Category: U.S

distributions: premium

Categories
Health & Medicine Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Science Technology U.S

Underrepresentation & Overconsumption: Analysing the Diversity Gaps in Clinical Trials

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) have long been considered the bedrock for evidence-based treatment (EBT). Thus they should be designed to be pragmatic and accumulate data representing the larger population for the disease profile. However, the research output is jeopardised severely by the limited enrollment of social, racial, and ethnic minority groups.

The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has reported that only 5% of patients partaking in clinical trials are Black, less than 2% are Asian, and as for Latinos, the percentage is as low as 1%.

This disparity is threatening, as it causes trials to show variance in effectiveness. 

Releasing a draft guidance, the FDA has placed emphasis on enhancing diversity in industry-sponsored clinical trials (iCTs), reported Clinical Leader. 

The agency urges investors and sponsors to devise and present a Race and Ethnicity Diversity Plan early in the trial process as per the framework delineated in the guideline.

Why Does Diversity in Clinical Trials Matter

Even though racial and ethnic populations in the United States have a disproportionate burden for specific ailments, they are most often underrepresented in biomedical studies, said the FDA.

With “underrepresented racial and ethnic populations,” the FDA indicates ethnic groups like “Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders, and other persons of colour.”

Considering the response and exposure of over 20% of drugs vary with racial differences, the FDA marks race and ethnic minority inclusion in iCT as a pressing need.

According to a study, white Americans are predicted to become a minority by 2045. The white demographic decline in the USA makes clinical trial diversification critical to confirm that newly developed drugs are safe and effective for whoever may use them across the country. 

“The U.S. population has become increasingly diverse, and ensuring meaningful representation of racial and ethnic minorities in clinical trials for regulated medical products is fundamental to public health,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “Going forward, achieving greater diversity will be a key focus throughout the FDA to facilitate the development of better treatments and better ways to fight diseases that often disproportionately impact diverse communities.”

Barriers to Improving Patient Participation Diversity in Clinical Trials

According to the FDA, the scepticism of the trial process stemming from several historical events deter ethnic minorities from participating in iCTs.

Other factors include limited access to healthcare for ethnic minorities, socioeconomic conditions, insufficient patient recruitment and retention efforts, time and monetary restraints, etc.

The result: gaps in clinical trial diversity that affects the trial success rate.

How to Fill the Diversity Gaps

What can help bridge the diversity gaps in iCT and accelerate effective products to market?

Decentralised Clinical Trial (DCT) Platforms 

The COVID-19 outbreak has made sponsors realise the significance of DCTs in filling the diversity gaps in healthcare research and accelerating the long-overdue changes in trial design.

Let’s see how:

  • DCTs and hybrid study models allow trial teams to expand their participant pools. 
  • DCT platforms such as ObvioHealth that include ePRO and eConsent enable patients to contribute to clinical trials from the comfort of their homes.
  • By helping overcome barriers to participant recruitment, DCTs and hybrid models have encouraged a much higher enrollment rate.

The result: augmented trial outcomes that represent real-world patient populations.

Ethnically Diverse Workforce

According to research, the lack of workforce diversity in the USA has been highlighted as a leading factor impeding the inclusion of diverse populations and causing disparities in oncology trial results.

The good news? Studies found that 74% of Black and 81% of Latinx people are willing to volunteer for clinical trials if their physicians advise. With that said, engaging the workforce in clinical trials from underrepresented groups can help build trust with at-risk participants. 

On top of that, the NHS recognised workforce diversity as the key factor to bring clinical trials closer to underserved folks. 

Patient Expense Reimbursement

The FDA recognised patient expense reimbursement as an effective way to enhance clinical trial diversity. However, the lack of a consistent approach among CROs and regulators makes the process slow and ineffective. 

Wrapping Up

The FDA sheds light on the significance of global efforts in increasing patient diversity. DCT can be a step change in helping sponsors improve the enrollment of participants from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations in clinical trials. 

Categories
Education Lifestyle Professional Services U.S Website & Blog

Tristan M. Stahl, founder of ValorMen release a new video gallery that reveals the most common unasked questions Christians have about God and their faith.

Orlando Florida – February 15, 2023 – A new video gallery from ValorMen, led by Tristan M. Stahl, reveals the most common unasked questions Christians have about God and their faith. The gallery answers questions like “What is the fire of God really?” “What is the vengeance and wrath of God in the light of God’s love for us?” “What about the bad things in the world?” “Does God test us?” 

Tristan answers these questions from the perspective of Christ and the love God showed all people in His death and resurrection. Many Christians and even those who don’t believe in Jesus are experiencing peace of heart and mind about God. 

