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^{The Tainan 400 promo video playing on a large billboard at New York’s Times Square at the midnight of August 12th. (Photo: Business Wire)}

TAINAN, Taiwan, Aug 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — With 2024 marking the 400th anniversary of Tainan, Mayor Huang Wei-che and the city government have endeavored to promote the old city on the international stage with the “Tainan 400” campaign. From August 12th to 18th (local time), the promo video of Tainan 400 will be broadcast at Times Square in New York City (USA) and Printemps department store in Paris (France) as well as the downtown Gangnam area in Seoul (South Korea). At the end of September, the video can also be seen in the busy district of Shinjuku in Tokyo (Japan). The 15-second promo video includes the highlights of Tainan, such as the must-visit Confucius Temple, burning of the King Boat, and the Centipede Procession, showcasing the beauty of Tainan’s traditional culture to the international audience.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240814398639/en/

In the “Tainan 400” promo video, one can see not only the awe-inspiring temples in Tainan, but also spectacular events and attractions like the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Qigu Salt Mountains, the Golden Coastline, Hayashi Department Store, among other natural and historical sites. According to Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che, the campaign team selected important landmarks in New York, Seoul, Paris, and Tokyo to play the video because these cities are internationally renowned and host a huge number of tourists, thereby maximizing the marketing effect of the promo video. Through this video, viewers can truly feel the charm of Tainan and its perfect blend of old and new cultures. As such a beautiful impression is left in the audiences, Tainan cordially welcomes friends from every corner of the world to visit the city and experience the best of Tainan in person!

View source version on businesswire.com: 
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Contact

Ms. Ivory Cheng
Email: ivory0923@gmail.com

Source : Tainan City Government

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (Bernama) — The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) will host a gala dinner on Sept 1, under the theme Celebrating 50 Years of Global Impact, commemorating five decades of driving sustainable global development and progress.

Through collaboration and partnership, the SFD’s work reaches those most in need around the globe, and SFD is also committed to supporting the Least Developed Countries and Small Developing Island States, recognising their unique challenges and vulnerabilities.

SFD Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Al-Marshad said for 50 years, the SFD has worked hand-in-hand with communities and partners to drive transformative development change.

“Our programmes have touched nearly every aspect of society, from building essential social infrastructures like roads, hospitals, and schools to empowering communities through initiatives in education, healthcare, water and sanitation, renewable energy, agriculture, transportation and communication, industry and mining, and more.

“At this critical milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to spurring global collaboration and unity, building inclusive frameworks for social, economic, and human development, and fostering economic prosperity in developing countries worldwide,” he said in a statement.

The 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner will bring together global development partners and leaders, as well as government representatives, world experts, and academics, to celebrate the SFD and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s development legacy, as well as its future ambition to help build a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

Since its establishment in 1974, the SFD has been the main international development arm of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, supporting sustainable development initiatives across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe.

— BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) team emerged champion at the Ever Glamour Nha Trang (EGN) 2024 festival after two nights of competition, which concluded on Aug 3 with a dazzling display of drone light performances.

Concurrently, the Korean, French, and Chinese teams won the awards for Best Technical Performance, Best Image, and Best Story, respectively, according to a statement.

The UAE team, nicknamed “Light Wizards”, combined the ultra-lightweight and superlight drones with pyrotechnics and in-depth local cultural understanding to highlight Vietnamese rich history and culture, from the Dong Son bronze drum to the symbolic Lac Bird, lotus flower, as well as the vibrancy of Nha Trang.

Meanwhile, the French team, nicknamed the “Sky Artists”, used 1,000 drones combined with fire magic performances. Previously, on the opening night held on July 13, the Korean and Chinese teams ignited the stage with their groundbreaking performances.

Dubbed the “King of Pyrodrone”, the Korean teams brought the first-ever drone performance with silent fireworks in Southeast Asia, whereas, the Chinese team brought stunning visuals and popular Vietnamese songs to illustrate Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa as a harmonious blend of heritage, modernity, and the aspiration for growth.

That same evening, Khanh Hoa made history as the first locality in the country to receive two prestigious Guinness World Records, namely, “The World’s Biggest Light Show of Wonders” and “The World’s Biggest Light Show of Vietnamese Cultural Symbols – Lac Bird”.

