Experts Matter. Find Yours.
Connect for media, speaking, professional opportunities & more.
Research to Advance Personalized Cancer Treatment
In 2024, over two million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed and more than 600,000 people are projected to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. While advances are being made in preventing and treating cancer, this complex disease continues to elude effective treatment in many cases. “Cancer is very diverse. There’s no one-size-fits-all therapy to treat it. We must design more personalized approaches to treatment based on the type of cancer a patient has and what they’ll respond best to,” explains Ashish Kulkarni, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UMass Amherst. In his Immunoengineering Research Laboratory, Kulkarni leads a team of researchers working at the intersection of bioengineering, immunology, and cancer studies, targeting aggressive forms of cancer that are often resistant to traditional treatments. This includes many different types of solid tumors—which are typically the most difficult to target with immunotherapy—including melanoma, bladder cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and neuroblastoma, among others. Kulkarni’s study of cancer was partly inspired by witnessing his own family members battle the disease. “I saw how much suffering there was and the amount of work to be done,” he says. Raised in a rural village in western India, Kulkarni grew up with limited access to resources and local opportunities for higher education. However, with unwavering determination and the support of his family, he became the first in his family to attend college, earning a degree in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. He then worked for three years before moving to the United States to pursue his PhD in chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. After completing postdoctoral fellowships at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, focused on researching cancer therapies, he joined the UMass faculty in 2017. At UMass, Kulkarni’s lab conducts research aimed at making immunotherapy effective for as many cancer patients as possible. As he explains it, immunotherapy is a unique cancer treatment that harnesses the body’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. One advantage of this approach is the immune system’s ability to work systemically, targeting cancers that have metastasized. However, he says, cancer cells are smart and have ways of evading the immune system. We’re aiming to develop therapies that are very, very effective, while being widely accessible to patients globally, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Ashish Kulkarni The lab seeks to advance a fundamental understanding of how cancer cells interact with the immune system, including why certain types of cancer don’t respond to current forms of immunotherapy. With this knowledge, they aim to develop novel nanotechnology-based delivery platforms to activate immune cells to target cancer. Finally, they are working to identify biomarkers (molecules on the surface of cancer or immune cells, or molecules released by these cells) to predict how individual patients will respond to specific treatments. “We know cancer is complex. Individuals’ immune systems also work differently, with some being stronger than others, so personalization is key,” Kulkarni says. “With the therapies we’re developing, we want to boost the immune system to be stronger and remove the ‘cloak’ that cancer cells use to avoid detection. We are also thinking about combination therapies, with multiple drugs that can activate different arms of the immune system to most effectively target the cancer and create long-lasting immune responses.” Kulkarni has received many prestigious awards in recognition of his lab’s impactful research, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Scholar Award, and ACS Chemical & Engineering News's Talented 12, among others. His research has been published in high-impact journals such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, and Biomaterials. Kulkarni has also co-founded two start-up companies built on his research. “One of the driving forces behind our research is how to effectively translate it to help patients,” he says. The first start-up, Volvox Sciences, focuses on designing nanoparticles to target macrophage immune cells, which can be educated to “eat up” cancer cells. “They become ‘super eaters’ of cancer cells, like Pac-Man,” he explains, noting that the team has submitted a patent on this work and has promising data showing its effectiveness against different types of solid tumors. This project won a competitive Manning/IALS Innovation Award in 2021. Kulkarni’s other start-up, Quaesar Biosciences, works on diagnostics, using biomarkers to show which cancer patients are most likely to respond to certain therapies. The team has seen promising results using samples from patients with ovarian cancer at area hospitals, though Kulkarni notes that this work is still in the early stages and more must be done to validate this biomarker. For Kulkarni, the meaning he finds in conducting research with the potential to help people is matched only by his satisfaction in mentoring young researchers. To date, he has mentored 80 undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting research fellows from India. He strives to maintain a diverse lab group and values the unique perspective each member brings. “I try to create an environment that fosters creativity and critical thinking, where everyone can flourish. I take pride in my students being extremely collaborative and working well together and with students and faculty across and beyond UMass,” he says. Kulkarni encourages his students to find their passion and stay curious and open-minded. “I know there’s a lot happening in the world and sometimes it’s disheartening. But don’t lose hope. Stay focused on your long-term goal and how you want to help society,” he says. Despite the ups and downs he has weathered in his own academic career, Kulkarni is optimistic about the future of cancer treatment. AI and other technologies are accelerating the rate of discovery exponentially, he says. “We’re aiming to develop therapies that are very, very effective while being widely accessible to patients globally, regardless of their socioeconomic status,” he says, likening this endeavor to the recent effort to develop and deploy COVID-19 vaccines around the world. And looking into the future, Kulkarni says, “Our ambitious goal is to stop working on cancer because we have cured cancer.”
