Historically, most large-scale immunogenomic studies those exploring the association between genes and disease were conducted with a bias toward individuals of European ancestry. Corey T. Watson, assistant professor in the University of Louisville Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, is leading a call to actively diversify the genetic resources he and fellow immunogenomics researchers use in their work to advance genomic medicine more equitably.

Watson, along with UofL post-doctoral fellow Oscar Rodriguez, and visiting fellow Yana Safonova, are part of an international group of researchers who say the narrow studies limit their ability to identify variation in human adaptive immune responses across populations.

We need to better understand how genetics influences immune system function by studying population cohorts that better represent the diversity observed across the globe if we are to fully understand disease susceptibility, as well as design more tailored treatments and preventative measures, Watson said.

In an article published in Nature Methods, Diversity in immunogenomics: the value and the challenge, the group advocates for resources used in immunogenomics research to actively include and specifically identify additional populations and minority groups. They say such diversity will make their research more relevant and help in understanding population and ancestry-specific gene-associated disease, leading to improvements in patient care.

As scientists, we have a say in which populations are investigated. Therefore, it is critical for us to be actively inclusive of individuals representative of the world we live in. This is especially critical for genes that are as diverse and clinically relevant as those that encode antibodies and T cell receptors, Rodriguez said.

Watsons research focuses on immune function and molecular genetics. His team is studying a specific area of the genetic code that controls antibody function to better understand how differences in an individuals genes determine their susceptibility to certain diseases or immune responses to vaccines.

In collaboration with Melissa Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, the team is conducting the largest sequencing efforts of the antibody gene regions in humans and in animal models, Watson said.

Specifically in humans, we are working to build catalogs of genetic variation in samples from multiple ethnic backgrounds and are engaged in projects that seek to understand how this genetic variation influences the immune response in infection, vaccination and other disease contexts, he said.

Watson is involved in efforts to improve the resources and data standards for antibody and T cell receptor genes for immunogenomics researchers around the world.

The article in Nature Methods was co-authored by researchers from the United States, Canada, Norway, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Africa, Nigeria, Chile, Peru, China, Japan, Taiwan and French Polynesia with expertise in biomedical and translational research, population and public health genetics, health disparities and computational biology as well as immunogenomics.

Read more here:
UofL researchers lead the call to increase genetic diversity in immunogenomics - uoflnews.com

Flies have discriminating taste. Like a gourmet perusing a menu, they spend much of their time seeking sweet nutritious calories and avoiding bitter, potentially toxic food. But what happens in their brains when they make these food choices?

Yale researchers discovered an interesting way to find out. They tricked them.

In a study that could also help illuminate how people make food choices, the researchers gave hungry fruit flies the choice between sweet, nutritious food laced with bitter quinine and a less sweet, but not bitter, food containing fewer calories. Then, using neuroimaging, they tracked neural activity in their brains as they made these tough choices.

So which won? Calories or better taste?

It depends on how hungry they are, said Michael Nitabach,professor of cellular and molecular physiology, genetics, and neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the study.The hungrier they are, the more likely they will tolerate bitter taste to obtain more calories.

But the real answer to how flies make these decisions is a little more complex, according to the study published July 5 in the journal Nature Communications.

According to the research team, led by Preeti Sareen, associate research scientist at Yale, flies relay sensory information to a portion of their brain called the fan-shaped body, where signals are integrated, triggering what amounts to the insect version of an executive decision. The researchers found that patterns of neuronal activity in the fan-shaped body change adaptively when novel food choices are introduced, which dictates the flys decision over what food to eat.

But researchers went a step further. And things got even stranger. They found they could change a flys choice by manipulating neurons in areas of the brain that feed into the fan-shaped body. For example, when they caused a decrease in activity in the neurons involved in metabolism, they found that it made hungry flies choose the lower calorie food.

It is one big feedback loop, not just top-down decision making, Nitabach said.

And this is where there are connections to food choices of humans, he said. Neural activity in both a flys brain and a humans brain are regulated by the secretion of neuropeptides and the neurotransmitter dopamine, which in humans helps regulate sensations of reward. Changes in this network may alter how the brain responds to different types of food. In other words, neurochemistry may sometimes dictate food choices we think we are making consciously.

