Month: July 2021

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CoImmune, Inc. Appoints Michael Fekete and Greg Tibbitts to its Board of Directors

DURHAM, N.C., July 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CoImmune, Inc., a clinical stage immuno-oncology company that will redefine cancer treatment using best-in-class yet more affordable cellular immunotherapies, today announced the appointments of Michael Fekete and Greg Tibbitts, to the Company’s board of directors. Mr. Fekete and Mr. Tibbitts bring with them a wealth of financial, capital markets and strategic expertise, and prior board level experience.

Mr. Fekete is an advisor and board member for companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. His areas of expertise include business strategy, capital markets, M&A and corporate governance developed through 35 years as an investment banker, independent advisor and board member for U.S. and international public and private companies. He currently serves as a member for SeaSpine, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPNE), a California based medical technology company focused on surgical solutions for the treatment of spinal disorders, and DFB Pharmaceuticals, a Texas based, private investment and development company focused on the formation and building of businesses in the pharmaceutical industry. He previously worked as an investment banker for Wells Fargo/Wachovia Securities, CIBC World Markets, Oppenheimer & Co., and L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin. He obtained his B.S. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Greg Tibbitts is a Certified Public Accountant and has over 30 years of experience as a financial executive and a public accountant. His expertise includes addressing technical accounting issues, multiple public and private equity financings, complex operations, and direct interactions with the SEC on IPO and secondary offerings. He has worked as a Chief Financial Officer for both public and private companies and now operates a business advisory firm. He served as a board member for IDMI Pharma, Inc., a NASDAQ listed biotech company prior to its acquisition. He obtained a B.B.A. in Accounting at University of San Diego and a M.B.A. at San Diego State University.

“We are excited to welcome Mike and Greg to the CoImmune board,” stated Dr. Charles Nicolette, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors. “These gentlemen bring considerable biotechnology industry and strategic expertise that will benefit CoImmune as we seek to advance our novel pipeline of cell-based immunotherapies directed at important diseases, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia and advanced renal cell carcinoma.”

About CoImmune, Inc.
CoImmune is a privately held, clinical stage immuno-oncology company that will redefine cancer treatment using best-in-class yet more affordable cellular immunotherapies. Our allogeneic CAR-CIK technology platform for liquid and solid tumors is a variation on CAR-T therapy that promises enhanced efficacy with greatly reduced toxicity. Our autologous RNA-loaded dendritic cell technology for solid tumors uses amplified total tumor mRNA to program highly engineered dendritic cells to generate immune responses against neoantigens without the need to identify them.

For more information, visit www.coimmune.com.

Contact:
Lori Harrelson
Chief Financial Officer
lharrelson@coimmune.com
919-287-6349

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TRIO Completes Enrolment for Phase 2 Giredestrant Early Breast Cancer Trial Ahead of Schedule

58 Clinical Trial Sites, 11 Countries

EDMONTON, Alberta, July 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO), a global academic clinical research organization, announced today enrolment completion in coopERA Breast Cancer (WO42133/TRIO038), a Phase 2 randomized, multi-center, open-label clinical trial of giredestrant (GDC-9545) sponsored by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. This comes shortly after completion of the planned study interim analysis provided encouraging results and supported continuation of the study.

Giredestrant is an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) that was shown to be well tolerated with encouraging tumour activity both alone and in combination with palbociclib in estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer patients.

The trial is investigating the ability to expand the safety and efficacy of giredestrant as monotherapy and in combination with palbociclib into the early breast cancer setting. Enrolment of 221 patients was completed three months ahead of schedule. The trial design evaluates the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of presurgical treatment with giredestrant plus palbociclib compared with anastrozole plus palbociclib for postmenopausal women with ER+ and HER2-negative untreated early breast cancer.

“To have patient enrolment completed three months ahead of schedule, despite the global pandemic, reinforces the strength of commitment of TRIO’s investigator network,” stated Dr. Vanesa Quiroga, a member of the trial’s Steering Committee, GEICAM and Catalan Institute of Oncology. “The scale of interest from patients further underlines the urgency to bring forward new treatment options to treat early stage breast cancer.”

