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Monthly Archives: October 2022
MAIA Biotechnology to Present at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics – Business Wire
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:58 am
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MAIA Biotechnology, Inc., (NYSE American: MAIA) (MAIA, the Company), a targeted therapy, immuno-oncology company focused on developing potential first-in-class oncology drugs, announced today that it will present the results of a study of the anticancer agent 6-thio-dG (THIO) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro and in vivo models at the EORTC-NCI-AACR (ENA) Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. The symposium is taking place Oct. 26-28, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain.
The data to be presented outline high anticancer activity of THIO in HCC cancer cells. Notably, sequential administration of THIO followed by cemiplimab (cemi) demonstrated enhanced antitumor efficacy, including complete responses, in a syngeneic immunocompetent HCC mouse model, in comparison with either single agent used alone. Moreover, the treated tumor-free mice demonstrated a complete rejection of the same tumor type cells upon re-challenge: anticancer immune memory was confirmed.
MAIA received an Orphan Drug Designation from the US FDA for the treatment of HCC with THIO earlier in 2022. HCC currently makes up around 90% of liver cancer cases; by 2025, the global incidence of liver cancer is expected to eclipse 1 million cases.1
Presentation details:
Additional meeting information is available on ENA's website.
About THIO
THIO (6-thio-dG or 6-thio-2-deoxyguanosine) is a telomere-targeting agent currently in clinical development to evaluate its activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in sequential administration with cemiplimab (Libtayo), a PD-1 inhibitor developed by Regeneron. Telomeres play a fundamental role in the survival of cancer cells and their resistance to current therapies. THIO is being developed as a second or higher line of treatment for NSCLC for patients that have progressed beyond the standard-of-care regimen of existing checkpoint inhibitors.
About MAIA Biotechnology, Inc.
MAIA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer. The Companys lead program is THIO, a potential first-in-class cancer telomere targeting agent in clinical development for the treatment of patients with telomerase-positive cancers. For more information, please visit http://www.maiabiotech.com.
1 Llovet, J.M., Kelley, R.K., Villanueva, A. et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers 7, 6 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-020-00240-3
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements related to the closing of the offering and the expected use of proceeds, development of drug candidates, our operations and business strategy, our expected financial results, and corporate updates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on managements current expectations and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed by these expectations due to risks and uncertainties, including, among others, those related to our ability to obtain additional capital on favorable terms to us, or at all, including, without limitation, to fund our current and future preclinical studies and clinical trials and the success, timing and cost of our drug development program and our ongoing or future preclinical studies and clinical trials, including, without limitation, the possibility of unfavorable new clinical and preclinical data and additional analyses of existing data, that the risks that prior clinical and preclinical results may not be replicated, and risks associated with the current coronavirus pandemic. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to review or update any forward-looking statement except as may be required by applicable law.
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MAIA Biotechnology to Present at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics - Business Wire
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China’s Syngenta pushes the edge: Can technology-driven agriculture promote a new view of sustainable farming to a world still wary of biotechnology?…
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:58 am
China has very small farms; there hasnt been a lot of infrastructure put in place in terms of knowledge or solid assets. Now Syngenta is enabling them with agronomists and digital infrastructure.
When it comes to Beijings technological ambitions, high profile hardware like semiconductors and electric vehicles tend to dominate global headlines. But in China, where almost 20 percent of the global population lives on 8.5 percent of the worlds arable land, finding innovative ways to reap more food from every hectare of seeds sown has long been one of the governments highest priorities.
Chinese agriculture and food demand is in inherent conflict, says Wendong Zhang, an assistant professor at Cornell Universitys Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and a specialist in Chinas agricultural development. China wont be able to have more land. They wont be able to have better quality soil. The thing they can control is technology.
Beijings realization that technology would be key to increasing its food self-sufficiency is what made Syngenta such a valuable target for ChemChina. Syngenta, after all, is the world-leader in crop protection products and globally the number three producer of seeds, including selectively-bred hybrids and genetically modified seeds. Alongside rivals like Germanys Bayer and Americas Corteva (formerly DowDupont), the company is pushing the boundaries of seed genomics using CRISPR-Cas9, a tool that allows researchers to tweak the genetics of living organisms.
Emboldened by its ownership of Syngenta, China seems to be crossing the rubicon when it comes to high-tech agriculture. Officials are now calling cutting-edge seeds agriculture microchips, according to Chinese state media.
And safety approvals for GM seeds appear to be speeding up: in early 2022, Beijings Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) granted safety certificates to three Syngenta GM corn seeds as well as a seed from the domestic firm Hangzhou Ruifeng Bio-Tech Company and several others from Chinese universities. In June, MARA also released guidelines, for the first time, that could pave the way for companies to begin commercial planting of GM products.
And with its high-profile Shanghai listing, Syngenta might help the Chinese government out of a dilemma of its own making: convincing the general public that GMOs are safe. At the very least, the company cant be viewed as a trojan horse for U.S. bioweapons. Syngentas MAP program has even introduced QR codes on food packaging so consumers can scan their food and see a photo of the Chinese farmer who grew it.
To help itself out of its GMO bind, Beijing is also positioning its efforts in direct gene editing as a kind of technological leapfrogging these newer engineering methods do not require the introduction of foreign DNA, unlike todays genetic modification, in which bacteria from one organism is transplanted into another ( la the Bt genes added into the corn genome). As [Shane] Thomas, the analyst, notes, the industry as a whole is moving towards this more precise kind of genetic tweaking.