The study provides a template to understand how it is that things like hunger and internal emotional states influence our behavior, Nitabach said.

Sareen and Li Yan McCurdy, a graduate student at Yale School of Medicine, are co-authors of the paper.

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More filling? Tastes great? How flies, and maybe people, choose their food - Yale News

Datar Cancer Genetics

NASHIK, India (PRWEB) July 04, 2021

"This association will assist patients within the Iylon system to avail genomic solutions offered by the Datar group. Our passion and commitment to deliver best-in-class, genomic-based personalized cancer treatment recommendations has resulted in developing an unparalleled range of blood and tissue-based diagnostics for clinicians and patients," said Dr Vineet Datta, Executive Director, Datar Cancer Genetics. "This partnership will support clinicians to interpret genomic information and facilitate personalized cancer treatment through comprehensive interrogation of cancer genomics."

Iylons clinical advisors are globally renowned experts in Precision Oncology and together with Iylons own in-house experts and Datars diagnostic tools, patients can look forward to best chance at being cancer-free.

About Iylon Precision Oncology

Iylon Precision Oncology has partnered with pioneers in the field of Oncology to review clinical and genomic information and provide individualized, evidence-based optimal treatment plan for each patient. This flagship service is geared towards top global experts in Radiology, Pathology, Molecular Oncology, Medical Oncology, and Cancer Genomics, team up to discuss and offer their recommendations. Iylons virtual consultations will provide personalized, evidence-based, optimal precision treatment recommendations for cancer patients.

About Datar Cancer Genetics

Datar Cancer Genetics is a leading cancer research corporation specializing in non-invasive techniques for better diagnosis, treatment decisions, and management of cancer. Datar Cancer Genetics has a state of art, College of American Pathologists (CAP), CLIA, ISO15189, ISO9001 and ISO27001 accredited molecular genomic facility at India with a staff strength over 250, in addition to a state-of-the-art lab facility in the United Kingdom. Our team of scientists, clinicians and experts, based out of the United Kingdom, Germany and India, help facilitate our technologies for better cancer management

Contact: Dr Vineet Datta - drvineetdatta@datarpgx.com

Website datarpgx.com

Contact: Dr. Padmaja Ganapathy - contact@iylon.com

Websitehttp://www.iylon.com

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Datar Cancer Genetics joins hands with US based Iylon Precision Oncology to offer personalized Precision Oncology cancer treatment solutions - PR Web

"We believe CEA will be fuelled by the diversity of crops. We need to focus on products for consumers and food producers, looking forward to other stable crops we can produce. We have to break the perception of what can be grown and what cannot be grown in CEA as we believe it's the future of growing crops, sustainably and locally," says Jaime Guerrero with consultancy firm Accenture.

Last week he joined the Indoor AgTech panel on the pathway to competitive production. During the panel, it became clear that several growers are looking into ways to diversify their crops.

Unusual cropsThe panel session, lead by Jaime Guerrero with Accenture, was joined by growers, such as David Freidenberg the CEO of Saffron Tech (Israel) and David Soo the CEO of Australian Vanilla Plantation (AU), that are already growing unusual products. Also, other growers are looking to find a unique position in the market, but not specifically with rare products.

Mark Tester, Co-Founder and CSO of Red Sea Farms (UAE), said that genetics is absolutely essential in order to improve plants and make them profitable in the long run. Red Sea Farms is turning salt-tolerant plants into salt-tolerant plants crops. Currently, the company is growing tomatoes but is moving into cucumbers soon as, Mark shared.

According to Sam Norton, founder of Heron Farms (US), many CEA companies were running into the same problems in the beginning but didnt tell. "We wont be going away from leafy greens as fast as predicted, I think its leveraging the whole CEA community."

The panelists

David Soo added that when talking about rare spices, the market has to look at where the costs come through. With vanilla, its the number of crops that go into a cubic meter. Resulting in 20% more cubic meters in the Vanilla Dome Greenhouse in comparison to a regular greenhouse. "Its important to get the right yield density- and volume for each cubic meter you have to manage.