Tristan says that in all religions we are taught that God is a being that is above us and requires our sacrifice and/or faith to be accepted by Him. Tristan says that Jesus Christ reveals the exact opposite of the true nature of God. He says it reveals that God is close to us and that we are made in the very image and likeness of God. Tristan says that our design is in God, and therefore our design is love. Tristan believes that Christ proved we do not need to try and be love or be obedient to commandments out of our efforts, but that our obedience resides in resting in our God-given nature revealed in Christ. 

For anyone interested in learning more about Tristan’s messages and if you have a question yourself about God, check out the video gallery here: ValorMen Video Gallery

blank

Categories
Financial Market Lifestyle Real Estate U.K U.S

Dubai Remains One of the Most ‘Affordable’ Luxury Home Destinations in the World

blank

According to the Financial Express, Dubai continues to remain one of the world’s most ‘affordable’ luxury residential markets, with most prime residences transacting for an average $870/sq. ft. USD.

The ‘affordable’ price per square foot in most prime residential neighbourhoods—combined with Dubai’s safety, excellent climate, and unrivalled sun-sea-sand lifestyle—is helping the city cement its iconic status in the luxury property market, thus fuelling the demand.

How Dubai Is Considered an ‘Affordable’ Luxury Home Destination

According to the Dubai Residential Market Review Winter 2022-23, a report published by Knight Frank, the majority of submarkets in Dubai exhibit a house-price-to-income ratio of less than six times yearly income. 

Whereas, as a rule of thumb, a house is considered affordable when its price is around six times the gross income of a household.

The quarterly report, which analyses Dubai’s real estate market and sheds light on key trends and forecasts, also published average house prices vs. average annual income by neighbourhood to help readers understand how accessible the mainstream residential market is.

Based on this report and other factors, the Financial Express has determined that the majority of Dubai real estate is relatively affordable.

The only outliers are three exclusive areas—Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, and Jumeirah Bay Island—with house prices costing more than 20 times the average yearly income.

What’s Driving Demand for Dubai’s Luxury Homes?

Dubai’s luxury home sale boom continues as millionaires flock to the Emirates in search of second addresses in the city’s most exclusive enclaves. 

“The meteoric rise of Dubai’s multi-million-dollar homes market over the course of the last two years has been phenomenal. The performance at the top of the market clearly demonstrates the arrival of Dubai as a luxury hub to rival long-established markets elsewhere, with no sign to suggest a slowdown in the seemingly relentless demand from global ultra-high-net-worth-individuals zeroing in on the emirate in search of second homes,” explained Faisal Durrani, Partner, the Head of Middle East Research at Knight Frank.

A study by Henley & Partners predicted that 2023 would see a massive influx of elites and millionaires settling down in the Emirates, with more and more countries now easing travel and quarantine restrictions. 

Case in point: The number of millionaires migrating to the UAE in 2022 was over 4000, which was more than the number of millionaires settling down in the UK, the USA, Australia, Switzerland, etc.

The result: 219 sales of homes worth over $10 million were recorded in 2022, compared to 93 in 2021—a jump of a staggering 135%.

High-net-worth individuals and the richest international buyers are vying for luxury properties in the three neighbourhoods of Dubai, despite the soaring prices. 

However, the demand for properties has slumped in other cities.

Despite a surge of 49.4% in property price in 2022, Palm Jumeirah remains Dubai’s star performer, making record-high sales of villas and luxury apartments.

Palm’s world-class amenities, private beach access, glittering waterfront views, and tranquil settings has made it top the ultra-high-net-worth customers’ list.

Luxury Interior Design in Dubai

With contemporary designs dominating the Dubai luxury market now, high-end interior design studios are introducing new design styles and ideas to transform exclusive spaces into exquisite residences.

Bringing out the best of both worlds—interior design and architecture—a class-leading interior design studio like Accouter aims to embody the true spirit of design excellence.

Wrapping up

Despite all the challenges posed by global inflation and the shortage of new supply compared to demand, Dubai’s luxury residential market remains affordable and buoyant, showing no signs of slowing down.

Categories
Energy & Environment Government & Politics Technology U.S

US Energy Department to Invest as Much as $74M in Enhanced Geothermal Systems

blank

As part of its efforts to ensure carbon emission-free electricity generation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently declared it would provide up to $74 million for up to seven EGS-based pilot projects.

The aim is to ramp up the development of the geothermal industry by continuously testing the scalability and efficacy of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). 

DOE hopes these pilot projects will help trap the Earth’s nearly inexhaustible heat resources in different geologic settings.