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The Best Biotechnology Stocks to Invest in Right Now – Best Stocks
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:58 am
Image Source: FreeImages
The global bio-economy is growing at an incredible pace, with plenty of opportunity for investors. The biotech industry in general, and biotech stocks specifically, provide a lot of potential for long-term returns. Biotechnology is the application of biological principles to create new products and services. It has many applications, from agricultural uses to medical research and drug development. As a result, the biotechnology sector has grown strongly as other industries adopt its technologies and invest in related ventures and partnerships.Investors looking to capitalize on this growth need to understand which companies are leading the way. Fortunately, there are several great biotechnology stocks that can offer excellent returns in the coming years. Here are some of the top opportunities currently available:
Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) is an emerging biotechnology company focused on creating therapies for rare blood diseases.GBTs lead product, Prophage, is a gene therapy designed to treat patients with beta-thalassemia, a rare inherited blood disorder.drug has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA and designation as a Breakthrough Therapy from the FDAs Oncology Drug Review Committee.GBT has also partnered with Galapagos NV, one of the top gene-therapy companies in the world. The company has a Phase 3 development program for Prophage, with a goal to complete registration in the next few years. With a potential blockbuster drug on the table, GBT has the potential to grow very quickly.
BridgeBio Pharma (BBIO) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing new therapies to patients suffering from rare diseases.BBIO has a robust product pipeline, with several therapies in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The company is also in the pre-clinical development stages of several promising new therapies. BBIOs main product candidates are focused on iron-related disorders, including an iron chelating agent for patients with rare blood diseases.BBIO has partnered with some of the largest companies in the world, including The Medicines Company, Celgene, and Bayer.BBIOs therapies are currently in Phase 2 development and are expected to advance into Phase 3 in the next few years. When these drugs are approved, BBIO will be poised for growth.
SIGA Technologies (SIGA) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on creating vaccines and medicines for infectious diseases.SIGA has a robust product pipeline focused on viral diseases, including respiratory and viral hemorrhagic fever diseases. The company is currently investing in three main products.First is a universal flu vaccine designed to address issues with current flu vaccines. SIGAs universal flu vaccine is administered as a nasal spray, has no adjuvant, and is designed to provide constant immunity to the most common flu strains.Second is an Ebola vaccine designed to treat patients infected with the Ebola virus. The vaccine has been in development since 2003, when the Ebola outbreak in Africa began.Third is a therapeutic vaccine designed to treat dengue fever. The vaccine has completed Phase 1/2 trials and is expected to advance into Phase 3 trials in the next few years.
Ninety (NOVT) is a biotechnology company focused on creating therapies for the eye.NOVT is currently developing a first-in-kind therapy called a corneal scarring therapy that could replace corneal transplants in some patients.The company is expected to advance this product into Phase 3 trials in the next few years. Once the treatment is approved, it could become a huge product for NOVT.While the companys main product remains in development, it is also investing in other eye-related therapies. NOVT has a partnership with Galapagos NV to develop gene therapies for retinal diseases. The company is also developing a novel combination therapy for glaucoma.
Biotechnology is a growing industry that is expected to continue to see strong growth. The sector is also expected to see some strong mergers and acquisitions, providing another avenue for growth.Investors looking for growth in the biotechnology industry can consider investing in any of the top biotechnology stocks above. These companies are all poised for growth over the next several years, and could offer excellent returns for investors.
Image Source: FreeImages
The global economy is growing incredibly, with plenty of opportunities for investors. The biotech industry, in general, and biotech stocks, provide a lot of potential for long-term returns. Biotechnology is the application of biological principles to create new products and services. It has many applications, from agricultural uses to medical research and drug development. As a result, biotechnology has grown strongly as other industries adopt its technologies and invest in related ventures and partnerships. Investors looking to capitalize on this growth need to understand which companies are leading the way. Fortunately, several great biotechnology stocks can offer excellent returns in the coming years. Here are some of the top opportunities currently available:
Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) is an emerging biotechnology company focused on creating therapies for rare blood diseases.GBTs lead product, Prophage, is a gene therapy designed to treat patients with beta-thalassemia, a rare inherited blood disorder. The drug has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA and designated as a Breakthrough Therapy by the FDAs Oncology Drug Review Committee.GBT has also partnered with Galapagos NV, one of the top gene-therapy companies in the world. In addition, the company has a Phase 3 development program for Prophage, to complete registration in the next few years. With a potential blockbuster drug on the table, GBT has the potential to grow very quickly.
BridgeBio Pharma (BBIO) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing new therapies to patients suffering from rare diseases.BBIO has a robust product pipeline, with several therapies in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The company is also in the pre-clinical development stages of several promising new therapies. BBIOs main product candidates are focused on iron-related disorders, including an iron chelating agent for patients with rare blood diseases.BBIO has partnered with some of the largest companies in the world, including The Medicines Company, Celgene, and Bayer.BBIOs therapies are currently in Phase 2 development and are expected to advance into Phase 3 in the next few years. When these drugs are approved, BBIO will be poised for growth.
SIGA Technologies (SIGA) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on creating vaccines and medicines for infectious diseases.SIGAs robust product pipeline focused on viral diseases, including respiratory and viral hemorrhagic fever. The company is currently investing in three main products:
The vaccine has completed Phase 1/2 trials and is expected to advance into Phase 3 trials in the next few years.
Ninety (NOVT) is a biotechnology company focused on creating therapies for the eye.NOVT is currently developing a first-in-kind therapy called corneal scarring therapy that could replace corneal transplants in some patients. The company is expected to advance this product into Phase 3 trials in the next few years. Once approved, the treatment could become a huge product for NOVT. While the companys main product remains developing, it is also investing in other eye-related therapies. For example, NOVT partnered with Galapagos NV to develop gene therapies for retinal diseases. In addition, the company is also developing a novel combination therapy for glaucoma.
Biotechnology is a growing industry that is expected to continue to see strong growth. The sector is also expected to see strong mergers and acquisitions, providing another avenue for growth. Investors looking for growth in the biotechnology industry can consider investing in any of the top biotechnology stocks above. These companies are poised for growth over the next several years and could offer excellent returns for investors.
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Viewpoint: Will King Charles abandon his kooky ideas about agriculture and help accelerate Britain’s embrace of sustainable biotechnology tools? -…
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:58 am
England is in crisis. They lost a beloved figurehead this month but for decades prior were losing scientific ground. If you look for the home of the modern organic food and anti-vaccine movements, you find their nexus in 1990s England.
The primary royal behind those beliefs is now King Charles III.
