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Findings point to potential new therapeutic targets for this highly aggressive, drug-resistant breast cancer subtype In breakthrough research at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, scientists have discovered that a protein secreted by tumor cells can switch off the body’s natural defenses against triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The study, led by Jennifer Sims-Mourtada, Ph.D., lead research scientist at the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research (CTCR), at the Graham Cancer Center, is reported in The Journal of Translational Medicine, available online. “What we found is that TNBC tumor cells can effectively shut down the body’s defense systems against the tumor by secreting a type of protein called IL-10,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. “The presence of this immune system protein forces the antibodies that would normally be created to attack the tumor to become non-reactive and not do what they are supposed to do.” The study was initiated in partnership with The Wistar Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the late Raj “Shyam” Somasundaram, Ph.D., a cell biologist at the Melanoma Research Center. “Dr. Sims-Mourtada and her team have brought us tantalizingly close to understanding what drives the aggressive nature of triple negative breast cancer, a treatment-starved disease that disproportionately affects Delaware women,” said Nicholas J. Petrelli, M.D., Bank of America endowed medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. “Their work underscores our belief that scientific collaborations such as this one between our Cawley CTCR clinicians and Wistar scientists can smooth the way for new findings to become effective therapies, especially for hard-to-treat and aggressive forms of cancer like TNBC.” Understanding the mechanism behind TNBC Delaware ranks highest in the nation for incidence of triple negative breast cancer. TNBC is an aggressive form that affects Black women at twice the rate of white women with poorer outcomes. Patients have higher rates of early recurrence than other breast cancer subtypes, particularly in the first five years after diagnosis. Currently there is no targeted therapy for TNBC. “One of our missions within the Cawley CTCR is to understand the mechanisms behind TNBC and find a treatment for it,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. “Our study sheds new light on what is prompting the body’s immune response to the cancer cells and offers clues to potential new therapeutic targets.” Normally it is the job of the B cells to regulate the immune response against foreign invaders like cancer. Among other jobs, they control inflammation at the site of an attack by releasing proteins including IL-10 to signal the defender cells to stand down. “Previously it was thought that the immune cells were the ones to express IL-10 to regulate themselves,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. “But our study shows that the tumor cells also release this protein, which means they are driving how the immune system behaves.” Within the tumor microenvironment, IgG4 is one of four antibody subclasses expressed and secreted by B cells. Whereas another type of antibody would urge the immune system to press on with the attack, activation of IgG4 signals the job is done. TNBC and activation of IgG4 “Our findings support that TNBC may create a tumor environment that supports activation of IgG4, and messaging from IL10 is triggering the switch,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. As previously reported with other cancers, such as melanoma, this study confirms that the presence of IgG4-positive B cells within the tumor associates with advanced disease increased recurrence and poor overall breast cancer survival. It is also possible that IL-10 expression by tumor cells may also be a cause of poor outcomes in TNBC, and this may be independent of IgG4+ B cells. “At this point, we don’t know what causes tumor cells to start secreting IL-10, but we know that B cell-tumor cell interactions are involved,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. “We still have to look at what is really going on in the B cell population to determine which subtypes of B cells are affected by this tumor crosstalk and why some forms of TNBC express IL-10 (the ones with poor outcomes) and others do not. “We think that the presence or absence of other immune cells in the microenvironment may affect how B cells interact with tumor cells to drive IL-10 expression,” she said. Resources for the study, including blood and tissue samples from consenting patients, were obtained through the Graham Cancer Center’s Tissue Procurement program. Interestingly, in a small subset of samples, the researchers found that IL-10 expression was significantly higher in Black patients than non-Hispanic white patients. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger more diverse population with different TNBC subtypes. Understanding tumor-infiltrating B cells “Our growing understanding of the contribution of IgG4+ cells to the immune microenvironment of TNBC and what drives IL-10 expression may reveal ways in which tumor-infiltrating B cells can contribute to tumor growth and provide new targets to increase the immune response to TNBC,” Dr. Sims-Mourtada said. As partners for more than a decade, Graham Cancer Center research clinicians and Wistar scientists collaborate across disciplines to translate cancer research into more effective therapies for patients everywhere. In addition to providing high-quality, viable tissue samples for Wistar research studies, Graham Cancer Center clinicians actively participate in concept development, sharing their unique understanding of the everyday patient experience.