A lion’s share of this $74 million investment will come from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that helps facilitate the use of breakthrough technologies and advanced techniques.

DOE’s Fourth Energy Earthshot

In a move to slash the cost of geothermal power by 90% to $45 per MWh by 2035, DOE launched the new Enhanced Geothermal Shot™. 

The Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ is part of DOE’s Energy EarthShots Initiative, which was launched in September 2022.

This $74M is the first funding opportunity announced as part of DOE’s effort to produce clean, safer energy since the launching of the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ last year.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

The EGS—human-made geothermal reservoirs—are built to inject high-flow water/fluid into naturally hot (~150°C) and impermeable deep rocks through an injection borehole and extract heat by forming or re-opening a subsurface fracture network. 

The high-temperature dry rock (HDR) area acts as a heat exchanger in an EGS reservoir. 

In an EGS system, the reservoir’s natural permeability is boosted by stimulating fracture formation and ensuring a constant water flow. 

The result: increased size and connectivity of water pathways that allow water to circulate through the fractures of the deep rocks

This constant flow of fluid, when in contact with the subsurface rock areas, gets heated up, backs to the surface through the production barehole, and finally is extracted for electricity generation.

The concept behind the EGS system is to enhance the economics of geothermal resources without adequate water and/or permeability.

EGS aims to tap a continuum of geothermal resources—ranging from dry rocks to traditional hydrothermal resources.

After deployment, EGS functions just as naturally occurring hydrothermal systems.

When it comes to ensuring the safe deployment of EGS reservoirs while also maximising its operational efficiency, leveraging a high-end geothermal monitoring tool is a sensible decision. 

A solution like the one offered by Silixa can effectively facilitate the long-term monitoring of geothermal reservoirs and help operators comply with regulations.

EGS’s Potential to Increase Electricity Production

Geothermal power plants currently generate 3.7 GW of electricity in the US, accounting for around 0.4% of the net.

However, with EGS deployed, geothermal energy which is inaccessible using conventional technologies, can be tapped to generate as much as 90 GW of electricity by 2050.

“Advances in enhanced geothermal systems will help introduce geothermal energy in regions where, until recently, the use of this renewable power source was thought to be impossible,” said United States Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, in a statement last Wednesday. “These pilot demonstrations will help us realise the enormous potential of the heat beneath our feet to deliver clean, renewable energy to millions of Americans.”

Marking geothermal as an enormous source of renewable energy, the secretary of energy anticipates that around 45% of U.S. houses can be powered by the Earth’s heat at some point.

Wrapping Up

DOE hopes these BIL-funded EGS pilot demonstration projects would act as a step-change in meeting the booming demand for electricity while also helping hit President Biden’s goals of attaining deep decarbonisation in electricity generation by 2035.

Categories
Business Computers & Software Employment Technology U.S

High-Value Excel Skills Employers Frequently Look For

blank

Possessing work-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel is critical, with more than 82% of middle-skill jobs now being “digitally intensive.”

If you are presently flowing into the job marketplace, you will find most employers seek candidates with expertise in Microsoft Excel, and you should have the chops to stand out from the pack.

That said, honing your Excel skills is a no-brainer if you want to land a freakin’ job—faster. 

A recent article published in Fitwirr discusses the top Excel skills that can help you stay ahead of the competition, taking your career to new heights.

Basic Excel Skills

Getting the hang of high-level Excel skills is always a plus. 

But please understand that Excel is a data manipulative solution with a swarm of functionalities that you may require a lifetime (a long time, if not a lifetime) to master. However, grasping the basics can help you get a head start.

1. Cell Formatting

Excel deals with data, graphs, charts, and numbers. Because Excel applies the same formatting for all cells by default, it gets difficult to decipher the information conveyed by the displayed data. 

Don’t let massive troves of data inundate you. Master cell formatting skills and cut out repetitive tasks to better demonstrate your knack to your employer. 

Auto adjustment of cell size, conditional formatting, adding multiple rows and columns at a time, etc., are a few of the cell formatting capabilities in Excel that can help.

2. Basic Excel Functions

Getting the hang of basic Excel functions is the key to simplifying complex calculations, especially when you are sorting and analyzing a massive volume of data. 

For an entry-level job, ensure you have a great command of the basic Excel functions like IF, COUNTIF, SUM, SUMIFS, TRIM, etc.

3. Excel Shortcuts

To know how to use Excel keyboard shortcuts efficiently is a must-have skill if you don’t want to spend hours preparing a single report. Get your work done faster and amaze your employer with these super-handy shortcuts. 