Chemical and Life Science Engineering Professor Michael “Pete” Peters, Ph.D., is investigating more efficient ways to manufacture biologic pharmaceuticals using a radial flow bioreactor he developed. With applications in vaccines and other personalized therapeutic treatments, biologics are versatile. Their genetic base can be manipulated to create a variety of effects from fighting infections by stimulating an immune response to weight loss by producing a specific hormone in the body. Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza are some of the brand names for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists used to treat diabetes. These drugs mimic the GLP-1 peptide, a hormone naturally produced in the body that regulates appetite, hunger and blood sugar. “I have a lot of experience with helical peptides like GLP-1 from my work with COVID therapeutics,” says Peters. “When it was discovered that these biologic pharmaceuticals can help with weight loss, demand spiked. These drug types were designed for people with type-2 diabetes and those diabetic patients couldn’t get their GLP-1 treatments. We wanted to find a way for manufacturers to scale up production to meet demand, especially now that further study of GLP-1 has revealed other applications for the drug, like smoking cessation.” Continuous Manufacturing of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceuticals come in two basic forms: small-molecule and biologic. Small-molecule medicines are synthetically produced via chemical reactions while biologics are produced from microorganisms. Both types of medications are traditionally produced in a batch process, where base materials are fed into a staged system that produces “batches” of the small-molecule or biologic medication. This process is similar to a chef baking a single cake. Once these materials are exhausted, the batch is complete and the entire system needs to be reset before the next batch begins. “ The batch process can be cumbersome,” says Peters. “Shutting the whole process down and starting it up costs time and money. And if you want a second batch, you have to go through the entire process again after sterilization. Scaling the manufacturing process up is another problem because doubling the system size doesn’t equate to doubling the product. In engineering, that’s called nonlinear phenomena.” Continuous manufacturing improves efficiency and scalability by creating a system where production is ongoing over time rather than staged. These manufacturing techniques can lead to “end-to-end” continuous manufacturing, which is ideal for producing high-demand biologic pharmaceuticals like Ozempic, Wegovy and Victoza. Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute is also focused on these production innovations. Peters’ continuous manufacturing system for biologics is called a radial flow bioreactor. A disk containing the microorganisms used for production sits on a fixture with a tube coming up through the center of the disk. As the transport fluid comes up the tube, the laminar flow created by its exiting the tube spreads it evenly and continuously over the disk. The interaction between the transport medium coming up the tube and the microorganisms on the disk creates the biological pharmaceutical, which is then taken away by the flow of the transport medium for continuous collection. Flowing the transport medium liquid over a disc coated with biologic-producing microorganisms allows the radial flow bioreactor to continuously produce biologic pharmaceuticals. “There are many advantages to a radial flow bioreactor,” says Peters. “It takes minutes to switch out the disk with the biologic-producing microorganisms. While continuously producing your biologic pharmaceutical, a manufacturer could have another disk in an incubator. Once the microorganisms in the incubator have grown to completely cover the disk, flow of the transport medium liquid to the radial flow bioreactor is shut off. The disk is replaced and then the transport medium flow resumes. That’s minutes for a production changeover instead of the many hours it takes to reset a system in the batch flow process.” The Building Blocks of Biologic Pharmaceuticals Biologic pharmaceuticals are natural molecules created by genetically manipulating microorganisms, like bacteria or mammalian cells. The technology involves designing and inserting a DNA plasmid that carries genetic instructions to the cells. This genetic code is a nucleotide sequence used by the cell to create proteins capable of performing a diverse range of functions within the body. Like musical notes, each nucleotide represents specific genetic information. The arrangement of these sequences, like notes in a song, changes what the cell is instructed to do. In the same way notes can be arranged to create different musical compositions, nucleotide sequences can