Leo Quinn says transport, defence and energy projects are set to benefit from potential government-funded boom The UK Government has committed £4.8bn for infrastructure investment in towns across the country Balfour Beatty is working on a number of projects including Hinkley Point C and HS2. A decade of UK ‘infrastructure growth’ has been predicted by Balfour Beatty CEO and Aston University visiting professor, Leo Quinn, as the construction industry gets ready for a potential boom following financial commitments from the Government. £4.8bn has been promised for infrastructure investment in towns across the country and £26bn for public capital investment to hit emissions targets as part of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda to raise living standards in regions outside of London. Leo Quinn said: “If you start to look at infrastructure and you look at either HS2, you look at nuclear - in terms of defence nuclear or civil nuclear - you look at the green agenda . . . we are entering into an era of 10 years of infrastructure growth. “I think the future looks very optimistic.” Balfour Beatty, the UK’s largest construction group, is working on a number of projects, including Hinkley Point C, the first new nuclear power station built in the UK in more than 20 years, and HS2, the high-speed rail link between London and the north of England. Overall, the UK group and French construction company Vinci have secured about £6bn in HS2 projects as part of a joint venture. This includes a £5bn civil engineering contract for the stretch of HS2 between Warwickshire and Staffordshire and a £1bn construction management deal for Old Oak Common station in north London, alongside engineering group Systra. The group was also awarded a £52m contract to deliver ‘environmental works’ across the HS2 route from the West Midlands to Crewe, creating new habitats along this 64km section of track.
Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment officially launches new £2.8m MRI scanner
A new £2.8 million MRI scanner has been unveiled at Aston University. The showcase took place in Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment on Monday 25 April. The event was attended by Aston University Interim Vice-Chancellor Saskia Loer Hansen and other members of the University executive team, together with academic researchers in the University’s College of Health and Life Sciences. After an official ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Institute co-directors Professor Jackie Blissett and Professor Gavin Woodhall, guests were invited to take a tour of the new MRI scanner facilities where imaging researchers were on hand to showcase and discuss their research for which the new MRI scanner is a vital facility. Interim Vice-Chancellor Saskia Loer Hansen said: “I am delighted that Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment is home to this state-of-the-art facility. Having a new MRI scanner on our campus will not only enable our scientists to undertake their neuroimaging research, but will also benefit so many patients in the region who urgently need this facility as part of their medical treatment. “Our new MRI scanner further highlights the world-class research that our scientists are undertaking at Aston University.” The new Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3T MRI scanner was installed over a period of four months starting in November 2021, including the work undertaken to remove the old machine from the building. The scanner has been made ‘child friendly’ with suitable images and the room which hosts the scanner has a wall mural of cherry blossom trees. The new MRI scanner will enhance the world-class neuroimaging research facilities within the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment and support the development of the next generation of researchers. Professor Jackie Blissett, co-director of Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, said: “The new MRI scanner will enhance the world-class neuroimaging research facilities within the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment. It will allow us to answer the questions that matter to children and young people, their families and the services that support them.” Aston University researchers use advanced neuroimaging techniques to examine brain health in children with neurological diseases and developmental disorders and are developing a research programme focused on children and young people to deliver a new understanding of development, disorder and disease and the interventions that will make a difference. The new scanner will also enable the Institute to provide the most recent innovations in MRI for patients visiting through the clinical service Aston University Imaging. Patients visiting for MRI scans come through private referrals, as well as from local institutions such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Aston Villa Football Club.
Disney, DeSantis, and Corporate Dilemmas
The Florida state legislature recently voted to end the Walt Disney Co.’s special tax district, which has permitted the Orlando amusement park to govern its land and save millions each year in taxes. The decision followed a clash between Disney executives and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over recent legislation that prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for children in kindergarten through Grade 3. UConn's Professor Robert Bird, the Eversource Energy Chair in Business Ethics and past president of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, sat down with UConn Today to talk about clash between the corporation and Florida government as well as the implications for other companies that may be facing similar moral and ethical dilemmas: Q: There are so many layers to this story, from taxation to self-governance, political power to human rights. What strikes you as most significant? From one perspective, this is a debate over the role of LGBTQ+ education in schools. From another perspective, this raises the broader issue of the implications of private companies speaking and acting on matters of public policy. Corporations can no longer remain neutral or silent on major issues facing American society. Consumers, employees, shareholders, and the public are increasingly expecting companies to take a stand on controversies that matter to them. Just as some companies are being punished for not severing their relationships with Russia, because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, so are companies like Disney expected to speak out against public policies that contradict the values of its stakeholders. Q: Why does Disney play an important role in this issue? Disney is an important participant in the underlying “Don’t Say Gay” dispute. Disney has a powerful public brand and takes care to cultivate a family-friendly image worldwide. Disney has also been a long-standing leader in supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Disney has provided health benefits to same-sex partners since 1995, and allowed “Gay Days” at Walt Disney World since 1991. Public opinion was more hostile toward LGBTQ+ rights then, and Disney stood by its values even with the ensuing controversy. For Disney to “stand down” when so many people were advocating for Disney’s support in opposition to the bill, would have eroded its long-standing support of gay rights generally. Q: What message does this send to other CEOs who might be caught in a moral, ethical, or environmental debate with government leaders? The message sent to other companies is that politicians will not remain idle if a company opposes favored legislation or enters the sphere of public debate. Firms need to walk a fine line between standing up for their values and eroding relationships with political leaders. This is an important story, and if you're a reporter looking to know more or would like to schedule and interview with Professor Bird, then let us help. Click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Will tourism bounce back as the Sunshine State gets ready for a post-COVID return?