Mid-Level to Advanced Excel Skills 

If you are applying for a position that may require you to deal with massive troves of complex datasets, make sure you know the inside out of advanced Excel functionalities. 

4. Data Validation

Data validation is an indispensable aspect of any data handling task—whether you’re accumulating information, interpreting data to facilitate decision-making, or presenting data to stakeholders. Unless you enter accurate and specific types of data into cells, your results will be erroneous. 

Thankfully, Excel can confine data entry to specific cells by applying data validation upon input. With data validation, Excel prompts you to enter only valid data when a cell is selected and shows an “error” when invalid data is entered. 

5. Charts and Graphs

One of the best ways to make datasets easily discernible is to turn them into interactive visuals. On top of that, getting the hang of Excel charts is a must if you are hired for a position that requires you to present data to stakeholders using PowerPoint presentations. 

Excel’s built-in charts and graphs are great at helping you recapitulate a large dataset in visual form; efficiently compare multiple data sets; better explain trends; estimate key values at a glance, and more. But the built-in charts in Excel come with limited functionalities that make it really difficult to build professional-looking presentations. 

On top of that, some charts are not natively available in Excel. For example, the Marimekko chart, frequently used by professionals to efficiently visualize categorical data over a pair of variables, is not supported even in the latest version of Excel. It means that you’d have to take the manual approach, which requires too many clicks and includes fewer formatting capabilities. 

If you need to make professional-looking PowerPoint presentations with stunning charts while significantly saving your working hours, using an add-in is a sensible decision. A high-end PowerPoint add-in like think-cell, for example, can seamlessly integrate your Excel charts into PowerPoint slides and help you add the “wow” factor to your presentations.

6. Data Protection

Because Excel files usually contain mission-critical business information, knowing how to keep them out of the reach of cybercriminals is critical. 

With that said, unprotected Excel files can be exploited by hackers looking to exfiltrate and expose sensitive data. With Excel, now, you have the power to limit access to your workbook. You can lock your Excel file with a password, grant reading-only access or even protect your workbook without a password so you don’t inadvertently delete any formulas.

Wrapping up

With the world quickly moving to data-driven business and processes, the demand for Excel experts is on the rise. Master the featured Excel skills above to impress your potential employer. 

Categories
Business Finance Financial Market Technology U.S

NYSE Disaster Recovery Blunder Triggered Major Trading Glitch

blank

The NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) is beleaguered by criticism after an unexpected outage and IT error caused drastic price fluctuations in blue-chip stocks and billions worth of trades to be called off.

The NYSE blamed the ‘technical’ glitch on a manual error with its disaster recovery (DR) system, according to The Register. 

Let’s Flesh out the Reasons Behind the “Mayhem”

The exchange’s secondary Chicago data centre is supposed to protect US stock markets in the event of an outage or when a natural disaster strikes the venue.

As part of regular maintenance activities, the DR system should be tested daily and shut down manually after the closing bell.

However, on Monday, January 23rd, after the market was closed, an NYSE staffer failed to turn off the disaster recovery system correctly.

The result: the backup system, which is meant to be turned on in the event of a disaster incident only, was left operating overnight. 

It means that the exchange’s trading acted as if Tuesday’s trades were being carried on with the prices of Monday’s trade. 

The consequence: at 9:30 am on Tuesday, as trading started, the NYSE software malfunctioned, and skipped the day’s opening auctions which set prices incorrectly and unfortunately, led to a debacle.

The NYSE, in a statement, said, “The root cause was determined to be a manual error involving the exchange’s disaster recovery configuration at system start of day.“

What Was the Consequence?

The technical error triggered a string of events with catastrophic repercussions.

What NYSE addressed as a “system error” caused shares in over 250 firms to go haywire, with some firms encountering fluctuations in their stock prices by around 25%. 

As reported, a total of 84 stocks saw their valuations drastically plunge or surge until they had reached the limits set to thwart securities from trading at extreme prices.

According to a statement released on Wednesday morning, due to the system disruption, 81 stocks had short-sale restrictions (SSR) implemented “erroneously,” with Snap and Morgan Stanley being badly affected. 

While Morgan’s share price dropped by 13%, Walmart saw an increase of 12% in its share price due to the error.

Soon after NYSE halted the most egregious transactions, it stated: “Approximately 4,341 trades in 251 symbols should be busted (canceled).”

NYSE Fielding Claims

NYSE officials spent hours hunting down the reason behind the turmoil until it was confirmed that no such trading chaos would occur again.

“The issues around our market open on Tuesday are our collective responsibility, and we have moved swiftly and decisively to resolve them as a team,” explained a spokesperson from NYSE to Bloomberg. “A core value of ICE (Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE’s parent company) and the NYSE is our commitment to collaboration.”