In order to manage the $28 billion he inherits (tax-free, paying taxes only applies to peasants in England)(1) he will have to give his $1.5 billion estate to his son, the new Prince of Wales, William (also tax free) but the Prince is not only taking over during a time when Brits are wondering why they still care about a throne that hasnt been relevant in hundreds of years, he is taking over at a time when being anti-science is no longer fashionable for progressive elites.
Though it was recently the darling of the intelligentsia, and Prince Charles longed to belong in that circle, anti-vaccine sentiments have become proletariat since COVID-19. The war on science when it comes to food harms a lot more people worldwide each year than the pandemic did. Hundreds of thousands of kids could stop going blind each year with Golden Rice but elites like King Charles III give money to groups that block its implementation.
Prince William could start to gain back some credibility for the family by jettisoning the organic food fetish of his father. Organic food, like the anti-vaccine movement, is a relic of 1990s England. Dr. Andrew Wakefield set off the modern anti-vaccine craze the same way that English environmental activists set off the Frankenfood one. Now supplements, wellness, and organic are all giant businesses based on exploitation of famous names who wanted to impress their elite friends
The world should have passed the anti-vaccine and anti-food movement by but they persist in large part because of the new British monarch and his quasi-American royalty of American Democrats counterpart, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.(2)
Its easy to embrace science, especially in light of their history making changes when it was needed. They changed their name to Windsor from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I to help commoners forget the British royal family is German during a time that Germany was shooting at English men in Europe. Given that public relations success, they can certainly change their tune when it comes to science.
Perhaps due to an infusion of new blood outside the shockingly limited pool drawn from during the 19th and 20th centuries, Prince William seems to be a more genetically gifted thinker than his father. He can show it by embracing the modern world, where food and medicine are embraced.(3)
He doesnt actually have to divest from the farm, that is just me getting attention in a title. It is enough if he acknowledges that having peasants toil for his carrots only using specially labeled toxic pesticides is a pastime for the rich, and not a way to feed the world.
(1) The same way California Governor Gavin Newsom doesnt want people who make over $2 million each year to pay higher taxes to subsidize the electric cars the Governor insists Uber drivers need to buy. High taxes are for the middle class and the poor, not the donors he will need in order to fail running for President in 2024.
(2) Nothing looks more hypocritical than people on the left in England and the US suddenly endorsing vaccines when just two years ago they opposed them. It instead reeks of politics, and politics need to be a no-no for the new generation of British royals, lest they be relegated to the name recognition of the Queen of the Netherlands, whoever that is.
(3) and not just engage in publicity stunts about energy costs that are squarely the blame of the government his father now seeks to lead.
Hank Campbell founded Science 2.0 in 2006, and writes for USA Today, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and more. His first book,Science Left Behind,was the #1 bestseller on Amazon for environmental policy books. Follow Hank on Twitter@HankCampbell
A version of this article was originally posted atScience 2.0and is reposted here with permission. Science 2.0 can be found on Twitter@science2_0
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Viewpoint: Will King Charles abandon his kooky ideas about agriculture and help accelerate Britain's embrace of sustainable biotechnology tools? -...
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Ainos Announces Positive Results from Additional Preclinical Study of Its Low-dose Oral Interferon Formulation Against New Variant Virus – Omicron -…
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:57 am
VELDONA formulation showed significant stabilization of physical condition and complete recovery from lung inflammation throughout the course of treatment period.
By upregulation of immunomodulatory, Ainos' VELDONA formulation demonstrates efficacy against new variant virus based on clinical symptoms and lung inflammation.
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 30, 2022 / Ainos, Inc. (NASDAQ:AIMD, AIMDW) ("Ainos", or the "Company"), a diversified medtech company focused on the development of novel point-of-care testing, low-dose interferon therapeutics, and synthetic RNA-driven preventative medicine, today announced the results from its antiviral efficacy study in hamsters against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the "Study"). The Company's results showed that its low-dose oral interferon alpha ("IFN-") formulation, VELDONA, had a therapeutic effect on lungs infected with the SARS-CoV-2 (the "Omicron variant") virus by regulating the immune response, thereby expediting recovery of infected animals. The Company has submitted the application documents for U.S. FDA Phase 2 clinical trials for evaluating the efficacy of VELDONA in patients with mild COVID-19. Further information regarding the Study can be found on Ainos' website (link).
The Study evaluated the effectiveness of VELDONA over a sixteen-day course (five-day pre-treatment, one-day during viral infection and ten-day treatment after infection) of Omicron-variant-infected hamsters. Compared with hamsters in the placebo group receiving solution without VELDONA (the "Placebo Group"), the hamsters in the group receiving solution with VELDONA (the "VELDONA Group") demonstrated resistance to body weight loss immediately after infection, then showed a better recovery trend in the following three days. The body weights of the hamsters in the VELDONA Group remained more stable than those of the hamsters in the Placebo Group during the treatment period.
Mean Body Weight Throughout the Treatment Period
Percentage of Body Weight Change
For pathological indicators, on the tenth day, no hamsters in the VELDONA Group showed mixed-cellular inflammation, peribronchial infiltration, and perivascular infiltration, compared to 50% of hamsters in the Placebo Group. Hamsters in the VELDONA Group in general showed promising results in treating indicators of new variant virus infection.
Lung Pathology Report
Mixed cellular inflammation, peribronchial infiltration, and perivascular infiltration.
Chun-Hsien Tsai, Ainos' Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Ainos has conducted three preclinical animal studies since March 2022 in our efforts to validate the effectiveness of our low-dose oral interferon to protect against symptoms associated with COVID-19 (Delta and Omicron variants). The studies have yielded consistent results, demonstrating VELDONA's efficacy in inducing systemic immunomodulatory to fight against SARS-COV-2. The results of the two-week study also showed that VELDONA is well-tolerated and safe in hamsters. In addition, this new study exhibited a preventative and therapeutic effect against new variant virus. Ainos believe that these results, in combination with the results of our previous two Phase 2 studies of VELDONA on prevention and treatment of influenza, demonstrate that VELDONA may become an important solution for the treatment of COVID-19 and other viral infections in the future. Furthermore, we would like to thank the Emerging Infectious Disease Core Facility Platform of the National Defense Medical Center in Taiwan for the support and professional technical services they provided for the Study."