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the globe, leaving few industries untouched in its wake. Florida’s tourism industry was hit particularly hard, with resorts shuttered and millions of visitors to the Sunshine State canceling their vacation plans. In fact, it’s estimated Walt Disney World lost more than $7 billion in 2020, all because of COVID. But with Florida back open and visitors returning, what's next for hospitality and tourism? And how will organizations handle staffing, pricing, inflation and other issues? If you are a journalist looking to cover the tourism sector in Florida, let us help. Peter Ricci is a clinical associate professor and director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program in FAU’s College of Business. He is a hospitality industry veteran with more than 20 years of managerial experience in segments including food service, lodging, incentive travel and destination marketing. Peter is available to speak with the media. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Aston University launches community project to promote healthy lives in East Birmingham
The Knowledge Exchange project is led by Aston University with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Citizens UK It aims to identify local barriers that lead to poor health outcomes A total of £6,390 has been awarded to five projects to support local residents. Aston University and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Citizens UK, have launched a community project to identify local barriers that lead to poor health outcomes. Dr Céline Benoit (Sociology and Policy), Dr Alexis Paton (Sociology and Policy), Dr Angela Jeffery (RKE) and Aisha Masood (RKE) have been leading on the Knowledge Exchange project in East Birmingham to help improve health and wellbeing. On 17 March, the team hosted the first community sandpit at Aston University, where a number of community-led organisations and charities came together to identify small-scale projects to support local residents and promote healthy lives. A total of £6,390 was awarded to five projects which will submit a report by 31 July 2022 and meet again in the autumn to share their journeys with each other as well as representatives from the NHS and Birmingham City Council. Dr Céline Benoit, associate dean for public engagement for the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said: “It was such a privilege to host a community sandpit at Aston University and have the NHS and local organisations talk to one another and come up with joint projects to help promote health and wellbeing in East Birmingham. “It was truly inspiring to see how many brilliant projects were put forward. “It not only helped us get a better understanding of the challenges local residents face when it comes to health and accessing healthcare services, but it was also a great reminder of how much we can achieve when we work collaboratively”.
What the CDC's Updated Developmental Guidelines Mean for Parents
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revamped their developmental guidelines for children for the first time in years, allowing parents to know earlier if their kids may be experiencing any delays. Villanova University nursing professor Michelle Kelly, PhD, CRNP, CNE, recently commented on the new guidelines: "The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in response to birth provider and parent input, took a critical look at existing developmental milestones tools and handouts. Surveillance and handouts are typically parent facing items that can be used to determine if a child is meeting age-expected developmental targets." "That is in contrast to screening which is more structured, based on the surveillance but done by a primary care provider and used for referral for services, and evaluation which is done by a developmental specialist with the intent to diagnosis." "The CDC and AAP have done a thorough overhaul of developmental milestone surveillance (as opposed to screening and evaluation) to attempt to make the milestones 'evidence-based' and where possible norm-referenced." "Another major change is that the milestones are set for greater than 75%, rather than 50%. This means they are targets that 75% of children that age would have met. This eliminates phrases in the previous milestones that were confusing, such as a child 'may begin' a task at one age, but also should be doing it at the next age." "Perhaps the biggest win for children born preterm and others at risk for developmental delays is the 75% expectation virtually eliminates the 'wait and see' that occurred when the expectation was that 50% of children would exhibit a skill at that age. This means that families who have concerns, or whose children are not meeting the age-appropriate milestones, should be more readily referred for evaluation and intervention." "Additionally, an increased emphasis is placed, compared to the previous version, on open-ended questions to elicit parent concerns and ways for families to promote age-appropriate development."
In High Frequency Trading, Every Nanosecond Counts!
In the financial world of high frequency trading, high-performance computers are duking it out in real time to score on instantaneous profit opportunities that appear and vanish in the blink of an eye. According to Bob Laliberte, Senior Analyst at ESG Global, "It’s critical for HFT organizations to eliminate potential network latencies from the start, by employing advanced, next-generation network platforms that leverage intent-based logic, ultra-low latency (ULL), high availability, and ease of management." Networking giants like Cisco are very aware of this need, and that knowledge fueled their 2020 acquisition of Exablaze, a company specializing in the design and manufacture of devices that can deliver ultra-low latency network performance. "Clearly, this technology infusion will enable a next-generation platform and enhance Cisco’s solid domain expertise in the financial sector", said Laliberte. Delivering near "instantaneous" trading will require a next generation physical network designed to deliver highly predictable end-to-end bandwidth featuring ultra-low latency. "Zero-hop" network designs such as AcceleRoute can achieve this through a bufferless architecture that delivers ultra-low latency approaching that of direct links while eliminating congestion in the network core.