NYSE is evaluating the financial losses stemming from this “wreck” and is fielding claims from the affected businesses as per exchange regulations.

Automated DR Systems Can Decrease System Failure Risks

Analysts unanimously agreed that automation could help avoid such system errors entirely.

“Automation eliminates human error,” according to Dennis Hahn, an analyst at Omdia. “If this [DR system] required to be manually shutdown, this is ridiculous and asking for trouble.”

In short, when it comes to disaster planning for data centres, one of the key elements is deploying an automated DR framework. 

Future-focused DR solutions like Protera enable customisable and automated backup scheduling. Plus, it frees users from manually configuring each device while also allowing them to back up their business-critical data in multiple locations. 

The result: significantly minimised human intervention, ensuring business continuity.

With customisable RPO and RTO objectives, users can set their systems for backup—every day, every hour, or even every few minutes—based on their backup policies.

Wrapping Up

Unfortunately, the NYSE backup blunder is not the only high-profile operation disruption occurring in January due to manual errors. The recent massive system crash in NYSE raises concern among US retail investors. The occurrence indicates that NYSE should “come up with something better” and implement automation and best practices for disaster recovery management. 

Categories
Business Finance Financial Market Technology U.S

Fujitsu to Divest Entire $1.1B Air Conditioning Unit Stake; Bloomberg

blank

Fujitsu Ltd., a leading Japanese global information and communication technology company, is reportedly divesting its stake in Fujitsu General Ltd.—the unit that manufactures cooling systems.

The declaration came during its quarterly financial announcement in October 2022. The company revealed that it was planning the sale of its stake in non-core affiliates—Fujitsu General, Shinko Electric Industries Co., and FDK.

Fujitsu owned around 50% and 59% stake in Shinko Electric and FDK respectively—as of the end of September 2022.

Not a Partial Divestment

Fujitsu shared plans to sell its entire 42% stake in Fujitsu General Ltd. as the Japanese IT coalition looks to speed up a business overhaul.

Fujitsu General Ltd. shares are worth an estimated ¥140B ($1.1B).

“We have set certain criteria for the sale and aim to sell 100% of the 42% stake,” stated the CEO Takahito Tokita in a recent interview. “We won’t do it halfway.”

Fujitsu Receives Substantial Bids

In line with its divestiture strategy, the company kicked off the auction process after it had found several long-sought customers, such as Bosch. The initial bids for the procurement were submitted by January 20, as decided. 

Fujitsu General received around ten bids from high-profile strategic investors and private equity firms. However, the company has not yet narrowed down the list of bidders, said ION Analytics. 

Why Is Fujitsu Divesting its Air Conditioning Unit Stack?

The CEO marked the divestiture as a part of the company’s effort to ensure more streamlined operations, reported Bloomberg, a leading financial news website. 

Even though the CEO refused to comment on the negotiations, he said the company was “happy to have interested parties.”

Fujitsu is the sixth-largest technology services provider in the world (based on yearly revenue). In its heyday, this Japanese giant manufactured almost everything—from smartphones and laptops to integrated chips. 

In order to focus more on IT and communication systems, the IT firm is now divesting non-core affiliates and has already sold off much of its consumer product lineup.

For the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2023, the company predicts its operating profit to reach a staggering ~$3.11B (¥400B)—a jump of 83%. 

However, analysts unanimously agreed that the profit will be ~$280B (¥359B). Fujitsu General expects its net sales to rise 37.3% to a total of ~$297.2B (¥390B). It predicts an operating profit of ¥18B for the fiscal year through March this year—an upturn of 113.2% year-on-year. 

In the report, the CEO underscored the COVID-19 outbreak and geopolitical pressures regarding Taiwan as the biggest factors making Fujitsu extremely vulnerable.

According to the report, policymakers worldwide are vying to hold sway over the semiconductor technology used for military purposes. 

According to RF Globalnet, the USA is pressuring Japan to help clip China’s chip industry. In this circumstance, when Fujitsu is hugely dependent on Taiwan’s semiconductors, Tokito said the divestment would help the company prepare for any emergency.

Navigating Carve-out Challenges to Success

Divestiture is a cross-functional process that takes place on a legal, financial, organisational, and technical level. Even though equity carve-out is a standard strategy of business management among consolidated and dynamic enterprises, the permanent split-off of the IT poses challenges to participants. 

Leveraging a high-end IT carve-out consulting service, such as US-based Fission Consulting, can streamline the transaction process and significantly shorten the separation timeline with minimal business disruption.