More information on the coopERA Breast Cancer trial (WO42133/TRIO038/coopERA) can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04436744).

About TRIO
TRIO advances translational cancer research by introducing innovative and novel targeted therapeutic concepts into the clinical trial setting. With international offices in Edmonton (Canada), Paris (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), TRIO’s global reach is expansive. Our goal as an academic clinical research organization is to find the shortest path to saving lives. Additional information on TRIO can be found by visiting https://www.trioncology.org. Interested parties may also follow TRIO on Twitter (twitter.com/TRIOncology).

TRIO Media Inquiries:
Launa Aspeslet, PhD
CEO, TRIO
Email: launa.aspeslet@trioncology.org
Phone: 780-702-2260

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The Globe and Mail’s Sophi.io Wins WAN-IFRA’s North American Digital Media Award

TORONTO, July 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sophi.io, The Globe and Mail’s artificial intelligence-based automation, optimization and prediction engine, won WAN-IFRA’s 2021 North American Digital Media Award in the category of Best Paid Content Strategy. This is Sophi’s fourth award in the last month.

The North American Digital Media Awards honour news publishers that have delivered cutting-edge, unique and original digital media projects in the past year.

“Through the use of this [dynamic paywall] technology, The Globe and Mail truly understands its readers’ habits, leading to best practices in advertising and paid content, smartly adjusting their business strategy,” WAN-IFRA said when announcing the decision.

Phillip Crawley, CEO and Publisher of The Globe and Mail, said: “Winning a WAN-IFRA North American Digital Media Award for the second year in a row demonstrates Sophi’s ability to show the publishing industry what the future looks like. We are proud to be able to bring these AI and ML-powered tools to organizations across the globe.”

Sophi was developed by The Globe and Mail to help the newsroom make important strategic and tactical decisions. It is a suite of tools that includes Sophi Automation and Sophi for Paywalls as well as Sophi Analytics, a newsroom decision-support system.

Sophi is an artificial-intelligence system that helps publishers identify and leverage their most valuable content. It has powerful predictive capabilities – using natural language processing, Sophi Dynamic Paywall is a fully dynamic, real-time, personalized paywall engine that analyzes both content and user behaviour to determine when to ask a reader for money or an email address, and when to leave them alone.

As the North American award winner, Sophi is now a contender for the WAN-IFRA World Digital Media Awards, where the winners from North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa, India, and the Middle East compete.

About Sophi.io

Sophi.io (https://www.sophi.io) is a suite of AI-powered optimization and prediction tools developed by The Globe and Mail, Canada’s foremost news media company, to help content publishers make important strategic and tactical decisions. Sophi solutions range from Sophi Site Automation and Sophi for Paywalls to Sophi Analytics, a decision-support system for content publishers. Sophi is designed to improve the metrics that matter most to any business, such as subscriber retention and acquisition, engagement, recency, frequency and volume.

Contact

Jamie Rubenovitch
Head of Marketing, Sophi.io
The Globe and Mail
416-585-3355
jrubenovitch@globeandmail.com

 

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Neology Strengthens Nordic Footprint with Norwegian Public Roads Administration by Deploying Advanced Mobile ANPR Solution for Safer Communities

Multi-year Agreement for Mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Solutions Support Road Safety and More Efficient Customs and Border Enforcement

Mobile ANPR Solution for Norwegian Public Roads Administration

Multi-year Agreement for Mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Solutions Support Road Safety and More Efficient Customs and Border Enforcement in Norway

SAN DIEGO, July 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Neology, Inc., a global innovator that is re-imagining mobility for smart cities and safer communities, today announced an expanded, multi-year agreement with Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) for its traffic enforcement solutions driven by the latest in mobile ANPR camera and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to support real-time analytics and decision making.

