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KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) — An online concert, themed ‘Melodies over Seas and Mountains’, was jointly held on May 23, in both Zhuhai Opera House and the Royal Concertgebouw, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and The Netherlands.

As music danced through continents and oceans, Zhuhai and Amsterdam were connected more than ever, celebrating deep friendship, and looking forward to a better future built and shared with each other, according to Information Office of Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government in a statement.

There were 13 performances, including jazz, piano solo, wind music, chorus, and fusion music. The concert featured world-class musicians and artistes from the two countries – Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Sinfonia Rotterdam, Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra, Chinese singer Liu Yutong, Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award winners Ou Kaiming and Qiong Xia, among others.

The evening feast for the ears kicked off with Petals Falling from Sky, a classical Cantonese song. Many original songs composed by Zhuhai musicians were also introduced, unveiling the charm of the special economic zone that is modern, coastal, and international.

Sinfonia Rotterdam performed My Motherland, a well-known patriotic song in China. Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra started in-depth cooperation with Sinfonia Rotterdam to foster young musical talents in China.

Notably, this would be the first attempt by Nederlands Blazers Ensemble – which enjoys a global reputation – to extend their prime art education beyond the border of The Netherlands.

As early as 400 years ago, China and The Netherlands had already started economic, trade, and cultural exchanges through the Maritime Silk Road.

Zhuhai’s increasingly close ties with Utrecht, the fourth-largest city in The Netherlands with a profound historic and cultural heritage, are a demonstration of the ever-growing China-Netherlands friendship.

As a vital bridge for China to connect with the rest of the world, Zhuhai started the friendly exchanges with Utrecht in November 2013. In the following years, the two cities deepened the collaboration including in investment, trade, science and technology, culture, and tourism.

Looking forward, Zhuhai and Utrecht are ready to jointly hit a higher note in their song of friendship. Through cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the connected hearts of people in the two countries will become the living water of our bilateral relations, which will make greater contributions to the development of China-EU and China-Netherlands relations.

— BERNAMA

• As part of its diversification efforts, the Group has been pursuing new business opportunities which are aimed at transforming traditional industries to be more environment-friendly and to improve human life
• The diversification businesses span diverse industries like drug development, skincare, clean energy, and water purification
• Adopts UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to guide diversification efforts

SINGAPORE, May 24 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SGX Mainboard-listed CDW Holding Limited (“CDW”, the “Company”, or collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is pleased to share an update on its diversification efforts and announce a new strategic direction for the Group, centred around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (“UN SDGs”).

CDW’s Diversification Efforts
The Group is a leading manufacturer of LCD Backlight Units for applications in various industries such as computer, automotive, and gaming and has recently also built up a promising OEM business in producing electronic payments systems and digital content editing devices. As the Group operates in a challenging industry with intense price competition and shortening product life cycles, it embarked on a diversification strategy in 2016 to identify other potential areas of growth and made its foray into Bio & life sciences and other businesses.

Bio & Life Sciences
The Group holds a patent for a synthetic antibody library through its subsidiary GSP Enterprise Inc. (“GSP”), which was established by the late Honorary Professor Shimizu Nobuyoshi of Keio University and acquired by the Company in 2018. GSP builds upon the late Professor Shimizu Nobuyoshi’s fundamental research in the medical field through developing specific antibodies to target tumours, viruses or other diseases, with the aim of creating immunotherapies for them. A Biotech Co., Ltd (“ABio”) was established in South Korea at the same time for antibody-related research and development.

The Group had previously announced key milestones in the development of novel antibody drugs aimed at treating various cancers. The most promising candidate thus far, the anti-Cripto-1 antibody, was patented in September 2020 and has been shown to be effective at inhibiting the self-proliferation of cancer stem cells. Recent anti-Cripto-1 antibody research have been led by ABio, which is conducting a pre-clinical efficacy study at the National Cancer Centre of Korea.

“The late Professor Emeritus Nobuyoshi Shimizu of Keio University passed away from cancer in 2015 after founding GSP to commercialize his research. In 2018, we acquired GSP to continue the late Professor Shimizu’s legacy and advance his cancer drug development fundamental research, and help more people suffering from cancer globally. ABio was established at the same time and is currently continuing its research in collaboration with GSP,” said Mr Yoshikawa Makoto, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group.

