhibition. We believe the dual immuno-therapy approach of TIGIT with PD-1 could enhance PD-1 efficacy and create a new standard-of-care for multiple tumor types,” said Theresa LaVallee, Ph.D., Chief Development Officer at Coherus. “We recently reported that our PD-1 inhibitor, toripalimab, in combination with chemotherapy, extends both progression free survival and overall survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. We look forward to working with our Junshi Biosciences colleagues to build upon this efficacy signal and to evaluate the potential of the JS006 and toripalimab combination to bring new, more efficacious immuno-oncology treatments forward for patients.”

About JS006
JS006 is a recombinant humanized IgG4κ monoclonal antibody specifically against human TIGIT, developed independently by Junshi Biosciences. Including back-up candidates, the JS006 program encompasses molecules with silent and active Fc functions. According to the results of preclinical studies, JS006 can specifically block the TIGIT-PVR pathway. Expressed by T cells and NK cells, TIGIT can be engaged and activated by PVR family ligands highly expressed on tumor cells and suppressive immune cells to directly inhibit the killing effect of T cells and NK cells directed at tumor cells. A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies have showed that activation of the TIGIT pathway could be a crucial underlying mechanism for the resistance to PD-1 blockade therapy. Combination of TIGIT and PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies showed a synergistic potential to enhance antitumor response to overcome anti-PD-1 resistance and broaden the cancer patient population that can benefit from immunotherapy.

In early 2021, JS006 was approved for clinical trials in both China and the United States. In the same year, Junshi Biosciences commenced a phase I trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of JS006 as monotherapy and in combination with toripalimab in patients with advanced tumors who have failed standard therapies. Junshi Biosciences and Coherus are planning late-stage clinical development of JS006 in combination with toripalimab in North America.

About Toripalimab
Toripalimab is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody developed for its ability to block PD-1 interactions with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, and for enhanced receptor internalization (endocytosis function). Blocking PD-1 interactions with PD-L1 and PD-L2 promote the immune system’s ability to attack and kill tumor cells.
More than thirty company-sponsored toripalimab clinical studies covering more than fifteen indications have been conducted globally, including in China, the United States, Southeast Asia, and European countries. Ongoing or completed pivotal clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of toripalimab cover a broad range of tumor types including cancers of the lung, nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, bladder, breast, liver, kidney and skin.
In China, toripalimab was the first domestic anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved for marketing (approved in China as TUOYI®). Currently, there are 4 approved indications for toripalimab in China:

  1. unresectable or metastatic melanoma after failure of standard systemic therapy;
  2. recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after failure of at least two lines of prior systemic therapy;
  3. locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that failed platinum-containing chemotherapy or progressed within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant platinum-containing chemotherapy;
  4. in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine as the first-line treatment for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic NPC.

The first three indications have been included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) (2021 Edition). Toripalimab is the only anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody included in the NRDL for melanoma and NPC.
In addition, two supplemental New Drug Applications (NDAs) for toripalimab are currently under review by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China:

  • in combination with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
  • in combination with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK sensitizing mutations.

In the United States, the FDA has granted priority review for the toripalimab biologics license application (BLA) for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC, an aggressive head and neck tumor which has no FDA-approved immuno-oncology treatment options. The FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date for April 2022 for the toripalimab BLA. The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for toripalimab in combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC in 2021 as well as for toripalimab monotherapy in the second or third-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC in 2020. Additionally, the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for toripalimab for the treatment of mucosal melanoma and orphan drug designation for the treatment of esophageal cancer, NPC, mucosal melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma. In 2021, Coherus in-licensed rights to develop and commercialize toripalimab in the United States and Canada. Junshi Biosciences and Coherus plan to file additional toripalimab BLAs with the FDA over the next three years for multiple other cancer types.

About Junshi Biosciences
Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) 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 45 drug candidates, 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 of 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 been granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) in over 15 countries and regions worldwide. The JS016 program is a part of our continuous innovation for disease control and prevention of the global pandemic. Junshi Biosciences has over 2,500 employees in the United States (San Francisco and Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou). For more information, please visit: http://junshipharma.com.

About Coherus BioSciences
Coherus is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company building a leading immuno-oncology franchise funded with cash generated by its commercial biosimilar business. In 2021, Coherus in-licensed toripalimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in the United States and Canada. A biologics license application for toripalimab for the treatment of metastatic or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma is currently under priority review by the FDA, with a target action date of April 2022. Toripalimab is also being evaluated in pivotal clinical trials for the treatment of cancers of the lung, breast, liver, skin, kidney, stomach, esophagus, and bladder.

Coherus markets UDENYCA® (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), a biosimilar of Neulasta® in the United States, and expects to launch the FDA-approved Humira® biosimilar YUSIMRY™ (adalimumab-aqvh) in the United States in 2023. The FDA is currently reviewing the biologics license application for CHS-201, a biosimilar of Lucentis® (ranibizumab), with a target action date of August 2022. Coherus is also developing CHS-305, a biosimilar of Avastin® (bevacizumab).