Besides contributing to increasing the number of Guinness records in Vietnam, Khanh Hoa also proved its name as one of the most beautiful bays in the world and the premier destination for light shows using unmanned aerial devices.

EGN 2024 attracted more than 50 million live views on media channels and more than five million interactions on social media, spreading the Khanh Hoa image to domestic and international tourists.

The event is directed by the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee, organised by the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism and Corex Business Solutions, and endorsed by renowned global and domestic brands such as Vinpearl, VinWonders, Agribank, VCN, Chicilon Media, and Shojiki.

— BERNAMA

Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme will sequence 10,000 genomes to improve understanding of genetic architecture and diversity in Singapore’s multi-ethnic Asia population through advanced, nanopore-based sequencing technology

OXFORD, England, Aug 5 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford Nanopore) has announced a landmark project with Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme, led by Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE), aimed at developing a comprehensive structural variant catalogue representing three major ethnic groups in Singapore including Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities. These genetic variations have demonstrated significance in helping clinician scientists and researchers in understanding human genetic diversity and diseases. This initiative underscores Oxford Nanopore’s commitment to advancing genetic research and healthcare outcomes on a global scale, particularly for ethnically diverse populations that are typically underrepresented in genomic databases.

Oxford Nanopore’s portion of the project will focus on sequencing 10,000 genomes representing Singapore’s diverse population, including Malay, Indian, and Chinese communities participating in the PRECISE-SG100K population cohort. This project will use Oxford Nanopore’s fleet of high-output PromethION 48 sequencing devices to deliver detailed, comprehensive genomic data to advance research and support precision healthcare. The project started mid-2024 and will run up to 12 months.

Oxford Nanopore’s platform offers unparalleled scalability and flexibility in DNA/RNA sequencing and is capable of characterising both short and ultra-long native DNA/RNA fragments, including detection of methylation, an important biomarker found in DNA, without the need for additional steps and at speeds faster than other platforms. This capability – which cannot be done with short reads or traditional methods – is crucial for accurately identifying a wide range of genetic variations that are essential for understanding complex diseases and tailoring individualised treatment plans.

Oxford Nanopore has made strategic investments in Singapore, which it has positioned as a commercial hub for the Asia Pacific region. The company recently expanded its laboratory facilities in Singapore to support increased activities in training, knowledge transfer, and the up-skilling of local technical staff. This includes deploying sequencers within the Science Centre Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Technology for use within high school, undergraduate and adult education programmes.

Additionally, the company has access to a distribution facility in Singapore through its expanded partnership with UPS Healthcare, resulting in faster delivery of flow cells to Singapore and across the Asia Pacific.

Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore, said:

“We are excited to collaborate with Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme to create one of the most extensive and inclusive reference genome datasets globally. This collaboration not only enhances our commitment to precision healthcare but also strategically positions Singapore as a pivotal hub for genomics in the Asia Pacific, fostering significant advancements in medical research and healthcare outcomes.”

There are also other partners in this project, including NovogeneAIT, that demonstrate a strong collaborative effort to leverage innovative technology in genomics.

Oxford Nanopore has been collaborating with the scientific teams to demonstrate that complete genomic data can be generated with Oxford Nanopore sequencing devices, resulting in groundbreaking “telomere to telomere” datasets and in preparation for commencing the larger sequencing programme.

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for real-time, high-performance, accessible and scalable analysis of DNA and RNA. The technology is used in more than 120 countries to understand the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and whole environments. Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are intended for molecular biology applications and are not intended for diagnostic purposes. For more, visit: https://nanoporetech.com/

About Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE)

Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) is the central entity set up to coordinate a whole of Singapore effort to implement Phase II of Singapore’s three-phase National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme.

NPM Phase II aims to transform healthcare in Singapore and improve patient outcomes through new insights into the Asian genome and data-driven healthcare solutions. In NPM Phase II, PRECISE will collaborate with Singapore research and clinical partners, including the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, National Healthcare Group, National University Health System, National University of Singapore, and SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to study the genetic makeup of 100,000 healthy Singaporeans and specific patient cohorts. The genetic data will be integrated with detailed lifestyle, environmental, and clinical data to yield rich insights into factors that contribute to Asian diseases and conditions.