Wrapping Up

Being at the forefront of hyperconnected business transformation, Fujitsu combines the power of IoT with AI, and network solutions. The aim is to help future-focused companies cope with technological shifts. Regardless of the reasons behind the divestiture, Fujitsu hopes the divestment would help the company optimise business operations while also maintaining the supply chain.

Categories
Media & Communications Technology Telecom U.K U.S

How Will Artificial Intelligence Change the Way Businesses Optimise Their Websites?

blank

A short while ago, there was a news story about how Google was panicking about ChatGPT, OpenAI’s “chatty” chatbot. 

ChatGPT is an AI-powered tool which has access to information on the internet—all the way up till 2021.

Ask a question, get the answer.

Of course, the answer might not be completely accurate or original. It does rely on potentially old information and only what’s available online, after all.

However, what worried Google is the fact that it gives an answer and not a list of pages. A complete, coherent answer. 

The Google “Code Red”

Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, declared a “code red” over the threat. And, the company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who had not been involved in the running of the company, were now attending meetings with executives.

The goal was to push out the company’s own AI capabilities to combat the threat of the chatbot.

So, on the 7th of February 2023, Google launched Bard, an AI-powered chatbot that would compete against ChatGPT.

What’s more, Bard has a slight edge over ChatGPT. It can draw information from the internet whilst ChatGPT currently only has the information it was “fed”.

End of story, right?

Nope.

The launch of Bard (and the ever-growing popularity of ChatGPT) leads to the question: Will AI kill SEO?

AI Chatbots and Digital Marketing

Digital marketing, currently, has been focused on search engine optimisation (SEO). This term encompasses all the activities a company undertakes to make its website and web pages rank high on search engines.

Whether by oneself (with the right technical knowledge) or with the help of companies like Geeky Tech, businesses try to make their online presence attractive to both Google and users.

Businesses need to appeal to search engines because they determine if—and where—their web page shows up when users search for a relevant query. 

However, chatbots that look up questions and distil an answer from various sources might change the way people search online.

The New Way of Searching 

Instead of typing out their search queries and then looking for the answer in the hundreds and thousands of pages that show up, users would be able to use chatbots to give them the answer right off the bat, in natural language.

Suddenly, Google SERPs—Search Engine Result Pages—would no longer be relevant. 

Why go through thousands of results when someone can use AI to get a complete answer, which takes a fraction of the time? 

Google’s competitor, Bing, is already in the process of integrating ChatGPT into its search page, complete with the chat feature. So, a person can have a conversation with the bot, complete with follow-up questions. 

With these AI-powered entities answering user queries like a person would, traditional SERPs might be on their way to becoming obsolete.

So, with no more SEO, what will digital marketers do?

No, they won’t lose their jobs. They’ll simply have to move from SEO to AEO.

What Is AEO?

AEO, or Answer Engine Optimisation, is actually a part of SEO which focuses on providing answers to search queries instead of just making the page optimised for search robots.

It’s not a new concept, either. 

AEO became a part of SEO jargon when mobile voice search started gaining traction. People would verbally ask the search engine on their phones a question. And, instead of giving a written answer, which one would need to read, the helpful Google lady would read out the answer.

Since voice search was growing rapidly, and was expected to be the primary way people would search in the near future, AEO became a hot topic.

At the same time, there was also position 0 on the SERPs—the much-coveted featured snippet. Ask a question and find the answer on the search page directly, right at the top.

Trying to “win” that spot required AEO.

Again, it is still a component of SEO, but AEO has a different focus. Instead of appealing to search robots, it aims to answer questions real people are asking. 

SEO is all about taking a keyword and optimising a page for it. AEO looks at the whats and whys of the question—the search intent. Then, it tries to answer with that intent in mind, succinctly and knowledgeably.

People-Friendly Content for AEO

So, how does this come back to chatbots and search engines?

If people start using search differently, then, in order to keep up, marketers would need to make sure they are answering people’s questions. It will no longer be enough to satisfy crawlers—they would need to be people-friendly as well.

In conclusion, AI-powered chatbots will change the landscape of search and search engine optimisation. 

Categories
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Technology U.S

Cell Therapy Bioprocessing Market Projected to Reach $30M by 2028

blank

The healthcare industry is heavily investing in developing safe and effective treatments using cell therapy technologies as an alternative to traditional treatments.

The result: The cell therapy bioprocessing market is ballooning at breakneck speed. 

The global cell therapy bioprocessing market size is predicted to hit a revenue of a staggering $30,052.61M by 2028—up from $ 11,192.50M in 2020. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.14% during the forecast period between 2020 and 2028, according to a report by Insight Partners published in medgadget. 