Overall, David Freidenberg thinks that its going to be a lot of AI, machine learning using data to succeed in vertical farming. We have to leverage the knowledge we have today, implementing it into this business.

Growing vanilla in a hybrid solutionDavid Soo said that "Vanilla is the second spice in the world. However, naturally grown (open field) vanilla only satisfies 2% of the world's demand." As a result of a brainstorming session during a dinner, David said to have come up with his 'Vanilla Dome greenhouse' which is a hybrid-growing solution, where high volumes of vanilla are produced.

According to David, every dome greenhouse holds 200 vines that are growing to 20m. The company targets to grow 4km of vines of which 1 tonne of beans can be yielded, two harvests a year.

Saltwater as a resourceHeron Farms is a saltwater farm, combining seawater and carbon dioxide into a useful product, helophytes. "We brought the system indoors by growing vertically, controlling the photoperiod and the salinity of the irrigation water," noted Sam Norton.

It's solving two major environmental problems; excess carbon dioxide and excess seawater. As a result of combining these, the farm has multiple outputs; food, fresh water and salt. "We're not reinventing any models, but we're following the models that have worked already," Sam affirmed.

In order for the tomato plants to grow, the salinity tolerance of plants is increased. "We're using molecular genetics, biology to accelerate salt-tolerant plants in CEA," noted Mark Tester.

At Red Sea Farms salt-tolerant tomato plants are grown in a CEA greenhouse using saltwater resources. Their produce is sold around Saudi Arabia, whereas, according to Ryan Lefers, the company is planning to expand throughout Saudi Arabia and plans to enter the UAE.

Challenging the saffron marketSaffron Tech is growing saffron in vertical farms, to challenge the traditional agriculture market. Allowing for more sustainable growth of saffron year-round at a solid price. Normally, saffron is very expensive in terms of labor and its fragility given its stems that can easily break. "We'll start to launch our first commercial vertical farm soon, ready for sales to retailers," says David Freidenberg.

The shape of the dome works more efficiently than a rectangular as there's better airflow and humidity. David Soo adds, "All we have to do is help it along with a few fans. We can grow tropical plants in subtropical areas."

For more information:

Australian Vanilla PlantationDavid Soo, CEOdsoo@vanillaplantation.com.au

AccentureJaime Guerrerowww.accenture.com

Red Sea FarmsMark Tester, Co-Founder and CSO https://redseafarms.com

SaffronTechDavid Freidenberg, CEO http://www.saffron-tech.ag

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Mapping a pathway to competitive production - hortidaily.com - hortidaily.com

Straits Research Latest 2021 Report: The Global Genomics Report represents a comprehensive study on the Genomics industry including current trends and status.

The report can help to understand the market in-depth and strategize for business expansion accordingly in the future. In the strategic analysis process, it gives insights from marketing channel and market positioning to potential growth strategies, providing in-depth analysis for new entrants or exists competitors in the Genomics Market now and in the future.

The genomics market was valued at USD 17,500 million in 2019 and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period, 20202029.

Aimed to offers the most segmented consumption and sales data of downstream consumption fields and competitive landscape in various regions and countries around the globe, this report analyses the latest market data from the primary and secondary authoritative sources also.

Genomics is the science of studying an organisms genomes and its interaction with a variety of signals. The field of genomics has seen substantial growth in terms of technological advancements that have encourageda better understanding of genomes and their immediate environment and techniques.

Conventional genome editing technologies are inefficient, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and have limited capacity. However, the advent of CRISPR / Cas9 nuclease, ZFN, and TALEN gene-editing technologies is positioned to solve these issues by facilitating easy and accurate editing of genomes.

Market Key Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities:

On the contrary, technological advancements are expected to open lucrative opportunities for the market players in the future.

Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 on Genomics Market:

COVID-19 is a unique global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry in the world, and the long-term effects are predicted to influence the industry growth during the estimated period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the enclosure of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward.

The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of present market forces, and the significant involvements of governments. The updated study offers market insights, industry analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.

Global Genomics Market is Segmented Based Segmentation and Region.