Aston University experts to co-chair The Spring Servitization Conference 2022
The Conference is dedicated to understanding how organisations can develop and adapt their business models through servitization and advances services The theme is Achieving Net-Zero through Servitization and it will be held in Florence, Italy on 9 and 10 May Professor Tim Baines and Dr Ali Z. Bigdeli, from the Advanced Services Group at Aston University, will be co-chairs. Two Aston University experts are set to co-chair a major conference around servitization in Italy in May. Professor Tim Baines and Dr Ali Z. Bigdeli, from the Advanced Services Group (ASG) at Aston University, will be co-chairs alongside Professor Mario Rapaccini (University of Florence), Professor Nicola Saccani and Dr Federico Adrodegari (both University of Brescia) while Jill Forrest (also ASG) will be conference administrator. The Spring Servitization Conference (SSC) was first launched more than 10 years ago at Aston University in Birmingham. It was created to build and formalise a research community around the topic of servitization, and to understand how organisations can develop and adapt their business models through servitization and advances services. Servitization is a term used to describe the process through which a business transitions from selling products alone to selling a combination of product and service, and ultimately outcomes. The theme of the 2022 edition of the conference will be Achieving Net-Zero through Servitization and will be held at Istituto degli Innocenti in Florence on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 May. The event will bring together the world’s leading researchers, practitioners and doctoral students to debate and engage with the theory and practice of servitization. Professor Tim Baines, executive director of The Advanced Services Group at Aston University and co-chair The Spring Servitization Conference 2022, said: “Servitization has already helped to transform the fortunes of many UK manufacturing businesses and I am looking forward to showcasing what it can do for businesses abroad too. “SSC2022 will follow the now established format of a single stream where all contributors have an opportunity to present to the whole conference audience and engage in both structured and semi-structured panel sessions to discuss their work. “The programme is designed to encourage extensive debate and bridge research theory and industrial practice. “We have some fantastic keynote speeches from senior executives at leading manufacturing businesses including Tim Foreman, European R&D manager, OMRON Europe and Paolo Mauri, Electrolux Professional.” You can find out more about The Spring Servitization Conference 2022 here.
The research looked into the means for achieving higher sustainability performance through circular economy adoption The project was led by Professor Prasanta Dey and Professor Pawan Budhwar from Aston Business School Data was gathered from around 100 SMEs from Greece, France, Spain and the UK. New findings from an Aston University-led study have found Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are likely to achieve higher environmental performance through circular economy (CE) adoption. CE is a systemic approach to economic development designed to benefit businesses, society, and the environment. In contrast to the 'take-make-waste' linear model, a circular economy is regenerative by design and aims to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources. The project was led by Professor Prasanta Dey and Professor Pawan Budhwar from Aston Business School along with Soumyadeb Chowdhury (Toulouse Business School), Krishnendu Saha (Birmingham City University), Debashree De (University of Essex) and Chrysovalantis Malesios (Agricultural University of Athens). Data was gathered from around 100 SMEs from each of the four selected countries – Greece, France, Spain and the UK using a survey to study the current state of CE adoption, and subsequently, focus groups were organised which involved SMEs owners and managers, policymakers, SMEs' customers and suppliers, in each country to derive means for improving sustainability performance. The study reveals that SMEs in all the participating countries are likely to achieve higher environmental performance through CE adoption. SMEs in France were likely to achieve higher overall sustainability performance than other participating countries. It also found products, processes and facilities design is likely to help SMEs most in all the participating countries to adopt CE, while their waste management all needed improvement. Professor Budhwar, head of Aston Business School, said: “Although from prior research there is evidence of SMEs achieving superior environmental performance by adopting CE, economic and social performances are not assured. This motivated us to undertake empirical research to reveal the means for achieving higher sustainability performance (economic, environmental, and social) through CE adoption”. “The findings of this research enable us to continue CE adoption not only in other European countries but also in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Kenya”. Professor Dey, a professor in operations and information management at Aston Business School, said: “SMEs in the EU countries are likely to have sustainable design practices aligned with the CE philosophy. On the contrary, SMEs in the participating countries are likely to have worst recover function. “This implies that customers' pressure works for SMEs to adopt CE principles as design function in most of the SMEs' businesses is governed by SMEs' customers. Whereas effective recover function depends on SMEs' self-motivation and policymakers’ pressure.” “CE adoption needs a structured approach of analysing current state of CE through analysing correlation of organisational value functions with sustainability performance, identifying issues and challenges, and suggesting means for improvement across value functions.” You can read the full report here.