completely alter a cell’s behavior. Microorganisms transcribe the inserted DNA into a much smaller, mRNA coded molecule. Then the mRNA molecule has its nucleotide code translated into a chain of amino acids, forming a polypeptide that eventually folds into a protein that can act within the body. “One of the disadvantages of biologic design is the wide range of molecular conformations biological molecules can adopt,” says Peters. “Small-molecule medications, on the other hand, are typically more rigid, but difficult to design via first-principle engineering methods. A lot of my focus has been on helical peptides, like GLP-1, that are a programmable biologic pharmaceutical designed from first principles and have the stability of a small-molecule.” The stability Peters describes comes from the helical peptide’s structure, an alpha helix where the amino acid chain coils into a spiral that twists clockwise. Hydrogen bonds that occur between the peptide’s backbone creates a repeating pattern that pulls the helix tightly together to resist conformational changes. “It’s why we used it in our COVID therapeutic and makes it an excellent candidate for GLP-1 continuous production because of its relative stability,” says Peters. Programming The Cell Chemical and Life Science Engineering Assistant Professor Leah Spangler, Ph.D., is an expert at instructing cells to make specific things. Her material science background employs proteins to build or manipulate products not found in nature, like purifying rare-earth elements for use in electronics. “My lab’s function is to make proteins every day,” says Spangler. “The kind of proteins we make depends entirely on the project they are for. More specifically I use proteins to make things that don’t occur in nature. The reason proteins don’t build things like solar cells or the quantum dots used in LCD TVs is because nature is not going to evolve a solar cell or a display surface. Nature doesn’t know what either of those things are. However, proteins can be instructed to build these items, if we code them to.” Spangler is collaborating with Peters in the development of his radial flow bioreactor, specifically to engineer a microorganismal bacteria cell capable of continuously producing biologic pharmaceuticals. “We build proteins by leveraging bacteria to make them for us,” says Spangler. “It’s a well known technology. For this project, we’re hypothesizing that Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be modified to make GLP-1. Personally, I like working with E. coli because it’s a simple bacteria that has been thoroughly studied, so there’s lots of tools available for working with it compared to other cell types.” Development of the process and technique to use E. coli with the radial flow bioreactor is ongoing. “Working with Dr. Spangler has been a game changer for me,” says Peters. “She came to the College of Engineering with a background in protein engineering and an expertise with bacteria. Most of my work was in mammalian cells, so it’s been a great collaboration. We’ve been able to work together and develop this bioreactor to produce GLP-1.” Other Radial Flow Bioreactor Applications Similar to how the GLP-1 peptide has found applications beyond diabetes treatment, the radial flow bioreactor can also be used in different roles. Peters is currently exploring the reactor’s viability for harnessing solar energy. “One of the things we’ve done with the internal disc is to use it as a solar panel,” says Peters. “The disk can be a black body that absorbs light and gets warm. If you run water through the system, water also absorbs the radiation’s energy. The radial flow pattern automatically optimizes energy driving forces with fluid residence time. That makes for a very effective solar heating system. This heating system is a simple proof of concept. Our next step is to determine a method that harnesses solar radiation to create electricity in a continuous manner.” The radial flow bioreactor can also be implemented for environmental cleanup. With a disk tailored for water filtration, desalination or bioremediation, untreated water can be pushed through the system until it reaches a satisfactory level of purification. “The continuous bioreactor design is based on first principles of engineering that our students are learning through their undergraduate education,” says Peters. “The nonlinear scaling laws and performance predictions are fundamentally based. In this day of continued emphasis on empirical AI algorithms, the diminishing understanding of fundamental physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics that underlie engineering principles is a challenge. It’s important we not let first-principles and fundamental understanding be degraded from our educational mission, and projects like the radial flow bioreactor help students see these important fundamentals in action.”