By Product- Instruments and Software, Consumables and Reagents.By Services- Core Genomics Services, DNA Sequencing services, Biomarker Translation Services, Computational Services.By Application- Functional Genomics, Mutational Analysis, Microarray Analysis, Epigenetics.By End-User- Clinical and Research Laboratories, Academics and Government Institutes, Hospitals and Clinics, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies

Reasons to Buy this Report:

Company Profiles of Genomics Market:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Genomics Market, including 23andMe, Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Myriad Genetics, Inc., Foundation Medicine, Inc., Danaher, Pacific Biosciences, Illumina, Inc., Stratos Genomics, Inc., Qiagen, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, BGI

Table of Contents of Genomics Market:

Study Coverage: It includes key vendors covered, key market segments, the scope of products offered in the global Flanged Heaters market, years considered, and study objectives. Additionally, it touches on the segmentation study offered in the report on the basis of the market segments.

Executive Summary: It gives an overview of key studies of industry, market growth rate, competitive landscape, key restraints, market drivers, key trends, and industry issues, swot analysis, and macroscopic indicators of the market.

Production by Region: Here, the report offers information regarding to import and export details, production, revenue, market sales, and key vendors of all regional markets studied.

Profile of Manufacturers: Every vendor profiled in this section is studied on the basis of SWOT analysis, their products, market production, value, capacity, and other vital factors.

About Us:

StraitsResearch.com is a leading market research and market intelligence organization, specializing in research, analytics, and advisory services along with providing business insights & market research reports.

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Email: sales@straitsresearch.comAddress: 825 3rd Avenue, New York, NY, USA, 10022Tel: +1 6464807505, +44 203 318 2846Website: https://straitsresearch.com/

List of Similar Industry Reports:

Human Genetics Market: Information by Type (Cytogenetics, Prenatal Genetics, Molecular Genetics), End-Users (Research Center, Hospital, Forensic Laboratories), Region Forecast Till 2029 | Straits Research

https://straitsresearch.com/report/human-genetics-market/

Genome Editing Market: Information by Product (CRISPR, TALEN, ZFN), Application (Cell Line Engineering, Animal Genetic Engineering), End-User, and Region Forecast till 2029 | Straits Research

https://straitsresearch.com/report/genome-editing-market/

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Global Genomics Market | Rising Incidence of Chronic and Genetic Diseases are Key Factors to Grow Market During 2021-2029 | 23andMe, Agilent...

Danielle Lloyd is finally expecting a baby girl after having four sons.

The 37 year old mum is expecting her fifth child and revealed she used a method called The Babydust Method in a bid to try and encourage a natural sex selection.

Danielle, who is married to husband Michael O'Neill with whom she shares 3-year-old Ronnie, as well as sons, Archie, 10, Harry, nine, and George, seven, with ex-husband Jamie OHara, has been open in the past about her plans to travel abroad to undergo IVF using sex selection.

However Covid and travel restrictions put an end to the couple's plans to undergo IVF in a bid to finally have their much longed for daughter and Danielle instead put her faith in a famed natural sex selection method.

Danielle revealed she had followed the book "to a T" for several months and after having a miscarriage last year finally got pregnant again, finding out it was a girl last month.

The Babydust Method, a guide to conceiving a girl or a boy, was written by Kathryn Taylor, who devised the method and successfully used it to have a son in 2012, followed by a girl in 2014.

Kathryn, who has a degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles, then released the now famous book of her method in 2016.

Boasting a success rate of 94%, the method uses both the timing and frequency of sex to sway the odds in favour of having a boy or girl.

Women are instructed to use ovulation predictor kits for three months to fully familiarise themselves with their cycle.

Then in the lead-up to ovulation, when an egg is released from the ovary, women use the ovulation predictor kits to test twice a day.

When the two lines on the test strips are equally dark or darker than the control line it indicates you will ovulate 24 hours later.

If you are trying for a girl, you should only have sex once, two to three days before ovulation, and at no other times throughout the cycle.

If you're hoping for a boy you should wait until 24 hours after the first darkest (also known as peak) test and again after 24 hours but at no other times during the cycle.

There are a number of other tips you can use to increase your odds of conceiving a girl - though it should be noted that there are no scientific researches proving these to be right!

