Day: May 28, 2021

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Taconic Biosciences Lança Solução de Importação TruIMPORT™

Modelos de roedores originários da China podem ser importados para praticamente qualquer viveiro acadêmico sem quarentena

RENSSELAER, NY, May 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Taconic Biosciences, líder global no fornecimento de soluções de modelos animais para descoberta de medicamentos, anuncia um aprimoramento significativo para a Taconic-Cyagen Model Generation Alliance, a importação contínua de novos modelos geneticamente modificados originários da China com a TruIMPORT™.

Pesquisadores de instituições sem fins lucrativos têm um papel fundamental na descoberta de medicamentos; no entanto, a terceirização da geração de modelos animais pode ser proibitiva em termos de custos ou ser um desafio logístico. Os obstáculos ao acesso de recursos de modelos animais podem impedir pesquisas importantes. As soluções potenciais para este problema normalmente envolvem uma troca. Dependendo do país de origem, as opções rentáveis podem exigir uma longa quarentena dos animais ou reprodução adicional para garantir que os animais atendam às normas sanitárias exigidas para a entrada na instalação animal da instituição. Essas etapas adicionais podem custar tempo e dinheiro ao pesquisador.

Lançada originalmente em 2018, a Taconic-Cyagen Model Generation Alliance (Aliança), para pesquisadores acadêmicos e sem fins lucrativos, aproveita os talentos de duas empresas líderes do setor para criar uma solução exclusivamente adaptada para instituições de pesquisa sem fins lucrativos. A Taconic Biosciences tem mais de 65 anos de experiência em modelos de roedores e a Cyagen Biosciences é uma líder chinesa em eficiência de geração de modelos e uma estrutura de custos competitiva. Desde o seu início, a Aliança tornou-se líder reconhecida na prestação de serviços de geração de modelos para acadêmicos e pesquisadores sem fins lucrativos. A TruIMPORT™ é uma evolução importante nesta oferta de serviços. Com ela, os modelos animais da China podem ser importados para instalações de animais dos Estados Unidos e da Europa, atendendo aos requisitos de viveiro existentes. Fornecendo um conjunto de opções, a TruIMPORT™ permite que os clientes acessem a geração eficiente de modelos com várias opções de preços, dependendo do cronograma de entrega, padrão de saúde e tamanho da coorte desejados.

“Nosso principal objetivo é resolver os problemas dos nossos clientes”, disse o Dr. John Couse, vice-presidente de serviços científicos da Taconic. “Embora a Aliança venha fornecendo a geração eficiente de modelos há anos, a preocupação com a importação é uma barreira para muitos clientes. Com a criação de várias opções sob a TruIMPORT™, os clientes agora podem importar modelos de roedores da China sem quarentena, independentemente dos requisitos do seu viveiro.”

O portfólio TruIMPORT™ consiste em três opções de importação: RapidRELAY™, RapidCHECK™ e RapidEXPANSION™. Os clientes podem comparar as especificações dos produtos aqui para optar pela combinação certa de cronograma, padrões de saúde e produtos que atendam suas necessidades.

Sobre a Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

A Taconic Biosciences é uma líder global totalmente licenciada em serviços e modelos geneticamente modificados. Fundada em 1952, a Taconic oferece as melhores soluções/modelos de pesquisas em murinos, para que os clientes possam adquirir, customizar, criar, pré-condicionar, testar e distribuir valiosos modelos de pesquisa em todo o mundo. Especializada em modelos de camundongos e de ratos geneticamente projetados, microbioma, modelos de camundongos imuno-oncologia, e serviços integrados de criação de modelos e gestão de colônias, a Taconic opera três laboratórios de serviços e seis instalações de criação nos EUA e na Europa, mantém relações com distribuidores na Ásia, e tem capacidade de entrega de modelos animais em quase qualquer lugar no mundo.

Sobre a Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

A Cyagen Biosciences é provedora líder de serviços abrangentes de modelos de roedores geneticamente modificados. A Cyagen utiliza um processo altamente eficiente, incluindo sua tecnologia proprietária de IA, para projetar e entregar novos modelos geneticamente modificados com precisão e preços competitivos. A Cyagen Transgenic Animal Center (CTAC) na China é uma instalação de barreira livre de patógenos específicos (SPF) de última geração, credenciada pela AAALAC e garantida pela OLAW. A Cyagen tem locais adicionais nos Estados Unidos, Japão e China. Desde a sua fundação em 2005 a Cyagen já forneceu mais de 78.400 modelos animais a pesquisadores em todo o mundo e foi citada em mais de 4.700 publicações.