About Ainos, Inc.
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Ainos, Inc. (f/k/a Amarillo Biosciences, Inc.) is a diversified medtech company engaged in developing innovative medical technologies for point-of-care testing and safe and novel medical treatment for a broad range of disease indications. In addition to its proprietary therapeutics using low-dose non-injectable interferon, Ainos is committed to developing a comprehensive healthcare business portfolio encompassing medical devices and consumer healthcare products. While prioritizing the commercialization of medical devices as part of its diversification strategy, Ainos has also expanded its product portfolio to include Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and COVID-19 POCTs. Leveraging its patents related to VOC technologies and COVID-19 POCT products, the Company seeks to expedite the commercialization of its medical device pipeline, beginning with Ainos-branded COVID-19 POCT product candidates.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" about Ainos within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "future," "likely," "strategy," "foresee," "may," "guidance," "potential," "outlook," "forecast," "should," "will" or other similar words or phrases. Similarly, statements that describe the Company's objectives, plans or goals are, or may be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based only on the Company's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.
Important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations discussed in this press release include, among others, the cost of production and sales potential of the planned drug treatments announced in this press release; the Company's dependence on revenues from the sale of COVID-19 test kits; the Company's limited cash and history of losses; the Company's ability to achieve profitability; the Company's ability to raise additional capital to continue the Company's product development; the ability to accurately predict the future operating results of the Company; the ability to advance Ainos' current or future product candidates through clinical trials, obtain marketing approval and ultimately commercialize any product candidates the Company develops; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of Ainos product candidates; delays in completing the development and commercialization of the Company's current and future product candidates, which could result in increased costs to the Company, delay or limit the ability to generate revenue and adversely affect the business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects of the Company; intense competition and rapidly advancing technology in the Company's industry that may outpace its technology; customer demand for the products and services the Company develops; the impact of competitive or alternative products, technologies and pricing; disruption in research and development facilities; lawsuits and other claims by third parties or investigations by various regulatory agencies governing the Company's operations; potential cybersecurity attacks; increased requirements and costs related to cybersecurity; the Company's ability to realize the benefits of third party licensing agreements; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for Ainos product candidates; compliance with applicable laws, regulations and tariffs; and the Company's success in managing the growth. A more complete description of these risk factors and others is included in the "Risk Factors" section of Ainos' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K/A and other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, many of which risks are beyond the Company's control. In addition to the risks described above and in the Company's Form 10-K/A, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations discussed in this press release.
The forward-looking statements made in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. Ainos undertakes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or changes to the future results over time or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact
ICR, LLCRobin YangTel: +1 646-224-6971Email: Ainos.IR@icrinc.com
SOURCE: Ainos, Inc.
View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/718287/Ainos-Announces-Positive-Results-from-Additional-Preclinical-Study-of-Its-Low-dose-Oral-Interferon-Formulation-Against-New-Variant-Virus--Omicron
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North Korea tells officials that 350,000 people died of diseases this year – Radio Free Asia
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:57 am
North Korean officials have been told that more than 350,000 people in the country died of illnesses over the past year, many likely related to COVID-19, sources told RFA, as authorities began a new vaccination campaign on the countrys border with China more than a month after declaring victory over the coronavirus.
Attendees of a training session for government officials were surprised by the number of suspected deaths from COVID, and also from diseases like the flu, tuberculosis and from waterborne pathogens, a government official from South Pyongan province, north of the capital Pyongyang, told RFAs Korean Service.
At the meeting, the issue of continuing the quarantine measures to prevent the spread of an infectious disease was repeatedly emphasized because deaths from COVID-19 are suspected to account for the majority of the 350,000 deaths, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
I can tell from my surrounding area that many people have died from sickness this year, he said. A friend of mine on the provincial People's Committee died a few days after suffering from a high fever and sore throat. Another friend's parents also died, and this friend assumes that his parents died of COVID-19.
RFA was not able to confirm the death total, but if it is accurate, the number of COVID-related deaths is far higher than the government has publicly stated. For the first two years of the pandemic, Pyongyang claimed to be completely virus free.
North Korea finally acknowledged the virus was spreading within its borders in May, when it declared a national maximum emergency due to a major outbreak of the disease that it traced back to a military parade the previous month.
North Korea reported during the emergency that 4.7 million people had developed so-called fever cases, with state media reporting 74 related deaths. The government declared an end to the emergency on Aug. 10.
These figures were never officially confirmed to be COVID-19 related, likely because of a lack of testing capabilities.
The actual death toll is probably between 100,000 and 170,000, according to a journal article penned by Shin Young-jeon, a South Korean preventative medicine expert at Hanyang University in Seoul.
Prior to the emergency, anyone who died of symptoms suspected to be related to COVID-19 were hastily cremated and buried, making a confirmation of the disease impossible, sources said.
Even as more information emerges about the number of North Koreans who died in the past year, authorities are still threatening to punish citizens who spread rumors about COVIDs impact, an official from Onsong county in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
Last week the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers Party] delivered an emergency order to take measures to prevent the spread of words that disturb the public mind, said the second source. There have been stories circulating among residents that more than 350,000 people have died of sickness this year.
The State Security Department and the Social Security Department, as well as party and labor organizations, have stepped up their propaganda efforts and started cracking down on residents for believing or spreading false rumors, he said. But the citizens find it more believable that it is not a rumor and that the government actually did announce a high death toll during official meetings.
The second source said that publicly authorities still stick to the official line that only around 70 people died during the national emergency.
Many of the residents are devastated by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people may have actually died from COVID-19, he said.
Vaccine campaign
Although the COVID emergency has been officially over for more than a month, the country began to inoculate people in Ryanggang province last week, marking the first time that COVID vaccines have been made available to people living along the border with China, sources there told RFA.