Avian Flu: Understanding the Threat and Global Response
Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a highly contagious viral infection that affects birds but has the potential to spread to humans and other animals. With recent outbreaks raising concerns among health officials worldwide, understanding the origins, transmission, and potential risks of avian flu is critical for public health preparedness. The virus poses significant threats to global food supply chains, economic stability in agriculture, and pandemic prevention efforts. As governments and health agencies monitor the situation, the public must stay informed about the latest developments and protective measures. Key story angles include: Origins and Evolution of Avian Flu: How the virus emerges, mutates, and spreads among birds and humans. Public Health Risks and Prevention Measures: Assessing the likelihood of human transmission and the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments. Economic Impact on Poultry and Agriculture: How outbreaks affect food production, trade restrictions, and industry regulations. Global Response and Preparedness Efforts: What governments and health organizations are doing to contain outbreaks and prevent a pandemic. Wildlife and Environmental Factors: The role of migratory birds in spreading avian flu and the impact of climate change on disease patterns. Lessons from Past Outbreaks: Comparing the current situation to previous bird flu strains and what history teaches us about managing the threat. As concerns over avian flu grow, staying ahead of the science and policy responses will be key to safeguarding public health and economic stability worldwide. Connect with an expert about avian flu: To search our full list of experts visit www.expertfile.com
As global health systems continue to contend with emerging infectious diseases, bird flu, or avian influenza, remains a topic of critical importance due to its potential to affect both animal populations and human health. Originating from wild birds, this highly contagious virus has led to significant outbreaks among domestic poultry and occasionally crosses over to humans, raising concerns about public health and pandemic preparedness. Understanding the origins, symptoms, prevention strategies, and treatment options for bird flu is vital for mitigating its impact and safeguarding global health. Key story angles include: Origins and Spread of Avian Influenza: Investigating how the virus originates and spreads through wild bird migration and poultry farming practices. Human Health Risks and Symptoms: Exploring how bird flu affects humans, the symptoms of infection, and the conditions that facilitate zoonotic transmission. Economic and Agricultural Impacts: Examining how bird flu outbreaks impact poultry industries, trade, and food security worldwide. Prevention and Biosecurity Measures: Highlighting strategies to prevent bird flu outbreaks, including vaccination efforts, monitoring programs, and farming regulations. Treatment and Research Advances: Reviewing current treatment options, antiviral drugs, and ongoing research to develop vaccines and better therapeutic approaches. Pandemic Preparedness: Discussing the role of global health organizations in monitoring and responding to potential bird flu pandemics, including lessons learned from past outbreaks. The ongoing threat of avian influenza underscores the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, offering journalists a multifaceted issue to explore with broad public relevance. Connect with an expert about Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) and understanding Its origins, impact, and prevention: To search our full list of experts visit www.expertfile.com
#ExpertSpotlight: Mpox - are we ready?
As global health continues to navigate the challenges of infectious diseases, the re-emergence and spread of Monkeypox (now known as Mpox) underscores the ongoing threat posed by zoonotic viruses. This topic is critical not only because of its public health implications but also due to the broader issues it raises concerning global preparedness, vaccination strategies, and the socio-economic impact of outbreaks. The resurgence of Mpox, particularly in non-endemic regions, highlights the need for vigilant public health measures and cross-border cooperation to contain its spread. As the world remains focused on preventing another global health crisis, Mpox serves as a pertinent reminder of the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Key story angles include: Vaccination strategies and public health response: Explore how different countries are deploying vaccines to control Mpox, and the challenges faced in achieving widespread immunity. Global health security and disease surveillance: Investigate the effectiveness of international disease surveillance systems in detecting and responding to outbreaks like Mpox, and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of zoonotic diseases in global pandemics: Examine the origins of Mpox as a zoonotic disease, and the broader implications for how human activities are influencing the spread of diseases from animals to humans. Impact on marginalized communities: Discuss how Mpox disproportionately affects marginalized populations, including those with limited access to healthcare, and the importance of equitable health interventions. Public communication and misinformation: Analyze the role of media and public health authorities in communicating accurate information about Mpox, combating misinformation, and educating the public about prevention and treatment. Economic implications of outbreaks: Examine the economic impact of Mpox outbreaks, particularly in regions where tourism, trade, and healthcare resources are significantly affected by public health crises. By addressing these angles, journalists can provide critical insights into the multifaceted impact of Mpox on global health, public safety, and socio-economic stability, contributing to a more informed and prepared public. Connect with an expert about Mpox: To search our full list of experts visit www.expertfile.com Photo Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The EPA Cracks Down on "Forever Chemicals" in Drinking Water