Contato com a Mídia:

Kelly Owen Grover

Diretora Sênior de Comunicações de Marketing

518-478-6095

kelly.grover@taconic.com

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Taconic Biosciences lance la solution d’importation TruIMPORT™

Les modèles de rongeurs originaires de Chine peuvent être importés dans pratiquement n’importe quel vivarium universitaire sans quarantaine

RENSSELAER, New York, 28 mai 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Taconic Biosciences, l’un des leaders mondiaux de la fourniture de solutions à base de modèles d’animaux pour la découverte de médicaments, a annoncé une amélioration significative de son alliance pour la génération de modèles Taconic-Cyagen, qui permet l’importation transparente de nouveaux modèles génétiquement modifiés provenant de Chine en vertu de la réglementation TruIMPORT™.

Les chercheurs travaillant au sein des institutions à but non lucratif jouent un rôle essentiel dans la découverte de médicaments. Toutefois, l’externalisation de la génération de modèles animaux peut représenter un défi en termes de logistique ou de coût. Les obstacles à l’accès aux ressources de modèles animaux peuvent entraver certaines recherches importantes. Les solutions potentielles à ce problème ont toujours débouché sur des compromis. Selon le pays d’origine, les options rentables peuvent nécessiter une longue quarantaine des animaux, ou une reproduction supplémentaire visant à assurer que les animaux respectent les normes de santé requises pour pénétrer dans les installations animalières de l’institution. Ces étapes additionnelles peuvent engendrer un coût temporel et financier pour les chercheurs.

Initialement lancée en 2018, l’Alliance pour la génération de modèles Taconic-Cyagen (ci-après l’« Alliance ») destinée aux chercheurs des pôles universitaires et organismes à but non lucratif tire parti des talents de deux sociétés leaders du secteur pour créer une solution spécialement adaptée aux établissements de recherche bénévole. Taconic Biosciences possède plus de 65 années d’expérience dans la création de modèles de rongeurs, tandis que Cyagen Biosciences est un leader basé en Chine spécialisé dans l’efficacité des générations de modèles et la mise en place de structures de coûts compétitives. Depuis sa création, l’Alliance est devenue un leader reconnu dans le domaine des services de génération de modèles à destination des chercheurs universitaires et bénévoles. La technologie TruIMPORT™ représente une évolution importante dans cette offre de services. Elle permet d’importer des modèles animaux chinois dans des installations animales aux États-Unis et en Europe, tout en respectant les exigences des vivariums en vigueur. Grâce à sa vaste palette d’options, TruIMPORT™ permet aux clients d’accéder à une génération de modèles efficace, en disposant de plusieurs options de tarification selon le calendrier de livraison, la norme sanitaire et la taille de cohorte souhaités.

« Notre principal objectif est de résoudre les problèmes pour nos clients », a déclaré le Dr John Couse, vice-président en charge des services scientifiques chez Taconic. « Alors que l’Alliance fournit une génération de modèles efficace depuis des années, les préoccupations liées à l’importation ont constitué un obstacle pour de nombreux clients. En créant de multiples options sous la protection TruIMPORT™, les clients peuvent désormais importer des modèles de rongeurs depuis la Chine sans quarantaine, quelles que soient les exigences de leur vivarium », a-t-il ajouté.

La gamme TruIMPORT™ comprend trois options d’importation nommées RapidRELAY™, RapidCHECK™, et RapidEXPANSION™. Les clients peuvent comparer les caractéristiques des produits ici afin de déterminer celle qui représente la combinaison de calendrier, de normes sanitaires et de livrables répondant à leurs besoins.

