Tag Archives: media

Cell Biology

Explore the Cell Expansion Market: Ethical Concerns Regarding Research in Cell Biology – WhaTech

The Global Cell Expansion Market size is estimated to be USD 14.9 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 30.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 15.1%. Cell Expansion Market by Product (Reagent, Media, Flow Cytometer, Centrifuge, Bioreactor), Cell Type (Human, Animal), Application (Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research, Cancer & Cell-based Research), End-User, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

The Cell Expansion Market size is estimated to be USD 14.9 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 30.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 15.1%.

Growth in this market is primarily driven by the increasing incidence of chronic diseases, government investments for cell-based research, growing focus on personalized medicine, increasing focus on R&D for cell-based therapies, and increasing GMP certifications for cell therapy production facilities.

The media segment accounted for the largest share of the consumables segment in the cell expansion market

Based on product type, consumables are segmented into media, reagents, sera, and disposables. The media segment accounted for the largest share of the consumables segment in the cell expansion market.

The large share of this segment can be attributed to its high requirement during the production of pharmaceutical products and rising R&D investments on cell-based therapies.

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Biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies accounted for the fastest-growing end user segment of the cell expansion market

Based on end-users, the cell expansion industry market has been segmented into research institutes, biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies, cell banks, and other end users (includes hospitals, diagnostic centers, and laboratories). In 2019, biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies were the largest end-users in the cell expansion market, and the trend is the same throughout the forecast period.

North America accounted for the largest share of the cell expansion market

North America accounted for the largest share of the cell expansion industry market.

The large share of this segment can primarily be attributed to the rising incidence of cancer, increasing government funding, rising research activates on stem cell therapies, growing awareness regarding advanced treatment methods, increasing geriatric population, and the strong presence of industry players in the region.

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Leading Companies

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Danaher (US), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Lonza (Switzerland), Corning, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Sartorius Stedim Biotech (France), Getinge AB (Sweden) Terumo Corporation (Japan), and Miltenyi Biotec (Germany)

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Explore the Cell Expansion Market: Ethical Concerns Regarding Research in Cell Biology - WhaTech

Human Behavior

Simba Information: Social Science, Humanities Publishing Fell on COVID-19 Disruption – Herald-Mail Media

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The impact of the COVID-19 virus and associated economic disruption will tighten the market for publishing materials in the humanities and social sciences this according to Global Social Sciences & Humanities Publishing 2021-2025, the latest report from Simba Information.

Social science and humanities (SSH) publishing sales fell an estimated 1.5% in 2020 after posting flat results in 2019. Currency movements are estimated to have inflated sales in 2020. The SSH publishing market decline is estimated at 2.5% in constant currency. The market has not posted overall sales growth since 2017 when it grew 1.9%.

Now, after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions, academic and government research budgets are poised to tighten and hinder growth in 2021 and 2022.

However, in the long-term, research in social sciences will have a vast amount to contribute to resolving the massive challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. A better understanding of human and societal behavior is required to develop effective strategies and policies to reduce viral transmission.

When it comes to infection prevention and control at both the local and international levels, a fuller understanding of areas of study such as politics, international relations, philosophy, economics, psychology, sociology and ethics have all been suggested as meriting urgent consideration by researchers. Behavioral psychology will be critical to solve issues ranging from anti-mask movements to vaccine denial. It is COVID-19's ability to exploit particular aspects of human behavior that allows it to continue to spread from person-to-person.

Some of these areas now have an opportunity to attract research dollars, and in turn spur growth in information and tools geared at these areas of research.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire scholarly publishing industry has been to accelerate the transitions that were already taking place, whether it be the move to digital, open access or the push for tools and services to diversity reliance on revenue from content.

Global Social Sciences & Humanities Publishing 2021-2025provides an overview and financial outlook for the global SSH publishing market based on specific research and analysis of the leading competitors' performance. This research was conducted in conjunction with a larger study of the overall market for professional publishing.

The market is divided into five content delivery channels: books, journals, online content, abstracting and indexing and other activities, a category that includes audio, video and CD-ROM information.

Simba also examines leading competitors including: Cengage, EBSCO, Elsevier, Informa, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford University Press, ProQuest, SAGE Publishing and Springer Nature.

About Simba Information

Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit http://www.simbainformation.com or call 888-29-SIMBA.

Media Contact:

Dan Strempel

dstrempel@simbainformation.com

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Biochemistry

Immunic, Inc. Announces Positive Top-Line Data From Investigator-Sponsored Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept Clinical Trial of IMU-838 in Primary Sclerosing…

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Immunic, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMUX),a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of selective oral immunology therapies aimed at treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announced positive top-line data from an investigator-sponsored phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial of IMU-838 in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This single-arm, open-label, exploratory study was designed to investigate IMU-838's potential to improve various biochemical parameters in PSC patients and help determine whether any such activity warrants further investigation in randomized PSC trials. As previously announced, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 18 of the targeted 30 patients were enrolled in the study (intent-to-treat population, ITT), of whom only 11 patients completed the full IMU-838 treatment course and were evaluable over the 24-week treatment period (per-protocol population, PP).

The PP population experienced a statistically significant decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (p=0.041) after 24 weeks of treatment using 30 mg IMU-838 once daily, as compared to baseline. A consistent individual pattern of a stable decrease in ALP values was observed in the PP population between baseline and week 24, without any single patient showing an increase of more than 20% of ALP. As per the definition of the primary objective of the study, 27.3% of the patients in the PP population had a clinically relevant reduction of serum ALP higher than 25% at week 24, without an increase in liver biochemistry of more than 33%, as compared to baseline. Biochemical endpoints, such as changes in serum ALP, have been used in PSC trials performed by third parties.

Regarding the secondary objectives of the study, no changes in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), or total, direct or indirect bilirubin were observed in the ITT or PP populations, as compared to baseline. In addition, despite the limited scope of the data, encouraging results were observed regarding symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, a common comorbidity for PSC patients, and patient assessments of health-related quality of life. The study also found that IMU-838 is a safe and well-tolerated oral drug for PSC patients and treatment-emergent adverse events were rare and generally mild.