Cell therapy bioprocessing

Cell therapy bioprocessing is a subfield of bioprocess technology that blurs the lines between bioprocessing (biopharmaceutical manufacturing) and cell therapy. 

The goal is to develop robust and reproducible manufacturing processes for producing therapeutic cells by substituting, rebuilding, repairing, or regenerating damaged cells, tissues, and organs. 

Cell therapy bioprocessing holds great promise to revolutionize healthcare and treat chronic conditions—such as cancers, age-related blindness, macular degeneration, stroke, and more.

Driving Forces Behind the Cell Therapy Bioprocessing Market Growth

The growing need to efficiently treat chronic ailments has pushed research activities in cell and gene therapy bioprocessing which, in turn, is likely to propel the market’s growth over the coming years.

The increasing number of clinical trials conducted or underway is another leading factor contributing to the rapid growth of the cell therapy bioprocessing market.

Case in point: as of 2022, 1221 active clinical trials were conducted on cell and gene therapies, among which 342 were in phase 1/1b.

The report marks the advancement in genome editing as another driving force behind the cell therapy market growth. 

By allowing scientists to add, remove, or alter DNA in the genome at specific points, genome editing can provide effective treatment solutions for chronic ailments. 

Medical scientists hope that genome editing will act as a step-change in treating monogenic hereditary diseases—such as hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and Huntington’s disease. 

Interventions into the immune system can also help cure acquired diseases—e.g., AIDS or cancer. The potential of genome editing technologies, such as TALENs and Zinc-finger nuclease, has opened avenues in the modern therapeutic sector having the potential to accelerate market growth. 

Furthermore, the gradual invention of innovative technologies to support the development of avant-garde therapies has further aided market expansion. For example, CRISPR-Cas9 is one of the widely adopted genome editing technologies that yield higher accuracy. Being the cheapest yet highly efficient system to alter genetic traits in a cell, CRISPR-Cas9 has significantly fueled research activities. 

The Cell Therapy Bioprocessing Market Segmentation

According to the report, by technology, the market is segmented into a) lyophilization, b) bioreactor, c) electro-spinning, d) ultrasonic lysis, e) control-flow centrifugation, f) viral vector technology, g) cell immortalization technology, and h) genome editing technology. The bioreactor segment reigned in the cell therapy bioprocessing market, accounting for the largest revenue share in 2020. On the other hand, the genome editing technology segment is forecast to grow at the highest CAGR of 14.5% through the projection period.

By cell type, the market is segmented into a) immune cell, b) stem cell, c) hematopoietic stem cells, d) pluripotent stem cell, and e) human embryonic stem cell. The stem cell was the highest market-share segment in 2020 and is projected to record the highest CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period.

In addition, by indication, the market is segmented into a) oncology, b) orthopedics, c) cardiovascular disease (CVD), c) wound healing, and more. Among the segments, oncology held the largest market share in 2020 and is foreseen to record the highest CAGR of 14.3% through the projection period.

The report highlights some of the key players in the market, such as Fresenius Kabi AG, Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Sartorius AG. Being at the forefront of adopting growth strategies, these companies strive to capitalize on the vast untapped potential of the cell therapy bioprocessing market.

How COVID-19 Impacted the Cell Therapy Bioprocessing Market Growth

The market growth of cell therapy bioprocessing was affected to a certain extent, with more focus put on curbing the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research activities halted for a certain period as research institutions had to slow down their trial enrollment process. 

In addition, the global pandemic harmed the production and supply chain efforts in the biopharma industries. 

However, the market now continues to advance, with many leading businesses planning to make their therapies more accessible. 

Navigate Challenges to Success

Researchers are trying to reap the full therapeutic and commercial benefits of cell therapy bioprocessing technologies. For that, emphasis must be placed on overcoming the challenges regarding today’s existing capabilities to generate clinical-grade cells at commercially relevant scales.

However, the development process for bringing cell therapies to patients is highly intricate. The process involves multiple bio-production and bioprocessing steps that need to be executed optimally to confirm the required safety and effectiveness of the final product.

With that said, for cell therapy products to hit the expected success, taking a process-driven approach to bioprocessing operations is critical.

The solution: leveraging a high-end bioprocessing solution with predefined workflow templates for each step in the pipeline

Such a class-leading system like Sapio Sciences’s Bioprocessing solution includes extensive sample, material, and instrument management, charting capabilities, and native data analysis. The result: streamlined operations and seamless collaboration across teams that accelerate product to market. 