Apart from aiming to treat serious illnesses through fundamental research, the Group has also made strides in addressing the growing consumer demand for beauty and wellness. The Group acquired Intellectual Property Rights in 2016 related to the functional use and manufacture of organic compounds including Pterostilbene Glycoside products which have antioxidant, anti-aging and hair growth benefits. In addition, the Group is also looking to licence out its recently acquired patent on the cancer stem cell growth inhibitory effect of pterostilbene and/or its glycosides.

In September 2021, the Group announced the launch of its own skincare brand YOSHIMI JAPAN following five years of research and development into the anti-aging pterostilbene glycoside compound, which was shown to have greater efficacy at addressing the anti-wrinkle segment of topical beauty products. The product is currently available online to consumers in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A licensing agreement has also been signed with a Japanese cosmetics manufacturer to use pterostilbene glycoside in various product lines of the cosmetics manufacturer’s customers, with product launches scheduled to begin later in 2022.

Environment-Friendly Products and Technologies
As a contract manufacturer, CDW is keenly aware of the carbon footprint and environmental impact that can be caused by traditional industries. That is why it has been actively pursuing new business opportunities in environmental products and technologies which include clean energy and nanomaterials.

In July 2021, the Group secured the rights to distribute CUBOX portable lithium-ion battery packs for use in industrial, household and medical settings in Japan.

The Group has also obtained the global distributorship rights to Japanese alkaline water generator brand, Nihon Trim Co.,Ltd¹. (“TRIM”). The deal will allow the Group to capture new opportunities as the demand for alkaline water generators grows around the world. According to market research firm Global Information Inc., the global water ionizer market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.22% to reach over US$ 1.6 billion by 2027. The global distributorship will see the Group distribute TRIM’s products in overseas countries, excluding Indonesia and Guangdong province in China. The Group is already exporting and selling its products to some countries and regions.

CDW has also secured the exclusive rights to market in Japan and distribute electric boat propulsion systems that are developed by Electrine² of Korea (formerly known as LGM Co., Limited, with which the Company has a 2.3% stake), a leading Korean electric boat building company, with currently discussions for the rights to Hong Kong and Singapore ongoing. The electric boat propulsion system was the first electric propulsion unit in Japan to qualify for pre-inspection. The advantage of electric ship propulsion unit is that they require no fossil fuels, thus enabling the realisation of decarbonisation. Additionally, the Company will also develop and sell fuel-efficient and environment-friendly ship-bottom paints which use nanomaterial technology. Further research is underway to improve the efficacy of ship-bottom paints samples being tested on marine vessels.

The Group also exhibited its electric boat propulsion systems and ship-bottom paints at the Japan International Boat Show³, Japan’s largest ship-related exhibition, held from 31 March to 3 April 2022. Several potential customers, including large leisure facility operators, were given the opportunity to meet with the Group and negotiations are underway for sales. The Japan International Boat Show is also being held in an online venue from 18 March to 31 August 2022, and still exhibiting.

Adopting the UN SDG Framework
In order to focus its diversification efforts, the Group has decided to adopt a strategic framework that is centred around the UN SDGs, which consists of 17 goals and 169 targets. Adopted at the UN Summit in September 2015, the goals were set by 193 UN member countries to be achieved in 15 years from 2016 to 2030.

In particular, the last few years have seen a renewed focus among institutional investors on environmental, social, and governance, or ESG standards. The scars of the global pandemic, as well as mounting concerns over the impact of environmental degradation from industrial activity around the world have led to a growing demand for sustainability solutions.

“CDW has always been exploring opportunities in the areas of health and environment. This would further enhance our attractiveness to institutional investors, as we continue to strengthen our revenue streams and diversify our competencies beyond LCD backlight units,” remarked Mr Yoshikawa Makoto.

Meeting the growing ESG demand
With investments in ESG trending, and CDW believes that its new strategic direction is the right step forward to meet that growing demand from institutional investors. Bloomberg forecasts that ESG Assets Under Management (“AUM”) could grow to US$53tn by end-2025, having already reached US$30.6tn by end-2021. On the debt-issuance front, ESG-themed issuance took almost 12 years from 2007, to reach US$1tn but just one year to reach USD2tn over 2020. In just the first six months of 2021, it crossed another US$1tn and is estimated to surpass USD11tn by end-2025.