"I am very excited about the effects we have seen in this highly underserved patient population where there is only a small number of cases worldwide and where no pharmaceutical treatment option is currently available," noted Daniel Vitt, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Immunic. "We are also very pleased to see that IMU-838's safety and tolerability profile was confirmed in this patient group. The results from this small, open-label study suggest that IMU-838 merits further clinical testing in PSC. We are in discussions with investigators and leading clinical experts to further evaluate the data set and to explore potential next steps for this indication."

"Currently, no effective treatment options are available for PSC patients and the hepatology community is very keen to see new approaches and clinical programs for the investigation of promising new approaches. I am grateful that Mayo Clinic and Immunic are collaboratively exploring this underserved indication for which liver transplantation is often the only effective option," stated Keith Lindor, M.D., Professor of Medicine Emeritus and former President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. "Although we are mindful of the small size of this dataset, I do believe the results are noteworthy and merit further exploration. Notable in this small patient cohort is the absolute consistency with which these patients experienced decreases in serum alkaline phosphatase at the 24-week time point."

Study Background and Baseline Characteristics

The single-arm, open label, exploratory study was an investigator-sponsored trial led by Elizabeth Carey, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, who had received Investigator Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and had been granted Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct the study. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was conducted at two sites: Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona (Dr. Carey) and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota (John E. Eaton, M.D.), both of which are tertiary referral centers for PSC patients.

The study, for which Immunic provided the study medication, planned to enroll 30 patients with PSC, aged 18 to 75 years, who received 30 mg of IMU-838 once daily for a period of 24 weeks. Enrollment for the study took place between July 2019 and September 2020, but almost all enrollment occurred in 2019 and early 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment for this study was hampered, as patients with PSC are at a high risk of COVID-19 infections and were advised to avoid travel and unnecessary social contacts such as those required to participate in a clinical trial. Together with the investigators, Immunic determined to readout data of the 18 patients who were enrolled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic also triggered the principal investigator's decision to terminate the study in late 2020, before the intended recruitment goal of 30 patients was reached.

A total of 18 patients started treatment of 30 mg IMU-838 once daily (intent-to-treat population, ITT, n=18). Of these 18 patients, 11 patients received the full 24-week treatment with IMU-838 (per-protocol population, PP, n=11). Due to the high number of discontinued patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that all discontinued patients in an ITT statistical analysis will be counted as treatment failures at week 24, this analysis focuses mainly on the 11-patient PP population.

Primary Objective

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether IMU-838 reduces serum ALP in adult patients diagnosed with PSC. The main analysis for the primary objective was whether patients could achieve a reduction of ALP at week 24 which is greater or equal to 25%, as compared to baseline, while the AST increase at week 24 is no more than 33%, as compared to baseline. This positive primary outcome was achieved by 3 of 11 patients in the PP population (27.3%, 95% CI: 6-61%). By virtue of inclusion criteria, patients at baseline had to have an elevated ALP value of at least 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN).

In addition, time from baseline was calculated as a continuous variable and treated as the primary predictor using a random intercept model which was adjusted for age at baseline and gender. For this longitudinal analysis of ALP from baseline to week 24 in the PP population, the ALP value statistically significantly (p=0.041) decreased by an average of 5.76 IU/L every 30 days (95% CI: -11.29, -0.23; statistical model). The time trend was not statistically significant in the ITT analysis (p=0.578) due to missing data following the high rate of treatment discontinuations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secondary Objectives

Secondary objectives were to investigate the liver biochemistry parameters, AST, ALT, and total/direct/indirect bilirubin, as well as the concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, as compared to baseline. The longitudinal analysis of both AST and ALT as well as total, direct and indirect bilirubin values showed a stable pattern in the PP population with no statistically significant change over time and the confidence interval to include the no-change scenario (AST: average 30 day change 1.22 IU/L, 95% CI: -0.53, 2.97, p=0.170; ALT: average 30 day change 0.85 IU/L, 95% CI -1.46, 3.15, p=0.467, total bilirubin: average 30 day change 0.00 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.01, 0.02, p=0.561, direct bilirubin: average 30 day change 0.00 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.01, 0.01, p=0.861, indirect bilirubin: average 30 day change 0.00 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.01, 0.01, p=0.556). Similar results were found in the ITT population. In addition, a decrease in the Ulcerative Colitis Clinical score was observed in evaluated patients, although the number of assessed patients was limited.

"This was a feasibility study to explore activity of IMU-838 in PSC patients based on biochemical parameters. IMU-838 was found to lead to a statistically significant reduction of serum ALP over time in the PP population, while no trend for increases in ALT, AST or bilirubin was observed," commented Andreas Muehler, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Immunic. "Despite the challenges we faced due to COVID-19, which severely hindered the enrollment at the two Mayo Clinic sites and which led to an unusually high discontinuation rate and an early termination of the study, we have seen encouraging activity signals for IMU-838 in this patient population. Based on these promising data and, in particular, the improvement in biochemical liver parameters, we will continue to evaluate the potential of IMU-838 as a treatment option for PSC patients. It may also be worthwhile to optimize dose levels of IMU-838 in PSC patients in the future."

For more information on this clinical trial, please visit: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03722576.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

As previously announced, Immunic's management team will host a public conference call and webcast today, February 18, 2021 at8:00 a.m. Eastern Timeto discuss the data from the main phase 2 analysis of the CALVID-1 trial of IMU-838 in hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19, as well as data from the investigator-sponsored phase 2 clinical trial of IMU-838 in primary sclerosing cholangitis.

To participate in the conference call, dial 1-877-870-4263 (USA) or 1-412-317-0790 (International) and ask to be joined into the Immunic, Inc. call. A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call can be accessed at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2301/39950or on the "Events and Presentations" section of Immunic's website at ir.imux.com/events-and-presentations.

An archived replay of conference call and webcast will be available approximately one hour after the completion for one year on Immunic's website at: ir.imux.com.

About Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) PSC is a rare liver disease with a prevalence of approximately 4.15 per 100,000 in the United States, in which the bile ducts in the liver become inflamed, narrow and prevent bile from flowing properly. The exact cause and disease mechanism of PSC are still unknown, but an autoimmune mechanism may play a role. There is an association with inflammatory bowel diseases, most often with ulcerative colitis and less commonly with Crohn's disease. PSC is a progressive disease and, other than liver transplantation, there are currently no approved therapies that have been shown to improve survival in patients with PSC. The estimated time from diagnosis of PSC to death or liver transplant has been shown to be less than 15 years.

About IMU-838IMU-838 is an orally available, next-generation selective immune modulator that inhibits the intracellular metabolism of activated immune cells by blocking the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). IMU-838 acts on activated T and B cells while leaving other immune cells largely unaffected and allows the immune system to stay functioning, e.g. in fighting infections. In previous trials, IMU-838 did not show an increased rate of infections compared to placebo. In addition, DHODH inhibitors, such as IMU-838, are known to possess a host-based antiviral effect, which is independent with respect to specific virus proteins and their structure. Therefore, DHODH inhibition may be broadly applicable against multiple viruses. IMU-838 was successfully tested in two phase 1 clinical trials in 2017 and is currently being tested in a phase 2 trial in patients with ulcerative colitis. In the third quarter of 2020, the company reported positive results from its phase 2 EMPhASIS trial of IMU-838 in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, achieving both primary and key secondary endpoints with high statistical significance. In the first quarter of 2021, Immunic announced that IMU-838 has shown evidence of clinical activity in its phase 2 CALVID-1 trial in hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19. Also, in the first quarter of 2021, the company reported positive top-line data from an investigator-sponsored phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial of IMU-838 in primary sclerosing cholangitis which was conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic. To date, IMU-838 has been tested in more than 800 individuals and has shown an attractive pharmacokinetic, safety and tolerability profile. IMU-838 is not yet licensed or approved in any country.

About Immunic, Inc.Immunic, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMUX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company witha pipeline of selective oral immunology therapies aimed at treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis. Immunic is developing three small molecule products: its lead development program,IMU-838, is a selective immune modulator that inhibits the intracellular metabolism of activated immune cells by blocking the enzyme DHODH and exhibits a host-based antiviral effect; IMU-935 is an inverse agonist of RORt; and IMU-856 targets the restoration of the intestinal barrier function. For further information, please visit: http://www.imux.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected expenses, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Immunic's three development programs and the targeted diseases; the potential for IMU-838 to safely and effectively target diseases; the proof-of-concept study of IMU-838 for the treatment of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis; the timing of current and future clinical trials; the potential for IMU-838 as a treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis that may be supported by the investigator-sponsored phase 2 proof-of-concept trial data, and any clinical trials, collaborations and approvals relating to such potential treatment; the nature, strategyand focus of the company; and the development and commercial potential of any product candidates of the company. Immunic may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, without limitation, the COVID-19 pandemic, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to project future cash utilization and reserves needed for contingent future liabilities and business operations, the availability of sufficient resources to meet business objectives and operational requirements, the fact that the results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results, the protection and market exclusivity provided by Immunic's intellectual property, risks related to the drug development and the regulatory approval process and the impact of competitive products and technological changes. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in the section captioned "Risk Factors," in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020, the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2020, and in the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at http://www.sec.gov or ir.imux.com/sec-filings. Any forward-looking statement made in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Immunic disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. Immunic expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this press release.

Contact Information

Immunic, Inc. Jessica BreuHead of Investor Relations and Communications+49 89 2080 477 09[emailprotected]

US IR ContactRx Communications GroupPaula Schwartz+1 917 322 2216[emailprotected]

US Media ContactKOGS CommunicationEdna Kaplan+1 781 639 1910[emailprotected]

SOURCE Immunic, Inc.

http://www.immunic-therapeutics.com

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Immunic, Inc. Announces Positive Top-Line Data From Investigator-Sponsored Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept Clinical Trial of IMU-838 in Primary Sclerosing...

Human Behavior

Combination treatment for common glioma type shows promise in mice – National Institutes of Health

Media Advisory

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

NIH-funded preclinical study suggests new approach to treat a type of brain tumor

Gliomas are common brain tumors that comprise about one third of all cancers of the nervous system. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers tested a novel combination treatment approach on mice with tumors with characteristics similar to human astrocytomas a type of slow-growing gliomaand found tumor regression in 60 percent of the mice treated. These encouraging results, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could be the first step toward developing a treatment for this type of brain cancer.

Led by senior authors Maria Castro, Ph.D. and Pedro Lowenstein, M.D., Ph.D. along with a team of researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor specifically tested inhibitors of the compound D-2-Hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG), which is produced by cancer cells, on a mouse version of astrocytoma carrying mutations in the genes IDH1 and ATRX, along with an inactivated form of the tumor suppressor protein 53 (TP53) gene.

When the implanted mice were treated with a drug to block the production of D-2-HG along with standard of care radiation and temozolomide (chemotherapy) treatments, their survival significantly improved. Looking more closely at tumor cells grown in dishes, the researchers saw that blocking D-2-HG caused the cells to become more susceptible to radiation treatment. However, the treatment also increased the amount of an immune checkpoint protein, which tumors use to turn off T cells and evade the immune system.

Inhibiting this immune checkpoint protein with an additional drug resulted in an even greater improvement in survival, because the mouses own immune system was able to attack the tumor. Importantly, this combination therapy also led to immunological memory against the glioma, meaning that the mouse now had T cells tailored to the specific tumor. Because gliomas almost always grow back after treatment, these T cells make the animal better prepared to fend off regrowth.

It must be emphasized that these experiments were performed in mice. Nonetheless the preclinical results produced by this combination therapy could represent a key advance in developing an improved treatment regimen, which combines D-2-HG and immune checkpoint inhibition, radiation, and temozolomide, for patients with astrocytomas.

Jane Fountain, Ph.D., program director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Kadiyala P. et al. Inhibition of 2-Hydroxyglutarate Elicits Metabolic-reprogramming and Mutant IDH1 Glioma Immunity in Mice. Feb. 15, 2021. Journal of Clinical Investigation. DOI: 10.1172/JCI139542

This study was supported by the NIH (NS091555, NS094804, NS074387, NS076991, NS082311, NS096756, EB022563); Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan; Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center; Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation; American Brain Tumor Association; Leahs Happy Hearts; and Chad Tough Foundations.