Wrapping Up

After decades of relentless efforts, gene and cell therapy bioprocessing is set to flourish incredibly in the coming future. A flurry of recent successes has led to the approval of multiple life-improving therapeutics—and many more are under development. 

Categories
Business Marketing & Sales Media & Communications Professional Services U.S

Marianne Schwab, Former National Talk Show Producer, Reveals Five Mistakes Businesses Make When Hiring a P.R. Agency or Publicist

blank

Hiring a public relations agency (P.R. agency) or publicist can be a great way for businesses to improve their image and reputation, as well as increase their visibility. However, it’s important for businesses to avoid making mistakes when choosing a PR agency or publicist, since these mistakes can lead to wasted time and money, and even damage to the business’s reputation.

As a former national network TV talk show producer, Marianne Schwab has worked with P.R. Agencies for over twenty-five years and shares some insight on what to do look for to make a good match with an agency and the business they’ll be representing. She says, “When I produced daily talk shows, I got a lot of pitches from P.R. agencies and some were great, but many publicists were kind of clueless and didn’t understand how to effectively pitch television talk shows to get results for their clients. Overall, publicists are generalists in P.R. and have to pitch print publications like magazines and newspapers or online publications so pitching broadcast outlets like podcasts, radio, and television talks shows and news programs requires an entirely different skill set and contact database that many publicists don’t have.”

Schwab says when businesses or entrepreneurs hire a PR agency or publicist they need to avoid making these mistakes because they won’t just cost money, but they’ll end up with little to no media results which is the goal when investing in a public relations campaign.

Mistake #1 – Not doing their homework. It’s important for businesses to thoroughly research and compare different PR agencies or publicists before making a hiring decision. This includes looking at the agency’s or publicist’s track record, understanding their approach to P.R., and getting references from other clients that include the media results. Schwab says, “It’s also important to look at the types of clients they have worked with and are currently representing for two reasons. First, they need to be the right fit for your industry or aligned with your brand, and second, confirm that they do not currently represent any competitors which would be a conflict of interest. This can sometimes be tricky if you’re thinking about working with a brand that specializes in beauty and skin care. On one hand, they have developed media contacts for that industry that can help you, but on the other hand, they may represent competing products or brands and that can be an issue.”

Mistake #2 – Failing to set clear and realistic goals or objectives. Before hiring a PR agency or publicist, it’s crucial for businesses to have a clear idea of what they hope to achieve through public relations. Goals might include increasing brand awareness, improving media coverage, or managing a crisis, but should also be measurable like securing a specific number of placements in print and broadcast with a specific number of impressions for the audience as well. “PR campaigns do take time to get traction and produce results so you need to be realistic about the time not only needed to achieve these goals,” Schwab says, “but also do not expect national coverage when local media may be far more effective and realistic.”

Mistake #3 – Not communicating effectively. Communication is key to the success of any PR campaign. It’s important for businesses to provide their PR agency or publicist with all relevant information they need to represent the client, including details about the business and its products or services, as well as any challenges or issues that need to be addressed. In turn, the PR agency or publicist should keep the business informed about the progress of the campaign and any opportunities or challenges that arise.

Mistake #4 – Not being open to expert consultation or feedback. A good PR agency or publicist will provide honest and constructive feedback to help the business improve its PR efforts. It’s important for businesses to be open to this feedback and be willing to make changes based on it. Marianne Schwab advises, “Remember that you have hired an expert and your results will depend on how much you respect their advice and heed it. I always love when a client is open to ideas that may push the envelope just a bit since those are the pitches that get the best results.”

Mistake #5 – Overpaying for services: There are also other considerations especially when it comes to the fee for public relations services. “I’ve seen some small businesses and entrepreneurs get talked into buying ‘too much P.R.’ for the size of their business. Retainers for small agencies start around $3,000 per month and the major P.R. agencies charge up to $25,000 and more. Small companies don’t need a big agency and it breaks my heart when I see them invest a boatload of money and get little to no results in media placements especially when I know I can guarantee meaningful media placements for clients,” Schwab comments.

By avoiding these mistakes, businesses can improve their chances of success when working with a PR agency or publicist. A well-planned and executed PR campaign can be a valuable investment for any business, helping to build its reputation and reach new audiences.

Marianne Schwab has worked as a producer for over 25 years in New York and Los Angeles. She is currently the Executive Producer of CMP Media Cafe where she works with clients to develop compelling media hooks and story angles that get them TV and radio interviews in today’s complicated media environment. She shares tips on Instagram and has created an online training that shares her insider secrets to promoting a business on TV talk shows and details the types of guests producers love to book as guests.