For many years, toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated drinking water supplies across the United States. But in April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced major steps to rein in these stubborn "forever chemicals." In a groundbreaking move, the EPA set strict new limits on six types of PFAS that are currently present in drinking water. Permitted levels of these chemicals are now close to zero, as water suppliers will be required to reduce them to the lowest level that can possibly be measured. These are the first-ever nationwide drinking water regulations for PFAS issued by the federal government. "The EPA is asking water companies to try to get PFAS levels to zero because there's no safe level. It's very difficult to test below four parts per trillion with the equipment and the testing mechanisms we have right now, so the levels will be reduced as much as they possibly can," said Laura Anderko, PhD, co-director of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment at Villanova University's M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. So, what's driving this urgency to minimize exposure to PFAS? Our children's health is one big reason. As Dr. Anderko explains, "Children are more susceptible and vulnerable to the health impacts of PFAS because their bodies are still growing. Some of the health issues resulting from PFAS exposure are high cholesterol and a decrease in infant growth and fetal growth—so much so that there's a tendency towards low birth weight." Adults aren't spared either. PFAS has been linked to health issues including kidney cancer, liver problems and reduced antibody response from vaccines. For pregnant women, PFAS can increase the risk of high blood pressure. "These chemicals do impact pretty much every organ system of the body," Dr. Anderko said. With many different PFAS compounds used in products from fast food packaging to Band-Aids to carpeting, avoiding exposure to them can be difficult. Dr. Anderko's advice to reduce exposure is to educate yourself on what products contain PFAS and purchase alternative options when possible. She also cautions against relying solely on bottled water, which isn't necessarily safer than tap water. "We have this idea that bottled water is safe because it's packaged, but a lot of times that water is not tested, and we know for a fact that bottled water is filled with microplastics," she said. "You're better off not relying on bottled water unless you absolutely have to." Per Dr. Anderko, in the United States, chemicals can be inserted into some products without stringent testing for human health effects beforehand, so the EPA's new PFAS limits represent a major step toward putting human health first. While there is still a long road ahead to completely eliminate PFAS from our daily lives, these new regulations signal a welcome shift toward protecting public health in our country.
The countdown is on for the total solar eclipse on April 8 and Adam Frank, professor of astrophysics, science commentator, and popular author, is available to comment on: Earth's eclipses are the result of a cosmic accident! No other world has such a relatively large moon. Our Moon is the result of a titanic collision with a Mars sized planet more than 4 billion years ago. Earth is likely the only planet that experiences a solar corona/ring of fire during a total eclipse. That's because the size of the moon and the size of the sun appear to be roughly the same from Earth. The moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth so the kind of eclipses we experience are also an accident in time. Were not possible before, won't be possible later. Eclipses must have been terrifying for early humans. Learning to predict them helped establish the possibility for science. Today eclipses can be a way to help people understand and appreciate the sciences. The science surrounding the eclipse is the same science that gives us vaccines and helps us understand climate change (science is science). The "devil comet" may be visible during the eclipse. The comet passes by Earth every 71 years. The comet, which glows green and red, gets its nickname from outbursts that take on the shape of horns. Adam Frank is a frequent on-air commentator for live interviews and segments in national media outlets. He also regularly contributes to written publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Scientific American. In 2021 he received the Carl Sagan Medal, which recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public. It is awarded to scientists whose efforts have significantly contributed to a public understanding of, and enthusiasm for, planetary science. His most recent book is The Little Book of Aliens (Harper Collins, 2023).