This media availability describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research. To learn more about basic research, visit https://www.nih.gov/news-events/basic-research-digital-media-kit.

NINDS (https://www.ninds.nih.gov) is the nations leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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Combination treatment for common glioma type shows promise in mice - National Institutes of Health

Embryology

Egg Freezing Is On The Up: But Do Clinics Advertise It Correctly? – SheThePeople

Egg freezing on the rise: More women in the UK than ever before are considering freezing their eggs, with the sharp rise in inquiries at some of Londons largest clinics attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. No wonder perhaps, since social restrictions have impacted single people wishing to couple-up, making it significantly more difficult to go on dates or meet potential partners.

The current prolonged uncertainty about the future has exacerbated the concerns that many single childless women especially those in their mid-30s were already reporting, including anxieties about the ticking of their biological clocks and fears over age-related fertility decline.

Sarah, a 36-year-old HR manager who recently came out of a four-year relationship, feels the pandemic could not have come at a more costly time in her personal life. She told me, I have this constant underlying worry that by the time this all blows over and I can finally meet someone, I might have missed the boat to become a mother.

It is easy to see why women like Sarah might opt for egg freezing. Yet while this technology can certainly be useful for some women, new research reveals that it may not always be as straightforward as it appears.

Many aspects of egg freezing have been discussed in the media, yet to date, there has been almost no attention paid to the ways in which fertility clinics advertise, market and promote their egg freezing services on their websites, and the quality of information that is available to potential patients considering their options.

In order to address this gap, my colleague Emily Tiemann and I analysed the websites of the UKs 15 largest fertility clinics offering egg freezing. Our recently published findings make uncomfortable reading.

Our research suggests that fertility clinic websites in the UK, taken in general, provide a poor standard of information and, we argue, need to be urgently improved, for reasons of both medical ethics and consumer rights. Of course, as websites are dynamic entities some of them may have already improved or changed since we took our snapshot (in June 2019), but our findings nevertheless raise concerns for potential patients.

We found that most of the clinics we looked at presented what we believe is an unbalanced view of egg freezing on their websites, highlighting its potential benefits and failing to adequately discuss its potential risks. Clinics websites were also not sufficiently clear and transparent about the cost of an egg freezing cycle, with the average true cost exceeding the advertised costs by approximately a third (on average an additional 923).

Finally, we came to the view that clinics did not always provide accurate data or success rates. In fact, of the 15 analysed, we only rated one clinic website as good in terms of its quality of information.

We found that most of the clinics we looked at presented what we believe is an unbalanced view of egg freezing on their websites, highlighting its potential benefits and failing to adequately discuss its potential risks.

We reached out to all 15 clinics for comment. Harley Street Fertility Clinic responded, We welcome the Gurtin and Tiemann paper because it aims to improve the quality of information provided to patients. However, we do not necessarily agree with all the metrics and indicators used by the authors as part of their review [] As a clinic, we strive to be clear and transparent in our communications. Hence, we will use the suggestions made in the paper to improve our communications with patients.

IVI Midland responded by pointing out that since 2019, the clinic had been acquired by CARE Fertility and therefore the website we analysed is no longer active. CARE Fertility, meanwhile, replied, The number of egg freezing cycles we carry out is very small, and as success rate data is only available once a woman returns for fertility treatment (often many years later), we have even less success rate data [] At the time of the study in June 2019, the egg freezing page of our website could have more clearly explained the costs involved with egg freezing, but we have since updated the page to further help patients access the information they need.

The other clinics we approached for comment did not respond. But it is welcome news that some have been working to improve their website content.

We have issued an urgent recommendation for clinic websites to be improved, but it is difficult for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to enforce such changes when much of the economic or commercial aspects of fertility treatments fall outside its remit.

But the issue is pressing, since we contend that the lack of good quality information compromises the ability of women like Sarah to make truly informed decisions, and leaves them inadequately informed or misinformed about crucial aspects, such as costs to plan for or potential risks to weigh up.

Justine*, a journalist who lives in London, froze her eggs two years ago, aged 38. She told me that although she went to some lengths to research the technology, she still felt unprepared for the reality of how it would feel to freeze her eggs.

Justine found herself in considerably more physical discomfort than she had expected, feeling bloated, uncomfortable and in pain despite having been told she would be able to go about her normal life before the procedure. Her physical discomforts continued and even worsened after egg collection, As the hours passed, I still felt incredibly weak, bloated and short of breath. I called the clinic who just said if you continue to feel bad, then go to A&E. It was at that point I felt very alone.

She felt that the clinic had relinquished all responsibility. I went to A&E and was admitted overnight, with a series of tests and observations confirming that I had OHSS, she said.

While Justine was unlucky to suffer from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a rare complication of the IVF and egg freezing processes caused by the production of too many eggs, she felt she lacked information about this potential risk and that the clinic didnt offer adequate follow-up care.

The fertility industry is becoming increasingly commercialised, a consideration that is particularly pertinent in the case of egg freezing, which takes place primarily in the private sector. This is an aspect that Lucy van de Wiel, a researcher at Cambridge Universitys Reproductive Sociology Research Group, focuses on.

Her new book, Freezing Fertility, draws attention to the potential conflicts between clinical decision-making or patients best interests on the one hand and business and profit motives on the other. Market forces in the fertility industry, political interests underlying regulations, and age-old cultural narratives of gender and motherhood play a role in our reproductive decision-making.

The fertility industry is becoming increasingly commercialised, a consideration that is particularly pertinent in the case of egg freezing, which takes place primarily in the private sector.

Given this, I would urge women considering egg freezing to look beyond the information on clinic websites. In particular, women may wish to ask clinics for specific and verified data regarding the number of cycles they have performed each year or their success rates.

They may want to ask questions about exactly what is and is not included in advertised pricing, and to consult the HFEA website for an unbiased discussion of the benefits and risks of the technology. It can also be extremely helpful to discuss egg freezing with others who have been through the process, to gain a realistic impression of what it involves.