In May, RFA reported that authorities had made a propaganda event out of vaccinating soldiers who were involved in a major national construction project in the capital Pyongyang, calling the Chinese-made vaccine an immortal potion of love, from leader Kim Jong Un.
Authorities later began vaccinating citizens of North Koreas capital, Pyongyang, in July, but now residents of the border city of Hyesan can also get the vaccine, a Ryanggang resident told RFA.
Authorities have already declared that the coronavirus has ended, so the people dont know why they are vaccinating us now, the third source said.
The vaccine is distributed through neighborhood watch units and schools, another resident of the province told RFA.
Residents, who were terrified of dying from colds or pneumonia, feel fortunate that they can get vaccinated even if it's this late in the game, the fourth source said. When I asked the medical staff, they said the vaccine was made in China.
In July, Pyongyang citizens were vaccinated. This must have been a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in advance of major national events such as the National Conference of War Veterans, held on the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War on July 27, the fourth source said, using the North Korean term to describe the anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War, in what most historians consider to be a stalemate.
South Koreas National Intelligence Service on Tuesday reported to the National Assembly that North Korea started a large-scale vaccination campaign in the border area.
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung.
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North Korea tells officials that 350,000 people died of diseases this year - Radio Free Asia
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Sierra Space, UC San Diego Partner to Develop the First Stem Cell Research Institute in Space – Business Wire
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:54 am
LOUISVILLE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company at the forefront of building the future of space transportation and infrastructure for low-Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization, and University of California San Diego, one of the worlds top 15 research universities and a leader in microgravity research, have formed a new agreement with the goal of defining the future of human health care research in space.
In a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations, Sierra Space and UC San Diego agreed to collaborate on Orbital Reef, the first commercial space station in LEO, to expand the universitys Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) program, which is currently operational on the International Space Station (ISS). Together they will help define and shape the future of biotech and biopharma research and development in microgravity.
This agreement with UC San Diego is a major breakthrough in human health care research conducted in space and signals the beginning of a new era of discovery, said Tom Vice, Sierra Space CEO. Through our collaboration, the highly impactful work that researchers are already doing on the International Space Station today can expand and deliver even greater impact for humanity. As the ISS completes its time in service, UC San Diego will now have a place to grow and expand its vital research in biotech and biopharma with full, on-orbit biomanufacturing and biofabrication centers to foster breakthrough advancements and products in medical science that will benefit all life on Earth.
Microgravity and radiation exposure in low-Earth orbit offers a unique opportunity to study stem cell aging and pre-cancer development in a compressed time frame in a manner that is unavailable on Earth, said Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, a stem cell biologist, hematologist and director of the new UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, funded with a $150 million gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.
In collaboration with NASA, our Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research team has launched six missions carrying stem cells and stem cell-derived organoids into LEO. We are learning things that we never could under normal gravity; knowledge that can elevate the search for new pre-cancer diagnostics and therapeutics that eradicate cancer at its earliest stages into addition to a broad array of degenerative diseases that arise as a result of stem cell dysfunction.
UC San Diego will provide input to Sierra Space on the design and concept of operations for providing new, state-of-the-art biomanufacturing, biofabrication and related in-space laboratory capabilities and services to industry, academia and government researchers. The university will also participate in a Sierra Space-led in-space biomanufacturing research consortium of industry, academia, philanthropic and government researchers that will focus on R&D objectives, priorities and technical requirements.
Sierra Space will lead the development, launch and deployment of space habitats to establish the necessary infrastructure for UC San Diego and other partners to conduct microgravity research and in-space manufacturing. The companys Dream Chaser spacecraft, the worlds only winged commercial spaceplane, will provide transportation to LEO, while its Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) modules will offer ample habitable spaces in which to live and work on orbit.
Sierra Space recently made two key appointments to lead development of research capabilities for future LEO commercialization. Dr. Jonathan Volk, Senior Manager of In-Space Manufacturing and Advanced Materials joined the company from Space Commerce Matters where he was the Director of Commercialization Strategies. Prior to this role, Volk was the Commercial Innovation Manager for Physical and Materials Science at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which managed the U.S. National Laboratory on the ISS. Dr. Marc Giulianotti takes on the role of Senior Manager, In-Space Biomanufacturing, joining Sierra Space from his role as Director of Science and Technology with the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. Dr. Giulianotti also has more than 20 years working in early drug discovery efforts at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. Both Volk and Giulianotti will focus on advancing the transformative research and technologies in the commercial space destinations of the future.
About Sierra Space
Sierra Space (www.sierraspace.com) is a leading commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space. Sierra Space is building platforms in space to benefit life on Earth. The company is in the latter stages of doubling its headcount, with large presences in Colorado, Florida and Wisconsin. Significant investors in Sierra Space include General Atlantic, Coatue, and Moore Strategic Ventures.
With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, Sierra Space is enabling the future of space transportation with Dream Chaser, the worlds only winged commercial spaceplane. Under construction at its Colorado headquarters and expected to launch in 2023 on the first of a series of NASA missions to the International Space Station, Dream Chaser can safely carry cargo - and eventually crew - to on-orbit destinations, returning to land on compatible commercial airport runways worldwide. Sierra Space is also building an array of in-space destinations for low-Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization including the LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-story commercial habitation and science platform designed for LEO. Both Dream Chaser and LIFE are central components to Orbital Reef, a mixed-use business park in LEO being developed by principal partners Sierra Space and Blue Origin, which is expected to be operational by 2027.
About UC San Diegos Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center
Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center (Sanford Center) is among the Universitys most highly visible and top priority interdisciplinary and multi-institutional programs. Sanford Center provides essential physical and human resources needed to leverage stem cell research currently being conducted at UC San Diego. Due to the complexity of regenerative medicine projects and substantial institutional investment, on a daily basis Sanford Center personnel works with a large variety of departments in Health Sciences, Health System, and the school of engineering.
As part of UC San Diego Health, Sanford Center motivates University-wide change and sustainability, focusing on creating the structure under which various innovative regenerative medicine units and initiatives are developed. Sanford Center has led several successful and highly visible interdisciplinary faculty recruitments, committing to over $48M towards faculty start-up, retention, and research funds for over 25 faculty members. Sanford Center also played a pivotal role in securing over $77M of grants from California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), awarded respectively to dept. of Bioengineering, Pediatrics, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Medicine, Neurosciences, and Sanford Center.