About CDW Holding Limited(www.cdw-holding.com.hk)

CDW Holding Limited (the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is a Japanese-managed precision components specialist serving the global market focusing on the production and supply of niche precision components for mobile communication equipment, gamebox entertainment equipment, consumer and information technology equipment, office equipment and electrical appliances. The Group is headquartered in Hong Kong and has operations in Japan, China and the Philippines. The Company has been identifying new businesses to invest in with the potential for growth and entered as part of its diversification strategy and has made forays into the Life Sciences sector since 2016. The Company’s aim for its Life Sciences business is to identify research-driven yet commercializable projects that can have a positive impact on the quality of human life.

Issued on behalf of : CDW Holding Limited
Contact : Ivan Hong / Gerald Woon
Office : (65) 6704 9288
Email / DID / Mobile : ivanhong@cogentcomms.com / (65) 6704 9287 / (65) 9055 8883
woon@cogentcomms.com / (65) 6704 9268 / (65) 9694 8364 

¹ Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange TRIM’s alkaline water generators are being used across a wide variety of settings; ranging from the home, to hospitals, commercial, and agricultural businesses. https://www.nihon-trim.co.jp/english/
² http://www.electrine.co.kr/main
³ https://online.boatshow.jp/exhibitors/tomoike/ 

SOURCE : CDW Holding Limited

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) — Impulse Dynamics, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure (HF), has announced a late-breaking presentation of results from the CCM-HFpEF Piloty Study.

It is the largest clinical trial to date, studying the effects of the company’s proprietary CCM® therapy to treat HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to a statement.

The results presented — including a substantial 18 point improvement in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) quality of life score — indicate that, for patients with heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50 per cent, CCM therapy not only offered meaningful improvement in quality of life but also substantially decreased hospitalisations versus the patient’s experience prior to the Optimizer® implant.

The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s Heart Failure 2022 Congress.

Cecilia Linde, MD, Professor and Consultant in Cardiology at the Heart and Vascular Theme of Karolinska University Hospital and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, who was the co-principal investigator for this investigation, said: “The CCM-HFpEF Pilot Study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that CCM therapy might benefit patients with HFpEF.

“In our CCM-HFpEF-Pilot Study, we found significant benefits from CCM therapy in patients with preserved LVEF, supporting prior findings. I look forward to following the progress of the recently begun pivotal AIM HIGHer trial to continue this journey further.”

Meanwhile, Dr Ishu Rao, Medical Director for Impulse Dynamics, welcomed these results because they confirm the potential for positive results in the company’s recently initiated AIM HIGHer trial.

“We are also excited to announce that enrolment is well underway for this landmark IDE-approved, multicentre, randomised, and blinded pivotal trial designed not only to confirm Dr Linde’s groundbreaking work presented today but to go further yet by providing the first long term morbidity and mortality results for a modern Optimizer CCM device.”

HF affects more than 64 million people worldwide and leads to dramatic declines in a patient’s quality of life. Patients are often classified by a measure of cardiac function known as the ejection fraction (EF), which describes the percentage of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each heartbeat.

CCM therapy is currently indicated in Europe for patients that have an EF below 50 per cent and has been proven to reduce hospitalisations. However, HF patients with higher EF have had few therapeutic options thus far, to alleviate their symptoms and treat their disease.

CCM therapy for HFpEF has already received the FDA’s breakthrough device designation. The Breakthrough Devices Program is a voluntary programme for certain medical devices that provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.

More details at http://www.ImpulseDynamics.com.

— BERNAMA

New technology and capacity help CDMO’s advanced-therapies campus meet growing market demand

SEATTLE, May 18 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), today announced it is adding viral vector suspension technology and capacity for the development and manufacturing of gene therapies at its commercial-grade campus in Longmont, Col., USA. These new capabilities, which begin coming online in the third quarter of 2022, complement the campus’ adherent viral vector and cell therapy offerings – enabling AGC Biologics to provide an in-depth variety of end-to-end cell and gene therapy services at this site. 

North America has historically been home to more advanced therapy and regenerative medicine developers than any other region worldwide. Further, the 2021 Q3 Cell & Gene Therapies Market Outlook report from industry standard research (ISR) revealed viral vectors are the most common thing a drug developer needs from a CDMO. This expansion more than doubles the site’s viral vector capacity, and helps AGC Biologics meet these market demands.