Despite her difficulties, overall Justine feels a sense of comfort knowing that she has frozen eggs in storage, but she does offer a note of caution:

While the process is presented as being fairly straightforward, it does have powerful physical, emotional and psychological impacts so it is important not to gloss over it as a procedure and make sure you have support available.

*Name and identifying details have been changed.

Zeynep Gurtin, Lecturer in Womens Health, UCL published this article first on The Conversation. The views expressed are the authors own.

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Egg Freezing Is On The Up: But Do Clinics Advertise It Correctly? - SheThePeople

Human Behavior

Economists and Psychologists Are Weaponizing Psychology and the Thought of "Rationality" – The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

This year has been interesting for Wall Street, to say the least. After hearing that hedge funds had shorted the stock of the dying retail chain GameStop by over 100 percentof shares, Redditors banded together to buy up the stock, knowing that short sales do not expire, so the hedge funds willeventually be forced to buy it all back at a drastically raised price.

Estimates of short interest on the stock from sources such as the NASDAQ, MarketBeat, Yahoo Finance, and Bloomberg range from 53 percentto 177 percentof float. Hedge funds have been shutting down retail brokers, trading among themselves after hours, and publicly claiming to cover shares they had not yet bought, all in an attempt to lower the price on the stock, minimizing losses for the hedges when they finally cover the shorts. Historical examples such as the Volkswagen short squeeze of 2008 suggest that even a short interest as low as 50 percentcould still yield high dividends for GME stockholders.

With this in mind, Redditors hold GameStop under the perfectly rational desire to avoid getting tricked out of their money, and many more profess a willingness to hold despite losses if it means that hedge funds will be punished through bankruptcy for manipulating the market.

So why does the corporate press describe this phenomenon as a bubble that is irrational, insane, and dangerous,the product of the hysteria and cognitive bias of investors whodont know what theyre doing? Short squeezes are not new. The Redditors strategies are nothing that Wall Street has not tried before. In addition, the Redditors who initially popularized the stock have a reputation for treating the stock market like a casino, as evidenced by the name of their community, r/wallstreetbets. Gambling is a form of consumption spending, an end in itself. It is not inherently irrational for someone to buy a consumer good, no matter how strange.

Moreover, the Redditors live in a world where the committee investigating the blatant fraud surrounding GameStop is led by a woman who accepted six-figure fees from the defendant. Holding the stock as an attempt at getting justice makes sense, especially from the perspective of an online community full of Millennials, who have had their economic future crippled by Wall Street financiers through three consecutive once in a generation market crashes. For the amateur investor, there is no rule of law on Wall Streetand revenge is a rational strategy outside the law. All of this is obvious to anyone who reads what the Redditors have to say. Their plan might be ill advised, but it is definitely not irrational. Why doesnt the corporate media acknowledge this?

The answer is that economic rationality, like so many other terms, has been defined to suit the convenience of the neoliberal establishment. The concept of bias in economic decision-making is pseudoscientific, since its meaning can be warped to include any deviation from neoclassical economic models, even ones which are rational when put incontext. In the instance of the GameStop investors, this confusion of terms is serving its purpose, pathologizing as irrational a well-reasoned populist response to a broken financial system. This crucial context is necessary to recognize that the medias concern for the mental soundness of retail investors is only a tool meant to delegitimize them in the eyes of the public.

First, a word about irrationality. Rationality in economics is a different concept than rationality to the average person, a distinction lost upon the media pundits that bandy about the term. There is no single accepted definition of rationality in economics, but the general concept is one of maximization of self-interest, quantifiable as utility. Neoclassical economists models of human behavior all revolve around a strict interpretation of this definition, one that Austrian economists see as incompatible with the actual human experience. This mainstream conception of rationality excludes values that cannot be quantified from economic decision-making, painting human beings as automata competing to gain control of limited tangible resources.

When neoclassical economists models are compared with reality, they fail, often spectacularly. But rather than sacrifice their models to accommodate a broader definition of rationality, where humans use the means available to them to meet subjectively valued ends that can differ based on a multitude of factors, neoclassical economists of late classify those who deviate from these models as irrational,and make it their mission to fix them.

Enter behavioral economics, the application of the theory of cognitive bias to economic decision-making. Despite the name, it is an offshoot of applied psychology, specifically the theory of behaviorism within psychiatry. Behaviorism holds that human reactions to stimuli are either products of evolutionor reflexes trained through past reinforcement. By this definition, human action is predictably irrational, and must be systematically adjusted by some enlightened outside actor in order to maximize human welfare in a world vastly different from the one we evolved to live in. In behavioral economics, the logical endpoint of this world view is the need for regulation, which behavioral economists take it upon themselves to design.

Earlier scholars of the liberty movement have performed prescient analysis of the relationship between governance and the science of human behavior. In his book, Law, Liberty and Psychiatry, prominent antipsychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz describes the role of such sciences as follows: Law and psychiatry are similar in that both disciplines are concerned with norms of conduct and methods of social control.If people believe that health values justify coercion, but that moral and political values do not, those who wish to coerce others will tend to enlarge the category of health values at the expense of the category of moral values. Today, this medicalization of moral values has grown out of the field of psychology, where it originated, and into other fields such as economics.

Decades before Daniel Kahneman and Aaron Tversky would publish the paper that created behavioral economics as we know it, Szasz argued that the medicalization of social science would create a therapeutic state,one that granted power to unelected departments of expertsto pathologize and thereby delegitimize abnormal social behavior in the name of the health of the citizenry. The Western world was put on house arrest for a year by the policy czars of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Psychiatrists have en masse violated the Goldwater rule, which disallows them to speculateabout the mental health of a public figure they have not personally examined, in order to stigmatize right-wing populism. Its not difficult to see the resemblance to current events. How neatly this parallels arguments to deny amateur investors access to the market for their own good, in a move that would, coincidentally, of course, benefit the hedge funds that these investors want to bankrupt.