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Second-Line BCL Treatment Landscape Shifts From ASCT to CAR T-Cell Therapy – Targeted Oncology
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:54 am
Hematologic malignancies have been impacted heavily by the introduction of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which has demonstrated long remission in major clinical trials and received approvals by the FDA. CAR T-cell therapy provides a new option for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma (BCL).
The current treatment landscape for patients with relapsed/refractory [BCL] looks extremely promising, thanks to the positive results from clinical trials and thus the subsequent FDA approvals of these therapeutics, Manali Kamdar, MD, associate professor of medicine-hematology and clinical director of lymphoma services at the University of Colorado Medicine in Aurora, said in an interview with the SOHO Daily News beforethe 10th Annual Meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO 2022).
Kamdars presentation on September 30, 2022, at 1:40 pm during the conference concerns the question of when to use CAR T-cell therapy vs autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive BCL. She says the 3 phase 3 studies of CAR T-cell products that were presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2021) have made a major difference in answering this question for high-risk patients.
Patients with diffuse large BCL who relapse within 12 months of frontline chemoimmunotherapy with R-CHOP (rituximab [Rituxan], cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone) are considered primary refractory, and these patients have very poor outcomes. In the past, they would receive salvage chemotherapy followed by an ASCT. Kamdar says only a quarter of these high-risk patients would achieve long-term remission following ASCT.
This led to an urgent need for CAR T-cell therapy in the second line for these patients. CAR T cells had shown efficacy for R/R BCL, leading to the approval of these therapies in patients with at least 2 prior lines of treatment, the first being axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) in 2017.1,2
The results of 3 pivotal phase 3 trials of CAR T-cell products were first presented at ASH 2021, comparing them with salvage chemotherapy and ASCT in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin BCL who relapsed within 12 months of frontline chemoimmunotherapy. The ZUMA-7 trial (NCT03391466) that evaluated axi-cel and the TRANSFORM trial (NCT03575351) that evaluated lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) showed significantly higher event-free survival (EFS) rates in patients who received CAR T-cell therapy vs ASCT, but the BELINDA trial (NCT03570892) that evaluated tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel; Kymriah) failed to show improved EFS over standard-of-care second-line therapy.3-5 Kamdar plans to discuss the possible reasons for the different outcomes of these trials in greater detail in her presentation.
With axi-cel and liso-cel receiving FDA approvals as second-line therapy, CAR T-cell therapy stands to replace ASCT in this stage of sequencing.6,7 Within this high-risk R/R large BCL subset, I will have to say I no longer recommend an ASCT based on these 2 positive studies, and that we take patients to CAR T-cell therapy, Kamdar said.
Kamdars presentation will focus on the outcomes demonstrated by these trials, including the statistically significant EFS, progression-free survival, and complete response rate of CAR T-cell therapy. Additionally, she will discuss the manageable levels of toxicity seen in the 2 positive trials, with no grade 4 or 5 cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity being reported. Longer follow-up is needed to observe overall survival outcomes and other long-term impacts of these therapies.
Despite these results, CAR T-cell therapy is not an option for those who are chemotherapy-sensitive who relapsed more than 12 months after frontline therapy. Currently, ASCT remains the standard of care, Kamdar said. But itd be nice to see [whether] there is something else that can actually be better.
Additionally, the role of CAR T-cell therapy is being investigated in patients who are transplant-ineligible in the phase 2 TRANSCEND-PILOT 017006 study (NCT03483103) that evaluates liso-cel. Durable responses to liso-cel were reported in the primary analysis presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.8
For patients with high-risk R/R BCL, Kamdar says its crucial to start referring patients for CAR T-cell therapy as soon as they are determined to be primary refractory. CAR T-cell therapy is certainly a process that takes time, because manufacturing of the cells requires a minimum of 17 to 34 days based on the construct you choose, she said. Additionally, insurance approvals and logistical concerns can cause further delays to starting therapy. CAR T-cell production time and accessibility may be improved by new approaches that are being investigated, including allogeneic CAR T cells that do not require patients to undergo leukapheresis.
One rising area of need is therapies for patients who fail CAR T-cell therapy, who may have limited treatment options if they are CD19 negative. Kamdar anticipates that novel therapies, including bispecific antibodies, bispecific T-cell engagers, and natural killer T cells, could fill this unmet need in patients with R/R BCL. [Approximately] 20% of patients [in recent trials of bispecific agents] may have actually received prior CAR T-[cell therapy], and they are showing a response in patients who have failed prior CAR T-cell therapy, she said.
She suggests novel time-limited bispecific therapies will not only benefit those who relapsed or who cannot receive CAR T-cell therapy, but they are also valuable for physicians who want to treat patients while waiting to start CAR T-cell therapy.
Kamdar is looking forward to discussing the shift from ASCT to CAR T-cell therapy in second-line therapy in greater detail at SOHO 2022. Im very excited to see all my colleagues after so long, Kamdar said. Im thrilled to be able to connect in person with everyone. Its been too long.
REFERENCES:
1. Schuster SJ, Svoboda J, Chong EA, et al. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells in refractory B-cell lymphomas.N Engl J Med. 2017;377(26):2545-2554. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1708566
2. FDA approves CAR-T cell therapy to treat adults with certain types of large B-cell lymphoma. News release. FDA; October 18, 2017. Updated March 21, 2018. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://bit.ly/3ANA0k5
3. Locke FL, Miklos DB, Jacobson CA, et al. Axicabtagene ciloleucel as second-line therapy for large B-cell lymphoma.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(7):640-654. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2116133
4. Kamdar M, Solomon SR, Arnason J, et al. Lisocabtagene maraleucel versus standard of care with salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation as second-line treatment in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (TRANSFORM): results from an interim analysis of an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2022;399(10343):2294-2308. Published correction appears in Lancet. 2022;400(10347):160.