Safeguarding the national road network and enabling border security agencies and their officers the capability to make accurate, informed decisions while keeping travel and trade flowing is the ultimate goal for NPRA. Neology’s ANPR safer community solutions provide enhanced performance, creating immediate impact where other solutions fail. The dual camera system, coupled with advanced AI-powered vehicle recognition technology, enables officers to detect and focus on non-compliant vehicles with enhanced vision system capabilities.

“We are thrilled that NPRA has expanded its partnership with Neology to meet its mobile ANPR requirements. Against a strong set of competitors, our solutions demonstrated both superior value and strong quality, plus our leading AI-based solutions outperformed our competitors in real-world testing during the tender evaluation stage,” said Luke Normington, General Manager of Neology. “When demands on transport authorities and law enforcement agencies are increasing, our innovative solutions help create safer, cleaner, more efficient mobility experiences that support sustainable growth and help communities thrive.”

About Neology, Inc.
Neology is re-imagining mobility to help our customers accelerate their vision for smart cities and safer communities. Our Mobility Platform™ is setting the industry standard through a unique combination of AI-powered adaptive solutions, a proven integration process, and unparalleled lifecycle support. Backed by a culture of innovation, our mobility experts work closely with global customers and a top-tier partner ecosystem to connect existing infrastructure assets with next-generation technology to modernize the way people move. To create safer, cleaner, more efficient mobility experiences, visit www.neology.net.

About NPRA
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) intends to lead the way in the development of an efficient, safe, comprehensive and coherent transport system adapted to tomorrow’s needs and technology. Our responsibility for national and European roads, as well as for road users and vehicles makes the NPRA the most prominent participant in the road transport sector in Norway. Accounting for two thirds of all traffic, our national and European roads make up the main transport system artery tying our country together. The NPRA is responsible for planning, building, operating and maintaining this part of the road network. We have national responsibility for emergency preparedness on the road as well as developing clear rules and standard specifications for smart transport and modern road construction for all roads. Through our work to supervise and inspect road users and vehicles, new technology and development of digital services, we will ensure that road users, businesses and industries have simple, efficient, safe and environmentally friendly transport options.

Neology Media Contact:
Kelly Foster
kelly@johnkellyfoster.com
+1 619-224-1261

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/78e279e1-6140-400f-859d-eac3d9b5c683

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Two of Three Children in South Sudan Face ‘Desperate’ Humanitarian Crisis: UNICEF

UNICEF says 4.5 million children in South Sudan face a humanitarian crisis and the organization needs more money to help.

The announcement comes on the 10th anniversary of the country’s independence.

The “hopes that independence would bring a new dawn for the country’s children have faded,” UNICEF said in a press release.

The group cites conflict, flooding, droughts and deepening economic woes for the problems, adding that a recent peace agreement has only “partially been implemented” and has not improved the situation for children.

UNICEF says it needs $180 million to help the most vulnerable children in South Sudan.

“If we, as a humanitarian community, do not receive sufficient funding, the reality for children and families is that no help will be coming,” said UNICEF South Sudan Representative Andrea Suley.

UNICEF says 8.3 million people in South Sudan need humanitarian support, which they say is even higher than during the 2013-2018 civil war.

Source: Voice of America

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UN Alarmed at Eswatini Protest Violence

The U.N. voiced alarm on Tuesday at the eruption of deadly violence during protests in Eswatini, calling for an independent investigation into all alleged rights abuses, including by law enforcement.

The U.N.’s rights office said there were claims that security forces had engaged in “disproportionate and unnecessary use of force” after being sent to quell protests that escalated last week.

Spokeswoman Liz Throssell told reporters in Geneva there were claims police had used live ammunition, and she also highlighted reports of looting and vandalism by protesters.

“Although the situation is now reported to be calm, we remain concerned at the potential for further unrest,” she said.

The protests in the tiny landlocked southern African country, formerly known as Swaziland, first erupted in May following the death of a 25-year-old law student, allegedly while in police custody.