The mechanism of the therapeutic state is the same, no matter which social science is used to implement it. Irrationality, to the behavioral economist, is the consumers insanity, and the behavioral economists who profess to cure it are the darlings of the Keynesian establishment. Daniel Kahneman has received the Nobel Prize. Cass Sunstein, another pioneer of the field, was appointed administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in 2008. Policymakers in both the private and public spheres have leapt at the chance to implement these theories. They recognize cognitive bias as a useful explanation for why the public doesnt react as expected to policies that are supposedly in our best interest. And the terminology that behavioral economists coin makes its way into popular parlance, where it can be thrown at anyone whose actions are inconvenient to the established orderincluding retail investors.

From the perspective of an economist, this makes little sense. Austrian economists have had no problem incorporating economic behavior deemed irrational from a neoclassical standpoint into their paradigm. Moreover, many of the studies instrumental to the theories that behaviorists, and behavioral economists in turn, cite to prove human irrationality are highly flawed in their reasoning. In many cases, they either extrapolate beyond what the original experiment can be said to prove, have fallen victim to the replication crisis in social science, or have been shown to be the product of deliberate fraud.

Finally, as any student of human behavior should be able to predict, the ethical concerns that behavioral economists pay lip service to are ignored by policymakers in fact. These self-titled choice architects,using a euphemism for psychological manipulation common in the field of social engineering, assume their own immunity to the biases that they accuse others of displaying. If they cared to think about many of these cases of irrationality from the perspectives of the people they try to regulate, they would realize that their view of human behavior is not born of some privileged knowledgebut is a willful blindness to other factors at play.

But from the perspective of an apparatchik of the therapeutic state, this economic fad makes perfect sense. These are the same people whose conception of the business cycle assumes that entrepreneurs are incapable of recognizing and correcting systematic errors in their economic calculations, even when doing so would provide long-term benefit. This view is incompatible with reality, only useful to justify endless government intervention. Is it any surprise that they want to smear every economic actor in the same way, if only to claim that their intrusions constitute a moral good?

In this light, it is inevitable that the GameStop uprising will be declared a product of cognitive bias,even though the only bias here is that of media companies towardthe Wall Street investors who own them. Rather than admit that the Redditors investing behavior poses a threat to the powerful, the media condescends to them, hoping that a public unaware of the fraught history of the terminology in use will discard what they have to say. As long as it is inconvenient for these lackeys of the American aristocracy to acknowledge the rational incentives at play, they will continue to use any shoddy rhetorical tactic necessary to justify their overlords manipulation of the market, regardless of the impact this slander may have on retail investors. This is not science;this is graftand unfortunately for the field of economics, it is here to stay.

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Economists and Psychologists Are Weaponizing Psychology and the Thought of "Rationality" - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Human Behavior

Linsey Davis discusses journey from U.Va. to ABC World News Tonight – University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

When Linsey Davis arrived at the University in 1995, a journalism career wasnt exactly on her mind. The award-winning ABC News anchor thought she wanted to be a psychologist and focused her studies on human behavior and how people think. Two and a half decades later, she moderated two of the 2020 elections Democratic presidential debates in front of a live, national audience.

I don't think I ever had to study that hard at U.Va., Davis remarked in an interview with The Cavalier Daily about preparing for the debates.

On Feb. 1, ABC News named Davis as anchor of its Sunday broadcasts of World News Tonight the most-watched evening-news broadcast in the nation. A two-time Emmy Award winner, Davis is also an anchor for ABC News Live Prime, the networks first-ever streaming evening newscast.

Its no secret that the University has produced many notable journalists and media executives in the last half century, despite not having a journalism school. From Katie Couric to Margaret Brennan, the University has prepared many for working in the media.

Any good institution worth its salt is going to help provoke their students to be curious and to question and to wonder, Davis said. I would say that all of that my curiosity and just wanting to kind of question certain things was nurtured while I was on Grounds.

Instead of taking courses on reporting, Davis learned about psychology, astrology and African American studies while at the University even taking a course with the late Professor Julian Bond, one of the nation's preeminent civil rights leaders. It wasnt until she studied abroad in London and took a few journalism courses late in her undergraduate career that she decided to pursue journalism.

I didn't have a change in heart until it was late, Davis said. But I will say that psychology degree was not for not I mean, you can certainly use that in any, in probably most, career paths, and just understanding how people work and just like the human behavior behind it all.

Since the University lacked a communications department at the time, she had to enroll in a graduate program elsewhere landing at New York University.

After obtaining a masters degree in communications, Davis worked as a reporter and anchor at local television stations in Syracuse, N.Y., Flint, Mich. and Indianapolis, Ind. She joined ABC News in 2007 as a New York-based correspondent and made waves in 2009 with a special Nightline report examining why African American women are the least likely of any race or gender to get married.

Davis has since conducted interviews with major influential figures and politicians including Secretary Hillary Clinton, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Myon Burrell, a Minneapolis inmate who said he was wrongfully convicted for murder in part because of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was the chief prosecutor in the case.

Last summer, as protests against police brutality were growing following George Floyds death, Davis led a roundtable discussion with Black female mayors and also anchored a documentary on the issue of domestic terrorism and hate-inspired violence in the U.S. As a Black female anchor, Davis wants to use her platform to talk about the issues facing her own community even if those conversations are uncomfortable.

I'm not afraid to tackle it and confront the issues and the facts, Davis said. Sometimes we don't have these conversations because people are so worried about how we address it or how we talk about it. I do think that there's a certain relevance that I'm able to bring to the table when I know that perspective of Black and Brown people in this community I live it, and it's my own personal experience.

However, she added that all Americans not just Black and Brown people should be starting conversations about racial issues.

Davis was also at the forefront of ABC News coverage of the 2020 presidential election, co-anchoring major political events such as two presidential debates, the vice presidential debate, presidential election coverage and Inauguration Day.

It was intense, Davis said. I had two huge, three-ring binders with 200 pages or more. [I spent time] just going through and talking about policy, talking about the economy, talking about climate change, whatever it might be so that I could really get a grasp and an understanding for the questions that I was going to be asking.

ABC News President James Goldston commended her skills as a journalist in a note to staff last week, saying that viewership of her streaming primetime newscast surged by over 200 percent in the last year.

Linsey has had an impressive rise at ABC News as a result of her unflinching interview prowess, her versatility and experience, Goldston said. Her presidential debate moderating performance was nothing short of commanding.