À propos de Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

Taconic Biosciences est un leader mondial pleinement agréé spécialisé dans les modèles et les services de rongeurs génétiquement modifiés. Fondée en 1952, la société Taconic offre les meilleures solutions animales, afin que les clients puissent acquérir, générer d’une manière personnalisée, élever, préconditionner, tester et distribuer des modèles de recherche précieux dans le monde entier. Spécialiste des modèles de souris et de rats génétiquement modifiés, du microbiome, des modèles de souris pour l’immuno-oncologie, ainsi que des services intégrés de génération de modèles et de gestion de colonies, Taconic exploite trois laboratoires de service et six établissements d’élevage aux États-Unis et en Europe, entretient des relations de distribution en Asie et dispose de capacités d’expédition mondiales pour fournir des modèles animaux presque partout dans le monde.

À propos de Cyagen Biosciences, Inc.

Cyagen Biosciences est un fournisseur de premier plan proposant une gamme complète de services à base de modèles de rongeurs génétiquement modifiés. Cyagen s’appuie sur un procédé à haute efficacité comprenant une technologie d’intelligence artificielle exclusive pour concevoir et fournir des nouveaux modèles génétiquement modifiés avec précision et selon une tarification compétitive. Le Centre animalier transgénique Cyagen, situé en Chine, est un établissement de barrière ultramoderne sans pathogène spécifique (SPF) accrédité par l’AAALAC et assuré par l’OLAW. Cyagen possède d’autres sites aux États-Unis, au Japon et en Chine. Depuis la création de Cyagen en 2005, nous avons livré plus de 78 400 modèles animaux à des chercheurs du monde entier et avons été cités dans plus de 4 700 publications.

Contact auprès des médias :

Kelly Owen Grover

Responsable des communications marketing

518-478-6095

kelly.grover@taconic.com

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Mali Strongman Goita Reaches Out Amid International Pressure

Malian Colonel Assimi Goita on Friday said a new prime minister will be appointed within days, in his first remarks since seizing power this week.

The army officer made the announcement during a meeting with political and civil-society figures in Bamako, according to an AFP journalist, as international pressure rises on the country’s ruling military administration.

Soldiers detained President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane on Monday, before releasing them Thursday after they resigned.

But the twin arrests triggered a diplomatic uproar — and marked the second apparent coup within a year in the unstable country.

Ndaw and Ouane had led a transitional government tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August that toppled Mali’s elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Keita was forced out by young army officers, led by Goita, following mass protests over perceived corruption and his failure to quell a bloody jihadist insurgency.

“In the coming days, the prime minister who will be appointed will carry out a broad consultation between the different factions,” Goita said.

He asked those attending the meeting to support his preference of a prime minister from the opposition M5 movement, a once-powerful group that the military sidelined after the August coup.

“Either we accept joining hands to save our country, or we wage clandestine wars, and we will all fail,” Goita said.

Crisis summit

The transition government — installed under the threat of regional sanctions — has the declared aim of restoring full civilian rule within 18 months.

But its appointments were heavily influenced by the military.

Goita, who headed the post-coup junta, was named vice president, and other key posts were given to army officers.

The colonel’s office says he is leading the country again after the president and prime minister stepped down.

On Friday, Goita explained that the army had little choice but to intervene.

“We had to choose between disorder and cohesion within the defense and security forces and we chose cohesion,” he said.

Ndaw and Ouane’s detention came hours after a government reshuffle that would have replaced the defense and security ministers, both of whom were army officers who had taken part in the August putsch.

Political turmoil in Mali has worried the country’s neighbors, which have led efforts to defuse the crisis.

Diplomats told AFP Friday that the Economic Community of West African States would discuss the situation in Ghana’s capital Accra on Sunday.

The 15-nation bloc has also warned of reimposing sanctions on the country, as has the United States and former colonial master France.

There are nonetheless fears that sanctions would further destabilize the poverty-stricken nation of 19 million people, which has been battling a brutal jihadist insurgency since 2012.

Russia’s foreign ministry, for its part, on Friday hailed the release of Ndaw and Ouane but pressed Mali to eventually hold “democratic elections.”

‘Come together’

Goita wants to name an M5 member as prime minister, in a move some say could relieve pressure on the military.

M5 spearheaded protests against Keita in 2020 but was excluded from key posts in the army-dominated post-coup administration.

A rapprochement with the group might serve to soften domestic and foreign criticism of the military.

The International Crisis Group has said that an M5 prime minister could allay international concerns.

The M5 itself appears willing to work with the army.

The group’s spokesman, Jeamille Bittar, told a news conference Friday that M5 would put forward one of its cadres, Choguel Maiga, as prime minister.