But after protesters in Africa’s last absolute monarchy ramped up their campaign for political reform last week, the government deployed the army to disperse the crowds.

Unverified videos have emerged of beatings by security forces. Local civil society and opposition groups have claimed several dozen were killed.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for both sides to address their differences “through inclusive and meaningful dialogue.”

Amnesty International accused the security forces of a “frontal attack on human rights” and alleged at least 20 people had been killed.

The government said it has not received an official report of any deaths.

Throssell urged security forces to minimize any use of force during protests.

“We also call on the government to ensure that there are prompt, transparent, effective, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations,” she said.

Source: Voice of America

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Government-backed Militias in Burkina Faso Accused of Abuses

The attack in Burkina Faso last month that killed 160 civilians was in retaliation for activity by pro-government civilian militias in the area, according to Human Rights Watch.

In the daytime, Daouda Diallo is a scientist. By night, he is one of Burkina Faso’s most prominent human rights campaigners.

He runs the Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities, a campaigning group set up in the wake of the Yirgou massacre, an attack that saw around 200 people killed, mostly from the Fulani ethnic group, in early 2019.

In Burkina Faso’s conflict with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, the number of civilians killed by security forces has often come close to the numbers killed by the terror groups.

Diallo has been deeply affected by this.

“I’m a very sensitive person — I like to help the widow and the orphan, the vulnerable. … I’ve devoted my time to this, but it’s not an easy job, and I go unpaid. I do it for humanitarian reasons,” Diallo told VOA.

Diallo also points out that one of the government’s most controversial policies is a law that allows preexisting civilian militias, known as koglweogos, to be armed and trained by the government.

The new force is called the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, or VDPs.

When the law was created in 2020, Human Rights Watch said arming poorly trained civilians could lead to abuses.

So far, at least 95 people have been killed in 38 incidents of violence against civilians by VDPs, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

A man, whose full name has been withheld to protect his safety, says he watched as VDPs killed two of his neighbors after accusing them of being terrorists.

“…Issa was sick and decided to go to the market. The VDPs shot at him there. Issa ran to his house, where they killed him. Bad things happen. That’s why I had to run away. The militias are chasing you; the terrorists are chasing you.”

Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to VOA’s interview request about the incident.

One VDP leader, who asked to not be named, said most VDPs simply want to defend their homeland, many having had terrifying encounters with terrorists themselves.

“The terrorists came and burned my house. They were looking for me, but fortunately I was not around. They also killed some of my neighbors and burned their houses as well. It’s because of that I really felt I had to join the VDPs,” he said.

A leader of the ruling MPP party admits it’s possible VDPs commit abuses — but says they are necessary.

“Within the framework of the fight against terrorism, we are obliged to face the fact that the VDPs make a very big contribution,” said Lassane Sawadogo, MPP Party Executive Secretary.

As widespread protests against insecurity in Burkina Faso have swept the country in recent weeks, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said he will reform the VDPs as one way of improving security.

Diallo says the government should take corrective action quickly. However, the government has yet to say what its actions will be.

Source: Voice of America

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CNH Industrial announces management changes for new On-Highway business

London, July 5, 2021

Ahead of the previously announced spin-off of its On-Highway business and the designation of Gerrit Marx as the Chief Executive Officer, CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) announces the first Newco senior leadership team appointments for Operations and Powertrain.

Effective October 1, 2021, Annalisa Stupenengo will assume global responsibility for Operations, directly overseeing all activities related to manufacturing, quality, logistics and purchasing of the new On-Highway business. Stupenengo has extensive international experience gained through roles of increasing responsibility within CNH Industrial and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis). She currently serves as President Powertrain, overseeing all Powertrain business activities and the FPT Industrial brand within CNH Industrial.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of CNH Industrial, I wish to thank Annalisa for her time as a member of the Senior Leadership team and for five years of successfully leading our global powertrain operations, achieving exceptional results and milestones. We wish her the best in this new role and are eager to follow her next accomplishments,” said Suzanne Heywood, Chair of CNH Industrial.