5. Bishop MR, Dickinson M, Purtill D, et al. Second-line tisagenlecleucel or standard care in aggressive B-cell lymphoma.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(7):629-639. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2116596
6. FDA approves axicabtagene ciloleucel for second-line treatment of large B-cell lymphoma. FDA. April 1, 2022. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://bit.ly/3ANmZab
7. FDA approves lisocabtagene maraleucel for second-line treatment of large B-cell lymphoma. FDA. June 24, 2022. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://bit.ly/3Q52NVT
8. Seghal A, Hoda D, Riedell PA, et al. Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) as second-line (2L) therapy for R/R large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) in patients (pt) not intended for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): primary analysis from the phase 2 PILOT study. J Clin Oncol. 2022;40(suppl 16):7062. doi:10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.7062
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Robocop at 35: why the satirical action movie still holds up today – Digital Trends
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:47 am
Robocop begins with a lovely establishing shot of futuristic Old Detroit at twilight. The camera soars across a body of water (presumably the Detroit River) and pushes in towards the city. The buildings are clean-lined and elegant. The sky is a deep cerulean. This place seems pretty nice, we think.
Ah, but its an ironic joke one of many at the expense of the citys people who yearn for a livable urban environment amongst the industrial ruin because nothing else in the movie will be beautiful, at least not in conventional terms. Any beauty is seen through the eyes of rapacious men who can only appreciate the lethal curves and angles of militarized steel, the vertiginous skyscrapers of wealth and privilege, and the shimmering aura of money in all its forms. When a crime boss chews out a subordinate for accidentally scorching the cash from a robbery, he seems almost as aghast at the desecration of the pristine greenbacks as the fact that the gang wont be able to spend them.
Robocop is a movie about these evil men, the venal institutions over which they preside, and the flickers of human decency that keep them from enveloping what good is left of the human spirit. Among the many reasons why the movie remains so popular after 35 years (rousing sci-fi action, scathing wit, seamless world-building, first-rate filmmaking) is this insistence that the good among us can still rise from the (sometimes radioactive) muck that threatens to overwhelm us.
A lot of bad movies were made in the 1980s, and many of them were in traditionally disreputable genres like science fiction and horror. This was partially due to the massive popularity of the new home video market that was desperate for products to fill the shelves. Any old straight-to-video geek show would do as long as it contained some splatter gore and a little T&A and maybe had a sense of humor about itself.
Robocop has plenty of all of that, but the acclaimed Dutch director Paul Verhoeven who was making only his second film in America after Flesh + Blood signals that he is a serious filmmaker by employing bravura filmmaking early on. Even as the angry Black police sergeant yells scumbag repeatedly (could anything be more 80s?), Verhoeven establishes the station and the new recruit, Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), with some complexly choreographed long takes and a moving camera. Its as though he wants to put the viewer on notice that, while Robocop may go on the video store shelf next to The Toxic Avenger, it will hardly be some tossed-off exploitation quickie.
A gnarly toxic avenger of sorts does appear late in the movie thanks to that ubiquitous 80s movie feature, a vat of acid, but the looming threat in that early scene is that the police officers might strike, thus leaving the populace unprotected. But like the lovely opening shot, its another bit of misdirection by Verhoeven. While labor unions were a public enemy for many in the conservative 80s, Robocop is radically, subversively leftist and firmly on the side of besieged workers. The institutions facilitating run-amok capitalism whether political, corporate, or military-industrial are the real threats to public safety and well-being in the movie.
Verhoeven and writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner waste no time in identifying the bad guys in the first of the movies famous satirical future news reports. The talking heads (Entertainment Tonights fizzy reporter Leeza Gibbons was an inspired casting choice) cheerfully recount the legacy of European colonialism in Africa, now in the threatening form of a French neutron bomb, along with the bumbling inadequacy of the US president, who floats around helplessly during his visit to the Star Wars Orbiting Peace Platform. The point is quickly made: Modern Western leadership is mired in the past, potentially deadly, and ineffectual. As the movie will soon dramatize, governments could never hope to match the ruthless efficiency and undiluted purpose of global corporations.
Sure enough, the first speech by the corporate Big Bad, Dick Jones (Ronny Cox), is about how the privatization of public endeavors such as hospitals, space exploration, and the military have enriched Omni Consumer Products (OCP). Their next goal is to privatize policing, a ripe target given its low level of public trust (thanks mostly to poor funding). Jones solution is to roll out robots/tanks designated ED-209s to keep the peace. But Verhoeven savagely lampoons the idea of a machine doing the delicate human work of policing in the now infamous sequence in which the ED-209 prototype shreds a junior executive into bloody hamburger without ever understanding what its doing (the machine keeps on pumping the corpse full of lead long after the man is beyond dead).
The fact that the robot (who is programmed for urban pacification) is rendered in quaint stop-motion animation is a sly joke about how out of touch it is. In another subtle jab, the name of the scientist who heads the program is Dr. McNamara, as in Robert McNamara, one of the architects of the Vietnam War and the warmongering scourge of Errol Morris Oscar-Winning documentary, The Fog of War. That the bloody corpse ends up flattened on top of the diorama of Delta City, OCPs gentrification model for Detroit, is less subtle, but the point is that none of the cold-hearted executives are in a position where they need to even pretend to care. Delta City could be an ocean of carnage and they would only see the next profit opportunity from their executive boardroom in the sky.
In a parallel jab, the criminals on the ground are equally aspirational, making small talk about capital investment and free enterprise between robberies and murders. These ground-level criminals are led by the psychopathic Clarence Boddicker, played with sneering bemusement by Kurtwood Smith. Ive written about this before, but it bears repeating: Smith and Cox play two of the all-time great movie bad guys here. Miguel Ferrer as an aggressively ambitious young executive also does slimily stellar work. The fact that theyre all here together is another reason why Robocop is considered a highlight of the genre.