“We must all come together around the new government,” he said.

In Bamako, there has been almost no opposition to the military’s latest power play. Most have wearily accepted its role in politics.

Some have even welcomed it. Several hundred people rallied in support of the army in a central square of the city on Friday, with many toting portraits of Goita.

Source: Voice of America

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Boat Accident on Nigerian River Kills 60, More Feared Dead

Nigerian authorities confirmed that at least 60 people have died in a boat accident on the Niger River and that 83 missing passengers are also feared dead.

The boat with more than 160 passengers, including many children and women, sank after hitting an object and breaking up Wednesday while traveling along Nigeria’s largest river in Kebbi state, in the northwestern part of the country.

Emergency workers continued recovery efforts Friday. Bodies were carried from the team’s boat near the riverbank to a waiting ambulance.

Workers recovered 55 bodies on Thursday to bring the death toll to 60 so far, according to Sani Dododo, chairman of the Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency.

“We hope to recover more bodies Friday,” he said, adding that he fears the 83 passengers still missing might not be found alive.

Twenty-two passengers were rescued shortly after the accident, but no other person has been rescued alive since then.

Among the dead was a baby not yet a year old.

Recovery efforts are slow because the river is high and moving swiftly, making conditions dangerous for the divers and workers in boats, Dododo said.

It was unclear what caused the boat to break up as it was traveling from Nigeria’s Niger state to the town of Wara in Kebbi state.

Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, especially on the Niger River, with causes including overloading, the bad state of many boats, and underwater debris that the vessels often hit.

Source: Voice of America

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Macron in South Africa for Talks on COVID Vaccine

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Friday in South Africa for a lightning trip to discuss COVID vaccine access for Africa, aides said.

Macron arrived from a historic visit to Rwanda where he acknowledged French responsibility in the 1994 genocide.

Landing in Johannesburg, he headed for the capital Pretoria where he was to be welcomed by Cyril Ramaphosa at Union Buildings, the seat of government.

The pair will launch a program at the University of Pretoria to support African vaccine production, a project backed by the European Union, United States and World Bank.

The leaders, say Ramaphosa’s office, are also expected to discuss a temporary waiver of World Trade Organization (WTO) property rights over coronavirus vaccine.

The idea is being pushed by South Africa and India, which say the waiver will spur vaccine production in developing countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has lagged behind the rest of the world with vaccination — less than two percent of its population has been immunized six months after the campaign started.

Ramaphosa this month sounded the alarm about what he called “vaccine apartheid” between rich countries and poor ones.

Pharma companies oppose the waiver, saying it could sap incentives for future research and development.

They also point out that manufacturing a vaccine requires know-how and technical resources — something that cannot be acquired at the flip of a switch.

Macron’s approach is to push for a transfer of technology to enable production sites in poorer countries.

The industry “is highly concentrated in the United States, Europe, Asia and a little bit in Latin America,” a Macron aide said.

“Africa today produces very few anti-COVID productions, and most notably no vaccine at the present time.”

COVID-19 hit

South Africa is the continent’s most industrialized economy, but also its worst-hit by COVID.

The country has recorded more than 1.6 million cases of Africa’s 4.7 million infections and accounts for more than 40 percent of its nearly 130,000 fatalities.

But just one percent of its population of 59 million have been vaccinated — most of them health workers and people aged 60 or above.

The immunization effort got off to a stuttering start when South Africa purchased AstraZeneca vaccines earlier this year and then sold them to other African countries following fears that they would be less effective.

Then, after it started inoculating health workers, using Johnson & Johnson jabs, it had to pause for two weeks mid-April to vet risks over blood clots that had been reported in the US.

Delayed trip

Macron’s trip was scheduled to have taken place more than a year ago but was postponed as the pandemic shifted into higher gear.

His push for the visit stems from the fact that South Africa “is a major partner on the continent, a member of the G20, it’s regularly invited to the G-7 — it’s essential in the approach to multilateralism,” one of his aides said before the trip.

Macron will also make a pitch for French business in South Africa, especially in climate-friendly sectors.

The two will also discuss the security crisis in northern Mozambique, where a bloody jihadist insurgency is now in its fourth year.

The French energy giant Total last month suspended work on a massive $20 billion gas project in Cabo Delgado province after jihadists attacked the nearby town of Palma.