Additionally, NPM Phase II will enhance the breadth and depth of the Precision Medicine-related industry by attracting and anchoring overseas companies in Singapore, while yielding new opportunities for home-grown companies. To enhance and accelerate the precision medicine sector, PRECISE works in close collaboration with A*STAR, the Biomedical Sciences Industry Partnership Office, and the Economic Development Board to catalyse the next phase of growth for Singapore’s healthcare and the biomedical technology industries.

PRECISE is a programme of the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS). PRECISE is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) under the RIE2020 White Space (MOH-000588 and MOH-001264) and administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health through the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Office, MOH Holdings Pte Ltd

For more information, visit www.npm.sg

View source version on businesswire.com: 
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Contact

media@nanoporetech.com

Source : Oxford Nanopore Technologies

–BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) — Malaysia is among the Top 30 in the world and leading in Southeast Asia in terms of country readiness for global clinical trials, according to the IQVIA report on Rethinking Clinical Trial Country Prioritization.

The report, which was published earlier this month, had mapped global clinical trial opportunities according to country attributes, factoring 17 key metrics relevant to operational infrastructure, clinical infrastructure as well as patient availability. Key considerations include healthcare accessibility and quality, clinical trial efficiency, regulatory capabilities, streamlined business processes and investment opportunities.

The report also provided insights on country readiness across different clinical trial categories and has Malaysia recognised among the Top 25 countries for three out of the four clinical trial types indicated. Indonesia is the only other Southeast Asia country in this list, having been listed under one of the trial categories. In addition, several Southeast Asia countries were heavily represented in the opportunity tier of country selection by trial sponsors, with Malaysia in the optimised spot of having the balance between patient availability and operational readiness.  

Global clinical trials are usually multinational trials that are wholly sponsored by pharmaceutical organisations, biotech companies as well as medical devices companies. The Southeast Asia region collectively conduct 3% of these global clinical trials. Since 2023, Malaysia has been leading in number of trials conducted within the region, with many of these in the space of oncology, infectious diseases and cardiology trials. With over 2450 clinical trials since 2012, the country has observed the gathered Gross National Income of RM 1.38 billion from this industry.

The growth has also seen many major pharmaceutical organisations and contract research organisations expanding their presence in Malaysia and recruiting talents to meet the demand of clinical trial productivity. In addition, hospitals and medical centres are focusing on enhancing clinical research capabilities, requiring personnel with clinical research experience to manage the conduct of trials in accordance with regulatory requirements and global practice.

Following this, Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), a one-stop centre for sponsored clinical research in Malaysia, has established the CRM Centre of Excellence (COE) which was recently officiated by the Minister of Health and Chairman of CRM, YB Datuk Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. This program is aimed at developing local talents and providing them a foundation to kickstart their career in clinical research. The COE also propels CRM’s Mission 2033 to develop clinical research professionals in the country by creating 4000 skilled jobs in clinical research.

About Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM)

Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) is a Global Trusted Research Management Organisation established by the Ministry of Health Malaysia in 2012. The organisation is guided by the principles of Humanity, Stability and Sustainability in providing global clinical trial solutions and enabling a thriving clinical research ecosystem in the country. At its very core, CRM aims to bring clinical research that addresses the unmet needs of patients and transforms health outcomes in Malaysia.

CRM delivers sponsored clinical trials with Speed, Reliability and Quality through operational excellence and working with stakeholders by providing end-to-end clinical research support services. Certified with both ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 37001:2016 (Anti-Bribery Management System), and being aligned to international regulations, our core values and code of conduct are ingrained throughout CRM. The strength of this organisation lies in the people of CRM as we strive in our vision to make Malaysia the preferred clinical research hub in Asia. https://clinicalresearch.my 

SOURCE: Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Asha Thanabalan
Senior Manager – Business Relations & Corporate Communications          
Tel: +6012-364 8043 | +603-7931 5566 (ext. 122)
Email: asha@clinicalresearch.my 

–BERNAMA