Outside of journalism, Davis is a best-selling author of three childrens books, including one coming out this month which she described as a love letter to our children. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and vividly remembers walking down the Lawn and Rugby Road and eating at Bodos Bagels as a University student.

It continues to be the best decision I ever made in life, Davis said. I loved U.Va. and really would attribute a lot of who I am to my four years there.

Davis will continue to anchor Live Prime Monday through Thursday in addition to being the new co-anchor of World News Tonight on Sundays.

Correction: A previous version of this article said that Davis anchors Live Prime Monday through Friday and that she moderated the presidential debates 14 years after arriving on Grounds. This article has been updated to reflect that she anchors Live Prime Monday through Thursday and that she moderated the debate 2.5 decades after coming to Grounds.

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Linsey Davis discusses journey from U.Va. to ABC World News Tonight - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

Cell Biology

Cytovia Therapeutics and Cellectis Partner to Develop TALEN Gene-Edited iPSC-Derived Natural Killer Cells – BioSpace

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing allogeneic off-the-shelf gene-edited Natural Killer (NK) and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-NK cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and Cellectis (Euronext Growth: ALCLS - Nasdaq: CLLS) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene-edited allogeneic CAR T-cells (UCART), announced today that they have entered into a strategic research and development collaboration to develop TALEN gene-edited iPSC NK and CAR-NK cells.

The financial terms of the partnership include up to $760 million of development, regulatory, and sales milestones from Cytovia to Cellectis for the first 5 TALEN gene-edited iPSC-derived NK products (partnership products). Cellectis will also receive single-digit royalty payments on the net sales of all partnered products commercialized by Cytovia. Cellectis will receive an equity stake of $15 million in Cytovia stock or an upfront cash payment of $15 million if certain conditions are not met by December 31, 2021, as well as an option to invest in future financing rounds.

We are excited to collaborate with Cellectis, a gene-editing pioneer and leader in the development of gene-edited allogeneic cancer therapies, to further accelerate Cytovias NK cell programs, said Dr. Daniel Teper, Chairman & CEO of Cytovia Therapeutics. Cellectis has a deep understanding and proven expertise in gene-edited cell therapies, and their gene editing technology, TALEN, will yield NK and CAR-NK treatments with improved potency, persistence, and safety for a variety of cancers, including solid tumors. We look forward to leveraging Cellectis insights and experience to help move Cytovias CAR-NKs into clinical trials by 2022.

Cellectis will develop custom TALEN, which Cytovia will use to edit iPSCs. Cytovia will be responsible for the differentiation and expansion of the gene-edited iPSC master cell bank into NK cells and will conduct the pre-clinical evaluation, clinical development, and commercialization of the mutually-agreed-upon selected therapeutic candidates. Cellectis is granting Cytovia a worldwide license to its TALEN gene-editing technology, enabling Cytovia to modify NK cells addressing multiple gene targets for therapeutic use in several cancer indications.

We are thrilled to partner with Cytovia, a pioneer in the development of NK cells derived from iPSCs, said Dr. Andr Choulika, CEO of Cellectis. We are looking forward to this collaboration and the opportunity to further expand the potency of our proprietary TALEN gene-editing technology to iPSCs and CAR-NKs. Down the road, this collaboration should allow for NK cell therapies to be made available to cancer patients, which is very much in line with Cellectis mission to provide life-saving product candidates to address unmet patient needs in this field.

About CellectisCellectis is developing the first of its kind allogeneic approach for CAR-T immunotherapies in oncology, pioneering the concept of off-the-shelf and ready-to-use gene-edited CAR T-cells to treat cancer patients. As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with over 20 years of expertise in gene editing, Cellectis is developing life-changing product candidates utilizing TALEN, its gene editing technology, and PulseAgile, its pioneering electroporation system to harness the power of the immune system in order to target and eradicate cancer cells.

As part of its commitment to a cure, Cellectis remains dedicated to its goal of providing lifesaving UCART product candidates to address unmet needs for multiple cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and multiple myeloma (MM).

Cellectis headquarters are in Paris, France, with additional locations in New York, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (ticker: CLLS) and on Euronext Growth (ticker: ALCLS). For more information, visit http://www.cellectis.com.

Follow Cellectis on social media: @cellectis, LinkedIn and YouTube.

TALEN is a registered trademark owned by Cellectis.

About Cytovia TherapeuticsCytovia Therapeutics Inc. is a biotechnology company that aims to accelerate patient access to transformational immunotherapies, addressing several of the most challenging unmet medical needs in cancer. Cytovia focuses on Natural Killer (NK) cell biology and is leveraging multiple advanced patented technologies, including an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platform for CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptors) NK cell therapy, next-generation precision gene-editing to enhance targeting of NK cells, and NK engager multi-functional antibodies. Our initial product portfolio focuses on both hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma and solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma and glioblastoma. The company is establishing R&D and GMP manufacturing operations in the greater Boston area and partners with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, INSERM, and CytoImmune Therapeutics.Learn more at http://www.cytoviatx.com and follow Cytovia Therapeutics on Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube).

About Gene-Edited, iPSC-derived NK CellsChimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) are fusion proteins that combine an extracellular antigen recognition domain with an intracellular co-stimulatory signaling domain. Natural Killer (NK) cells are modified genetically to allow insertion of a CAR. CAR-NK cell therapy has demonstrated initial clinical relevance without the limitations of CAR-T, such as Cytokine Release Syndrome, neurotoxicity or Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD). In addition, CAR-NKs are naturally allogeneic, available off-the-shelf and may be able to be administered on an outpatient basis. Recent innovative developments with the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CAR-NKs, an innovative technology, allow large quantities of true off-the-shelf, homogeneous genetically modified CAR NK cells to be produced from a gene-edited iPSC master cell bank, and thus hold promise to expand access to cell therapy for many patients.