Speaking of genre, the movie has also become considered a classic because it artfully fuses many classic sci-fi preoccupations: dystopian futurism, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the nature of human identity. These all coalesce around the character of Murphy, the neophyte officer who Boddickers gang violently dispatches, leaving just enough warm meat (and handsome chin) to refashion into the titanium-encased super cop.
But something stirs in the consciousness or soul or whatever metaphysical designation you want to give it, and that something is the essence of Murphy, who will struggle to understand and assert selfhood throughout the film. The cast and filmmakers do great work imbuing Murphy/Robocop with affecting pathos, especially since we dont really get to know him before his transformation and only see his family in flashback snippets. When his former partner, Officer Lewis (Nancy Allen), tells him that his family moved on after what they assumed was his death, we genuinely feel for the crestfallen tin can.
Of course, this is after we are already on his side, having witnessed his acts of reckless superheroism protecting the community. Another of the movies jokes is that Robocop is effective, but not very efficient. He tends to cause a great deal of collateral damage whenever he foils a crime or saves a victim (hes really no better than ED-209 in this regard). Nobody seems to care though, either because the city is already such a shambles that it doesnt matter or because people are so happy to see something working on their behalf that the destruction is worth it.
In terms of genre, Robocop is also one of the rare sci-fi films that predicted a real-world future that more or less came to pass. Like Blade Runner (starring Verhoevens frequent collaborator, Rutger Hauer) it features big cities that are simultaneously crumbling and gentrifying, a rising gap between rich and poor, an evisceration of social services, global corporations that control all the wealth and have monopolies on the best technology and research and development, and all of it teeters on the edge of environmental catastrophe.
Unlike Blade Runner, with its perpetual rainy night and empty streets, the urban environment depicted in Robocop still looks like the decaying industrialism in some big cities today. If you wandered around parts of the real Detroit, Im guessing you couldnt tell much of a difference.
Despite rooting around in dystopian sludge (at times literally), Robocop is not a nihilistic movie or even a cynical one. Though its primary form is scathing satire, it is profoundly humanist. Verhoeven was a child in the Netherlands during World War II and he witnessed the carnage and the chaos firsthand. While it probably seemed like the forces of darkness were extinguishing the light of civilization, that light survived amidst profound acts of courage and heroism. The movie dramatizes a similarly optimistic scenario with conviction.
Verhoeven has also said that, from a boys point of view, the war felt like a spectacle or adventure, which may account for both the fun and the briskness of the film (and some of his other films as well, such as Total Recall and the World War II action-drama Black Book). A good satire has to move, lest it gets bogged down in either depressiveness or preaching (one of the great satirists in the English language was named Jonathan Swift, after all). Verhoeven and the writersknow when to get in and out of the story, and indeed the movie sports one of the tidiest conclusions in all of cinema: the hero dispatches the villain and reclaims his human identity all in one stroke. Cut to black, cue the music.
Robocop is a Hollywood film made within the studio system by a foreign director during a blatantly commercial era of American moviemaking. It eviscerates capitalism and suggests that democracy is nothing more than a civics textbook fairy tale in a world run by authoritarian tycoons. This version of the world is pretty well accepted now that were all just a little bit wiser about the way things work (thanks Internet!).
But in 1987, when President Reagan, virtually nestled among amber waves of grain, was delivering speeches about American exceptionalism, such notions were little more than pinko hippie-speak. The fact that Verhoevens punk treatise was made at all in that environment is a miracle. That it has become one of the enduring indictments of its era while still being relevant to our contemporary moment and a helluva lot of fun makes it a special film indeed.
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Hurricane Ian Preparation Considerations for South Carolina Fruit and …
Posted: October 4, 2022 at 1:45 am
Hurricane Ian is approaching the Southeast and is expected to bring significant amounts of rain and heavy winds to South Carolina over the weekend. The latest forecasts show Ian traveling northeast towards the Atlantic, then northward through western South Carolina.
Clemson Extension agents advise specialty crop growers in The South Carolina Grower to be prepared to experience damaging winds, excessive rainfall and power outages. After the wind and rain have passed and it is safe to do so, take lots of photos of any damage experienced on your farm for insurance purposes.
Structural and Land Considerations
Be sure to anchor down or put anything away that may blow away in a stiff wind. Numerous high tunnels were damaged or took flight in Hurricane Matthew in 2016. If possible, it wouldnt be a bad idea to remove the plastic from the frame to protect its structural integrity in the wind. If that is not possible, cutting the plastic will work if the winds get strong enough to warrant it (but wait until the last minute to make this decision). Make sure ditches are clear around production areas so excess water will be able to drain unimpeded. If there is enough time, digging drainage furrows in areas prone to holding water may be helpful as well.
Disease Considerations
Winds and rain from Hurricane Ian may bring fungal spores or bacterial cells into fields in South Carolina. Before the rain starts on Thursday, cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, and watermelon crops should be sprayed with a fungicide to protect them from downy mildew. Ranman is suggested. The extended periods of leaf wetness will promote the development of gummy stem blight and anthracnose. Systemic fungicides are needed now because they will move into the leaf and provide residual control after the residue on the leaf surface is washed off due to excessive rains. Quadris Top is one of the few fungicides that will protect against both gummy stem blight and anthracnose. Other systemic products include Inspire Super or Miravis Prime for gummy stem blight and Topsin M for anthracnose.
Black rot on brassica crops is typically seen after a hurricane because the wind-driven rain spreads the bacterium. Since black rot is already present in several areas, it is likely to be much worse after the hurricane. No chemicals are effective enough to provide useful protection before a hurricane. Growers should consider harvesting early if the crop is close enough to maturity.
Food Safety Considerations
Flood waters resulting from a natural disaster present a food safety risk to food crops. Flooding, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the flowing or overflowing of a field with water outside a growers control. Pooled water resulting from rainfall or irrigation systems does not pose the same risks as flood water. Flood water can contain hazards from runoff or sewage. These hazards may be biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites) and/or chemical (petroleum, heavy metals, chemicals, etc.). If present, they may cause illness or injury to consumers.
Also, be aware that produce in cold storage can degrade rapidly if power is lost. If backup generators are available, make sure they are in good working order.
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