MEDIA RELEASE: CAA Manitoba Survey Reveals Troubling Lack of Travel Insurance Preparedness
A recent member survey conducted by CAA Manitoba has unveiled concerning statistics regarding the lack of travel insurance awareness and preparedness. Despite the financial risks associated with travelling unprotected, the survey found that 38 per cent of members in Manitoba who travel don’t always purchase emergency medical travel insurance, highlighting a potential vulnerability. "In a world of uncertainties, our survey highlights a critical gap in travel preparedness among Manitobans," says Susan Postma, regional manager, CAA Manitoba. "At CAA, we believe in empowering travellers with knowledge so they can explore confidently and securely." The survey also discovered that almost a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) ventured on their last trip outside the province without any form of travel insurance, exposing themselves to potential financial burdens in case of emergencies. CAA Manitoba is launching its inaugural CAA Travel Wise Week In response to these findings, CAA Manitoba is launching its inaugural CAA Travel Wise Week to emphasize the crucial importance of travel insurance education. The campaign aims to inform and educate Manitobans on the risks of inadequate coverage and provide valuable insights into securing appropriate protection for their travel adventures. According to claims data from Orion Travel Insurance, the average cost of a medical claim has increased by 14 per cent since 2019. “Costs associated with everything from an ear infection to the use of an air ambulance have risen over the last few years due to medical inflation, underscoring the continued importance of travel insurance for life’s unexpected complications,” says Postma. As part of the CAA Travel Wise Week, CAA Manitoba has curated a list of the top ten tips to help individuals stay protected against common travel concerns: Top 10 Tips for Travel Protection: Make sure all your documentation is in order before you book. It is recommended passport renewals be completed six months before your planned trip. Your passport should still be valid six months after your travel date, as this is required in several countries. Read up on Government of Canada travel advisories for your destination. Understand the risk level associated with travel to a particular destination by checking the Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories website. Individual travel advisories remain on a country-by-country basis. Speak with your physician to discuss your travel plans. Speak to your physician to ensure you are up to date with needed travel vaccines and have them prescribe enough medication for the length of your trip. Ensure all the medication you take is packed in your carry-on and in its original bottles with labels intact. Consider purchasing travel insurance at the time of booking your trip. To lock in the best protection, book your travel insurance at the same time you book your trip. Doing so will give you the peace of mind that both you and your investment are protected. Insurance must be in place before things go wrong for you to benefit from coverage. Know the cancellation policies for everything you booked. Make sure you understand any key dates related to cancellation and changes, this includes accommodation, flights, car rentals, tours, cruises. Get to the airport early. CAA recommends arriving at the airport at least two hours before domestic flight departures and at least three for international flights. Check limits or restrictions. Travel insurance is often touted as a perk for certain credit cards but can be drastically limited to both benefits and the sum insured. Check limits or age restrictions on credit cards, employee benefits, and pensions to determine if you need additional travel insurance coverage. Stay connected. It is important to have access to trusted, up-to-date information while travelling so you can monitor changing conditions and requirements and adapt accordingly. Bookmark the Global Affairs Canada website prior to departure and check it regularly while abroad. It is also a good idea to sign up for Registration of Canadians Abroad. Find these and more information at www.caamanitoba.com/travel Note emergency contact numbers. Provide your travel agent with contact details while travelling abroad and keep all important phone numbers handy; this includes how to call for help and your travel insurance assistance phone number. Protect your ID. Make sure you have a digital version and paper version of your travel insurance wallet card, tickets to various events and attractions and even your passport. You may also want to leave a copy of important paperwork with family members or friends. For more information, visit www.caamanitoba.com/travelwise The survey was an online quantitative survey done with the CAA Members Matter Panel in Manitoba between September 22 - 29, 2023. The margin of error for a sample of this size is plus or minus 4.0% at the 95% confidence level.