Before flying home Saturday, Macron will talk to members of the French community and, like many VIPs before him, visit the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Source: Voice of America

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Intercommunal Clashes in South Sudan Kill 18

At least 18 people were killed and dozens more were injured this week in two days of intercommunal clashes in South Sudan’s Warrap state, according to local authorities.

Gogrial East County Commissioner Ayom Bul said armed men from Unity state crossed into Warrap state on Wednesday intending to steal cattle. When they couldn’t find any, he said, they went on the attack.

“The armed men came to my county with the intent to raid cattle and because the cattle keepers moved away their cattle days back to another area, these armed men couldn’t find any cattle, but ended up attacking the villages and Mangol market, killing children, women and other local youth,” Bul told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus.

In response, young men from Warrap state mobilized and the two sides clashed in the small town of Mangol, said Bul. He said Warrap youth “repulsed” the attackers, but not before they burned down two villages and the Mangol market.

He said 15 people were killed in the clashes, including five children and three women.

The fighting on Wednesday and Thursday marked the fourth time armed men from Unity state attacked the area in recent weeks, said Bul. He said more than 30 people were killed in Mangol Apuk last month by the same armed youths. Bul called on authorities from both states to act.

Disarmament campaign sought

Unity state information minister Gabriel Makuei confirmed that armed young men from his state had clashed with Gogrial East County citizens in Warrap state.

“This conflict between armed youths from Warrap and Unity states has been continuing for the last two months,” he said. Makuei said three people were killed and eight others seriously injured in clashes on the Unity state side of the border.

Makuei called on authorities to carry out a nationwide disarmament campaign so that all citizens could live in peace, and he urged communities in Warrap and Unity states in particular to embrace peaceful coexistence.

Warrap state information minister Ring Deng Ading condemned the attack.

“I also appeal to the communities of Warrap state to stay calm and give a chance for the government to look into the matter,” Ading told South Sudan in Focus.

Edmondi Yakani, a Juba-based civil society activist and executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress organization, condemned the killing of “innocent women and children in Warrap state by the armed men” and called on state and national leaders to “immediately come up with the mechanism to end this persistent violence in the country.”

Yakani urged President Salva Kiir to declare intercommunal conflict a national crisis because the government is unable to control it. He said the future of the country remains dark if leaders continue to ignore violence in Unity, Warrap, Lakes, and Jonglei states along with the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

The only way to end the violence is a demonstration of political will among South Sudanese leaders to reconcile, disarm and build consensus among communities, according to Yakani.

The revitalized peace agreement for South Sudan mandates that the leaders conduct nationwide disarmament and initiate peace-building activities to restore social cohesion among the communities of South Sudan.

Source: Voice of America

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Mali’s Top Court Declares Coup Leader Goita Interim President

Mali’s constitutional court on Friday declared Assimi Goita, the colonel who led a military coup this week while serving as vice president, to be the new interim president.

The ruling raises the stakes as West African leaders prepare to meet on Sunday to respond to the takeover, which has jeopardized a transition back to democracy and could undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants.

Goita became interim vice president after leading the coup last August that overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. He ordered the arrests on Monday of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Both resigned on Wednesday while still in detention. They were later released.

The court said in its ruling that Goita should fill the vacancy left by Ndaw’s resignation “to lead the transition process to its conclusion” and carry the title of “president of the transition, head of state.”

The ruling set Mali on a collision course with the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has insisted that the transition, which is due to end with elections in February, remain civilian-led.

After agreeing in October to lift sanctions imposed after the coup against Keita, ECOWAS said in a declaration that the vice president of the transition “cannot under any circumstances replace the president.”

ECOWAS heads of state are due to meet in Ghana on Sunday.

They and Western powers including France and the United States fear the political crisis could exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali, a home base for regional affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Goita, a 38-year-old special forces commander, was one of several colonels who led the coup against Keita. He ousted Ndaw after the interim president named a new Cabinet that stripped two of the other coup leaders of their ministerial posts.

Late on Friday, Goita said on national television that he would name a new prime minister from among the members of the M5-RFP coalition, which led protests against Keita last year and fell out with Ndaw and Ouane during the transition.

Jeamille Bitar, a member of the coalition, said its pick for the post would be Choguel Maiga, a former government minister.

Source: Voice of America