“I am delighted that Annalisa has accepted a new challenge within the On-Highway organization. Her strong leadership and in-depth knowledge of our businesses will prove fundamental in managing our core industrial operations. I look forward to working closely with her as we embark on this new journey, post-spin from CNH Industrial,” commented Gerrit Marx, designated Chief Executive Officer of the new On-Highway business.

“I will always remember my time at the helm of the Powertrain business. I especially want to thank the team that I had the privilege to lead, for their passion and commitment under my guidance to drive FPT Industrial’s global business and pioneering role in innovative technologies. Now, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to creating a brilliant future for the new On-Highway business and am eager to step up to a higher challenge in this new role,” added Annalisa Stupenengo.

Sylvain Blaise will assume responsibility for the Powertrain Business Unit within the Newco. Blaise has some 20 years’ experience within the Group having worked in varied businesses, including Agriculture, across different geographies in Europe and North America. He was appointed IVECO BUS Brand President in 2014 and Head of the entire Bus Business Unit in 2019, successfully re-positioning the Brand and driving the disruptive industry transformation that is underway.

“The passion and drive that Sylvain put into the increasing success of the Bus Business Unit will serve us well in the new role, ensuring that FPT Industrial will continue to successfully overcome the future challenges in the powertrain space,” added Gerrit Marx.

CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the Company is a major international force in its specific industrial sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com

Contacts:

Corporate Communications

Email: mediarelations@cnhind.com

Investor Relations

Email: investor.relations@cnhind.com

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Gunmen Kidnap Staff and Baby from Northwest Nigerian Hospital

Gunmen kidnapped up to eight people, including the one-year-old child of a nurse, from a hospital’s staff residential quarters in northwest Nigeria, while assailants simultaneously attacked a nearby police station, police and hospital officials said.

Kaduna state has been hit by a wave of kidnappings for ransom by armed men. Zaria, where the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Centre hospital is located, has been particularly hard hit, and the attack was the third on the hospital.

The attack in the early morning hours of Sunday lasted for roughly an hour, hospital spokesperson Maryam Abdulrazaq told Reuters.

She said six people had been abducted: two nurses, one with her one-year-old child, a laboratory technician, a security guard and one other staff member. Police gave the number of hostages as eight.

“So far, [there was] no ransom demand,” Abdulrazaq said. “We have not heard from the bandits since they took them away.”

In a separate statement, Kaduna police spokesman Muhammed Jalige said that a “large number” of armed men from the same group attacked the divisional police headquarters at roughly the same time “in an attempt to overrun the officers on duty.”

Jalige said police repelled the attack after a heavy exchange of gunfire, injuring some of the attackers. Police recovered dozens of shell casings from rifles and machine guns.

He said officers from tactical, anti-kidnapping and other units were working to rescue those kidnapped from the hospital.

Kidnappings for ransom have become endemic in northern Nigeria. More than 800 students have been abducted since December, at least 150 of whom remain missing.

Source: Voice of America

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140 Students Abducted in Northwestern Nigeria?

Armed kidnappers have taken 140 students from their boarding school in northwestern Nigeria, local officials announced Monday.

Attackers opened fire on the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna state early Monday, abducting most of the 165 pupils boarding there overnight.

Teachers at the school told reporters they don’t know where the students were taken.

Police in Kaduna state said they have rescued 26 people, including one teacher.

Monday’s abduction is one of many recent kidnappings, usually for ransom, that have hit schools in northern Nigeria.

Late last month, gunmen attacked a school in the northwest state of Kebbi, abducting at least 80 students and teachers.

Amnesty International reports about 600 schools in northern Nigeria have closed as a result of persistent attacks since late last year.

Earlier this year, the government promised more security deployment to schools. But teachers and activists in the country say their schools remain poorly protected.

Nigerian authorities have faced increased criticism over the kidnappings, one of the country’s many security challenges including the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, and a growing separatist movement in the southeast.

Source: Voice of America

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