Junshi Biosciences Contact Information

IR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
info@junshipharma.com
+ 86 021-2250 0300

Solebury Trout
Bob Ai
bai@gobyglobal.com
+ 1 646-389-6658

PR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
Zhi Li
zhi_li@junshipharma.com
+ 86 021-6105 8800

Coherus Contact Information
Investors:
McDavid Stilwell
Chief Financial Officer
Coherus BioSciences, Inc.
IR@coherus.com

Media:
Cheston Turbyfill
Coherus BioSciences, Inc.
IR@coherus.com

Kelli Perkins
Red House
kelli@redhousecomms.com

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General Fusion achieves critical technology milestone for practical fusion power

Successful performance of plasma compression prototype confirms path to commercialization

General Fusion’s plasma compression prototype

General Fusion has successfully achieved several aggressive performance goals on its prototype compression system, demonstrating a critical element of the company’s Magnetized Target Fusion technology.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — General Fusion announced today it has successfully achieved several aggressive performance goals of a prototype system for its Fusion Demonstration Plant (FDP). The company’s plasma compression prototype, located at its Vancouver, Canada laboratory, is being used to demonstrate a critical element of its proprietary Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology. This important milestone marks another significant step toward General Fusion’s goal of creating practical and commercially viable fusion power.

Commissioned in early 2021, the prototype machine drives a forceful, but precisely shaped, symmetric collapse of a large liquid vortex cavity in tens of milliseconds. The forces involved in the full-scale FDP compression system will be immense, pushing the limits of material science, fluid dynamics, and mechanical design. Achieving this milestone with the prototype significantly reduces engineering and technical risks for General Fusion’s FDP. It will use a collapsing liquid metal cavity to heat and compress plasma fuel to fusion conditions at 100 million degrees Celsius.

The idea of using a collapsing liquid metal cavity to create fusion has been around for decades, but General Fusion has been able to bring new enabling technologies such as high-speed digital control systems, additive manufacturing, and advanced composite materials to make this concept viable and to de-risk its implementation in the FDP. Driving a rapid, smooth, and spherically shaped collapse of a cavity created inside a rotating liquid has been a difficult engineering challenge that General Fusion has now demonstrated in this prototype machine. It is the pathfinder for a larger prototype being built in 2022 to validate further refinements to various engineering aspects of this technology.

“Net energy production is essential, but not really the ultimate goal of commercializing fusion energy, which is building economical, carbon-free fusion power plants,” said Christofer Mowry, CEO, General Fusion. “Our unique technology, two decades in the making, solves the long-standing challenges of building practical fusion power plants for the world’s energy markets struggling to move away from fossil fuels. The successful performance of this important prototype validates we are on the path to success.”

General Fusion’s unique MTF technology overcomes several key challenges of creating practical fusion energy. MTF will economically create fusion conditions, efficiently convert fusion energy into carbon-free electricity, protect the fusion machine from burning fusion plasma, and produce enough fusion fuel for its own use. General Fusion’s prototype compression system validates one of the most critical parts of its MTF technology because a mechanically collapsed liquid cavity is a cornerstone for MTF overcoming all these challenges.

About General Fusion
General Fusion is pursuing the fastest and most practical path to commercial fusion energy and is based in Vancouver, Canada, with locations in London, U.K., and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. The company was established in 2002 and is funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders, and technology pioneers. Learn more at www.generalfusion.com.

General Fusion Media Relations
media@generalfusion.com
+1-866-904-0995

Follow General Fusion

twitter.com/generalfusion

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youtube.com/c/GeneralFusionInc

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8d18aac-c6fb-4486-ad73-6d0c0ea1cb81

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2022 A4BET® Worldwide Domain & Trademark Sale

BEIJING and LONDON and PARIS and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — After overwhelming demand, creative offers and global inquires from it’s recent September 2021 billion dollar auction, A4BET® is announcing a time sensitive bidding process to acquire this rare, unique, valuable name.

A4BET® covers everything from A-Z!

The sale of A4BET® includes:

1.) United States Trademark & Patent Office transfer( 6th year renewal period )

2.) A4BET.com domain

3.) A4BET® animated character

4.) A4BET® social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter & YouTube

A4BET® is a 21st century neologism for the word alphabet that is short, powerful and easy to remember. A4BET® is a United States Patent & Trademark Office registered “pseudo mark” for the word alphabet.

The esoteric centurion shuns traditional measures when valuing a name. A4BET® is unlike any name for the word alphabet in United States Patent & Trademark Department history. A history that spans more than 200 years.

In an exclusive interview, A4BET® founder & neologist C.C. Alexander ll says,

“A4BET® is the perfect turn-key solution for all industries including bitcoin, blockchain, casinos, conglomerates, entrepreneurs, established companies and start-ups to create value and increase their bottomline. A4BET® is a unique simple way to take advantage of listing the many services companies offer in one convenient place. A4BET® is not only a turn-key solution, but comes with a character. The A4BET® character represents massive exponential perpetual ancillary possibilities. The A4BET® domain & trademark cannot be duplicated. A4BET® is one of the most flexible names in the world. It is simply one-of-a-kind.”

A4BET® founder & neologist C.C. Alexander ll also states,

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A4BET® founder & neologist C.C. Alexander ll concludes,

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The A4BET® worldwide sale ends January 31, 2022.

___________________

*All bids must be submitted by 12 p.m. eastern standard time January 31, 2022

A4BET® WORLDWIDE TRADEMARK SALE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS*

* ( C.C.G.I.P.- collaboration, compensation, geometric, indemnity, perpetual )

A4BET® BID SUBMISSION:

cca@a4bet.com

A4BET® PRESS & MEDIA INQUIRIES:

cca@a4bet.com

ABOUT A4BET®:

A4BET® is a United States Patent & Trademark Office trademark that provides a website featuring technology that enable users to access information that is available on the internet. A4BET® is the “pseudo mark” for the word alphabet…the most important word in the dictionary.