MEDIA RELEASE: CAA Survey Reveals Troubling Lack of Travel Insurance Preparedness
A recent member survey conducted by CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) has unveiled concerning statistics regarding the lack of travel insurance awareness and preparedness. Despite the financial risks associated with travelling unprotected, the survey found that 40 per cent of members in Ontario who travel don’t always purchase emergency medical travel insurance, highlighting a potential vulnerability. "In a world of uncertainties, our survey highlights a critical gap in travel preparedness among Ontarians," says Kaitlynn Furse, director of corporate communications at CAA SCO. "At CAA, we believe in empowering travellers with knowledge so they can explore confidently and securely." The survey also discovered that almost a quarter of respondents (23 per cent) ventured on their last trip outside the province without any form of travel insurance, exposing themselves to potential financial burdens in case of emergencies. Additionally, 33 per cent of people who travel with travel insurance relied on the coverage provided by their credit cards, raising concerns about coverage limitations, especially for those over 65. CAA SCO is launching its inaugural CAA Travel Wise Week In response to these findings, CAA SCO is launching its inaugural CAA Travel Wise Week to emphasize the crucial importance of travel insurance education. The campaign aims to inform and educate Ontarians on the risks associated with inadequate coverage and provide valuable insights into securing appropriate protection for their travel adventures. According to claims data from Orion Travel Insurance, the average cost of a medical claim has increased by 14 per cent since 2019. “Costs associated with everything from an ear infection to the use of an air ambulance have risen over the last few years due to medical inflation, underscoring the continued importance of travel insurance for life’s unexpected complications,” says Furse. As part of CAA Travel Wise Week, CAA SCO has curated a list of the top ten tips to help individuals stay protected against common travel concerns: Top 10 Tips for Travel Protection: Make sure all your documentation is in order before you book. It is recommended passport renewals be completed six months before your planned trip. Your passport should still be valid six months after your travel date, as this is required in several countries. Read up on Government of Canada travel advisories for your destination. Understand the risk level associated with travel to a particular destination by checking the Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories website. Individual travel advisories remain on a country-by-country basis. Speak with your physician to discuss your travel plans. Speak to your physician to ensure you are up to date with needed travel vaccines and have them prescribe enough medication for the length of your trip. Ensure all the medication you take is packed in your carry-on and in its original bottles with labels intact. Consider purchasing travel insurance at the time of booking your trip. To lock in the best protection, book your travel insurance at the same time you book your trip. Doing so will give you the peace of mind that both you and your investment are protected. Insurance must be in place before things go wrong for you to benefit from coverage. Know the cancellation policies for everything you booked. Make sure you understand any key dates related to cancellation and changes, this includes accommodation, flights, car rentals, tours, cruises. Get to the airport early. CAA recommends arriving at the airport at least two hours before domestic flight departures and at least three for international flights. Check limits or restrictions. Travel insurance is often touted as a perk for certain credit cards but can be drastically limited to both benefits and the sum insured. Check limits or age restrictions on credit cards, employee benefits, and pensions to determine if you need additional travel insurance coverage. Stay connected. It is important to have access to trusted, up-to-date information while travelling so you can monitor changing conditions and requirements and adapt accordingly. Bookmark the Global Affairs Canada website prior to departure and check it regularly while abroad. It is also a good idea to sign up for Registration of Canadians Abroad. Find these and more information at www.caasco.com/travel. Note emergency contact numbers. Provide your travel agent with contact details while travelling abroad and keep all important phone numbers handy; this includes how to call for help and your travel insurance assistance phone number. Protect your ID. Make sure you have a digital version and paper version of your travel insurance wallet card, tickets to various events and attractions and even your passport. You may also want to leave a copy of important paperwork with family members or friends. For more information, visit www.caasco.com/travelwise The survey was an online quantitative survey done with the CAA Members Matter Panel in Ontario between September 22 - 29, 2023. The margin of error for a sample of this size is plus or minus 1.6% at the 95% confidence level.
Dangerous new COVID variant could overwhelm hospitals, weaken immunity
Two new studies have found that the new COVID variant BA.2.86 could lead to more severe diseases than other Omicron variants. Jennifer Horney, one of the leading experts on the COVID-19 pandemic, can discuss the new variant and its potential impact on the healthcare system. Horney, professor and founding director of the University of Delaware's epidemiology program, made the following points: There are spikes now in all respiratory infections across the U.S. High rates of COVID-19 and seasonal infuenza especially among children and older adults could stress healthcare systems. New subvariants of COVID-19 could be severe. High hospitalization rates are occurring in countries with far higher vaccination rates in the US, perhaps due to reduced immunity. We need to continue to track new variants and focus on developing updated vaccines. Continued mutations will mean less protection from infection among those who have prior infections and vaccinations. To set up an interview, visit Horney's profile and click on the contact button.