For further information, please contact:

Cellectis Media contacts:Margaret Gandolfo, Communications Manager, 646-628-0300, margaret.gandolfo@cellectis.comConor McGoldrick, Zeno Group, Assistant Account Executive, 914-355-0927, Conor.Mcgoldrick@zenogroup.com

Cellectis IR contact:Simon Harnest, SVP, Corporate Strategy and Finance, 646-385-9008, simon.harnest@cellectis.com

Cytovia Investor Relations contact: Anna Baran-DjokovicVP of Investor Relations646-355-1787anna@cytoviatx.com

Cytovia Media contact: Chris MaggosLifeSci Advisors+41 79 367 6254chris@lifesciadvisors.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as at this time, believe, expected, forward looking, promising and will, or the negative of these and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements, are based on our managements current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. These forward-looking statements are made in light of information currently available to us and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental and regulatory measures implemented in response to the evolving situation. Furthermore, many other important factors, including those described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and the financial report (including the management report) for the year ended December 31, 2019 and subsequent filings Cellectis makes with the Securities Exchange Commission from time to time, as well as other known and unknown risks and uncertainties may adversely affect such forward-looking statements and cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

PDF available at: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/c6bbee7d-f56e-400c-a6a4-28586a9e4851

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Anatomy

Anatomy of a disinformation campaign | The manipulation game on Twitter – News24

In recent years, the UKs Oxford Internet Institute has tracked the manipulation of public opinion online.

Since 2018, South Africa has featured on a growing list of countries where social media is used to spread disinformation and computational propaganda. Twitter is a prominent platform for social media manipulation in South Africa, the institutefound.

In this three-part series, fact-checking organisationAfrica Checkand the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) take a closer look at disinformation on Twitter in South Africa.

Part one focuses on disinformation actors, their behaviour and content. In part two,the hashtag is examined and just how much damage it can cause?Part three gives advice on how to deal with disinformation on social media.

Anatomy of a disinformation campaign | The who, what and why of deliberate falsehoods on Twitter (Part 1)

The recently released 2020 edition of the Oxford Internet Institutes Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation identified77 countries where government or political party actors used disinformation on social media to manipulate public opinion. South Africa is among them, writes Liesl Pretorius.

Anatomy of a disinformation campaign | Any harm in a hashtag? Spotting disinformation in the wild (Part 2)

Unlike the spreaders of misinformation, who dont mean harm, disinformation actors knowingly cause damage to people, social groups, organisations and even countries. In the second of a three-part series examining falsehoods on Twitter,Jean le Rouxsorts misinformation from disinformation in three popular hashtags.

Anatomy of a disinformation campaign | How to avoid traps on Twitter (Part 3)

Bell Pottingeris dead, but disinformation that preys on divisions in South Africa remains. Some say social media users should ignore disinformation the deliberate spread of false information to cause harm because any engagement helps malicious actors spread their messages. But is doing nothing really the only option, particularly when disengagementis what some of these campaigns hope to achieve?Liesl Pretoriuslooked for answers.

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Neuroscience

Study uncovers the effect of media professionalization on cognitive neurodynamics – News-Medical.Net

Professionalization in any field requires long-term experience and training. In the past decades, studies have demonstrated that the professionalization of athletes and artists create differences in the behavior of the brain while carrying out activities related to their area of expertise.

To detect the effects of media professionalization in the brain, a research team from the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona, the Instituto Rdio Televisi Espanyola and the Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville conducted a study published in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience in which audiovisual contents were presented to a group of media professionals and a control group, with the aims of registering and analyzing their brain activity. The study covers what happens to professionals in audiovisuals when they view media works, using a triple approach: eyeblink rate, electrical activity of the brain and functional connectivity.

Researchers observed that audiovisual cuts have a greater impact on media professionals, generating a decrease in their eyeblink rate, while non-professionals are not affected in the same manner when viewing these cuts. They also detected that the experience of media professionals has a greater effect on the brain's mu rhythm in the somatosensory area immediately after a cut. Non-media professionals, however, demonstrate a highly diverse Granger causality in terms of connectivity when compared to their media professional counterparts, whose connectivity is much more concise in the visual cortex, somatomotor and frontal areas.

Videos and other audiovisual contents are filled with cuts that artificially segment narrative content. Films can contain dozens or hundreds of cuts and viewers are nevertheless not conscious of them. Previous studies conducted by the same team of researchers demonstrated that scene cuts have an impact on the management of viewer's attention. In this study, researchers aimed to discover how this impact differs among media professionals. The experience acquired through years of producing and working with media contents causes a long-term impact on how professionals process these contents. Given that society produces and consumes more and more of these types of contents, there is an interest in discovering the effects the visual perception of these contents have on brain activity.

Doctor Celia Andreu-Snchez, head researcher of this study and member of the Neuro-Com Group at the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona, considers that the results can be of interest for neuroscience, given that "knowing that spending many hours with media works as a professional not only affects visual perception, but also the brain rhythms such as the mu rhythm, is without a doubt of great interest to science. These results present neuroscience with a highly important work tool: audiovisuals. We know that working and consuming these contents professionally affect the brain's behavior, therefore, it seems plausible that the design of consumption strategies for videos may be relevant in several areas of neuroscience research".

Doctor Miguel ngel Martn-Pascual, from the Instituto Radio Televisin Espaola and the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona, also author of this research published in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, believes that these results are of utmost importance in the professional audiovisual production field.

Knowing the impact audiovisual professionalization has on its professionals is of vital importance for the development of long-term strategies related to the occupational health of this group".

Miguel ngel Martn-Pascual, Instituto Radio Televisin Espaola and Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona

Jos Mara Delgado, researcher at the Neuroscience Division of the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, highlights that "this study and other similar ones conducted by our two groups points out the enormous amount of unconscious processing taking place in the brain (particularly in the non-media professional group) during the viewing of videos and films, especially when the material is edited to contain very short scenes. However, in some way this unconscious processing can have an effect, for example, on our emotional state: although we do not fully perceive all the shots in the video as displaying aggressive interactions, we are able to detect them from an emotional point of view".

This study was developed by the Neuro-Com Research Group of the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona, the Instituto Radio Televisin Espaola and the Neuroscience Division of the Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville. It was conducted under the framework of public grants from the Spanish Ministry for Economics and Competitiveness and from the Regional Government of Andalusia.

Source:

Journal reference:

Andreu-Snchez, C., et al. (2021) The Effect of Media Professionalization on Cognitive Neurodynamics During Audiovisual Cuts. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2021.598383.

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