“This investment helps AGC Biologics address the needs of gene therapy developers at our new central location in North America,” said Patricio Massera, CEO of AGC Biologics. “When you combine these new capabilities and the technical expertise at our Longmont campus, with our Milan facility’s lentiviral vector platform and its extensive gene therapy CDMO experience, we can now support virtually any viral vector program being developed anywhere in the world.”

The viral vector suspension expansion is a part of a more than $30 million investment by AGC Biologics in its new Longmont campus. The new suspension capabilities include a full complement of bioreactor sizes for product development (AMBR, 10L and 50L), and a complete range of commercial manufacturing capacities (50L, 200L, 500L and 2000L), enabling the site to provide support for the entire lifecycle of a product.

“The suspension expansion helps us offer the most impactful, efficient and scalable technologies for bringing viral vector-based gene therapy products to market,” said Tony Fraij, General Manager, AGC Biologics Longmont. “This latest investment helps us round out the services we offer at this campus. Now, with a full suite of capabilities and the extensive expertise of our scientists, we can support virtually any type of viral vector or cell therapy development and manufacturing project.” 

AGC Biologics acquired the Longmont campus in August of 2021 and quickly appointed Fraij, a 20-year veteran with experience leading operations at several global life science organizations. The company previously acquired a cell and gene therapy site in Milan, Italy from MolMed S.p.A.  in 2020. The AGC Biologics Milan team’s technical expertise will play an important informative role in launching the new viral vector capabilities in Longmont. In just a few short years the company built a strong global cell and gene therapy network of services, capabilities and scientists. AGC Biologics is one of only a few CDMOs with end-to-end cell advanced therapies on two continents.

To learn more about the companies viral vector services visit www.agcbio.com/capabilities/viral-vector; visit www.agcbio.com/capabilities/cell-therapy to learn more about AGC Biologics’ cell therapy offerings.

About AGC Biologics

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder and Longmont, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients’ most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com. 

Attachments

• AGC Biologics Longmont Cell and Gene Therapy Campus
• AGC Biologics Longmont Cell and Gene Therapy Campus Aerial View

Nick McDonald
AGC Biologics
4254193555
nmcdonald@agc.com

SOURCE : AGC Biologics

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 (Bernama) — In March 2022, OMRON Group announced a new long-term vision, ‘Shaping the Future 2030’ (SF2030).

In its commitment to achieving this vision for the healthcare business domain, OMRON Healthcare Co Ltd (the Company), has established a long-term vision, ‘Going for ZERO, Preventive Care for the Health of Society’ and promises to develop new devices and services to meet the expectations of consumers, healthcare professionals and society at large.

By leveraging the sensing technologies and valuable insights developed in medical fields up to now, the Company will be focusing on the development of solutions for: cardiovascular diseases; respiratory diseases; and pain management.

Focus and commitment to these efforts will allow the Company to realise the long-term vision, according to a statement.

Firstly, Cardiovascular business: Zero cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. Since the release of the first blood pressure monitor in 1973, the Company has always been focusing on developing easy-to-use and accurate blood pressure monitors as well as conducting educational activities for promoting blood pressure monitoring at home.

To accomplish the business vision of the cardiovascular domain, the Company will expand the target fields from monitoring cardiac dysfunction for the early detection, to the development of an upper-arm blood pressure monitor with built-in ECG technology, and the global launch of ECG analysis service.

Secondly, Respiratory business: Zero aggravation of respiratory diseases. Respiratory business will expand target diseases by adding COPD to the former asthma target.

The Company will distribute devices to support treatments and diagnosis in emerging nations lacking fully established medical systems. And for general households, especially in developed countries, the Company will be promoting symptom control and care services to alleviate soaring medical expenditures to relieve the burden of patients and their families.

Thirdly, Pain management: Zero restrictions on daily activities due to chronic pain. Within the pain management domain, the Company will focus on the development of devices incorporating new transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) technology, as well as providing an exercise therapy support service.

To accomplish the new vision of ‘Going for ZERO, Preventive Care for the Health of Society’, the Company aims to be indispensable within the chronic disease prevention and treatment fields, and then tries to challenge itself to provide society with solutions.

More details at https://healthcare.omron.com/

— BERNAMA