Shallow penetration is the more optimal type of penetration for conceiving a girl. Male sperm cells are actually the faster swimmers, so the shallower penetration means it gives the female sperm cells an opportunity to get to the egg as well.

Missionary position is the best position to try for conceiving a girl.

It's rumoured that male sperm cells are heat averse, and that by having a hot bath before having sex to conceive may slow the male swimmers down and allow the female cells race to the egg to fertilise it! It could be a nice way to bring some romance to what can sometimes be the monotony of trying to conceive on certain days and times. Make it a romantic bath for two!

We do need the male orgasm to release the sperm, as it's his sperm that dictates whether the baby conceived will be boy or girl, and some experts claim that a female orgasm releases a certain alkaline secretion. This allows the male sperm to apparently survive longer due to the fact that the male sperm cells need this secretion to survive.

No orgasm, no alkaline secretion and thus creating a hostile environment for the male sperm cells.

If you are trying to conceive a girl, think about eating foods that are high in calcium to aid your chances.- so eggs, milk, yogurts.

It's also said a diet that is high in fruit and vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, bananas may help to conceive a girl, and a vegetarian diet is one that is rumoured to be very good in terms of conceiving a girl.

Steer clear of Alkaline rich foods such as Apples and Avocados however, as alkaline is said to help the male swimmers along by creating a more welcome space for them.

Eat Acidic rich foods in days leading up to Ovulation to ensure you've created the best environment for the female sperm cells to swim into. Apparently, male sperm cells aren't as good at surviving in acidic environments, so you can alter the pH of your vagina with the help of chocolate and fizzy drinks!

Remember to cut out the salt to boost your chances of conceiving a girl. Put down the olives, step away from the cheese and put that pack of crisps back in the cupboard because eating high salt foods may help your chances of conceiving a boy, and not the girl you want.

Stick with the fruit and veg and foods that are high in calcium in the lead up to ovulation to give your female sperm cells a better opportunity of reaching the egg first.

Remember though, these are just suggestions and you should have fun trying to conceive your much wanted baby!

Originally posted here:
The Babydust Method Danielle Lloyd used to conceive a girl after four sons and how it works - RSVP Live

Good morning and welcome, health colleagues, to the second European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) update of the week as it stands, more than 150 people have now registered for our upcoming EAPM Slovenian EU Presidency conference on 1 July, so now is the time to join them and book your place before its too late,and we also have an update on the European Parliaments draft report on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer,writes EAPM Executive Director Dr. Denis Horgan.

EAPM conference approaches - a reminder yet again...

The EAPM conference will act as a bridging event between the EU Presidencies ofPortugalandSlovenia.The conference is divided into sessions which cover the follows areas: Session 1: Generating alignment in the regulation of Personalized Medicine: RWE and Citizen Trus;Session 2: Beating Prostate Cancer and Lung Cancer - The Role of the EU Beating Cancer: Updating EU Council Conclusions on ScreeningSession 3: Health Literacy - Understanding Ownership and Privacy of Genetic Data and finallynot least,Session 4: Securing patient Access to Advanced Molecular Diagnostics.

Each session will comprise panel discussions as well as Q&A sessions to allow the best possible involvement of all participants, so now is the time to registerhere, and download your agendahere.

Battling cancer Parliaments key draft report

As mentioned in previous updates, the European Parliament has set up a special committee on beating cancer. It has published its first draft report on the EU Beating Cancer Plan on the last day, which has included a number of items which the EAPM has advocated for in the last months representing key issues representing themulti-stakeholder nature of its membership.

Subdivided into numerous articles, article 66 in the report is of particular attention to EAPM members, saying as it does that huge advances in biology have revealed that cancer is an umbrella term for more than 200 diseases, and that precision or personalised medicine can be made available through the drug targeting of various mutations.

The report also considers that precision or personalised medicine, consisting of a treatment choice based on individual tumour biomarkers, is a promising way to improve cancer treatment, and encourages member states to promote the implementation of regional molecular genetics platforms and facilitate equal and rapid access to personalised treatment for patients.

In addition, article 48 in the draft report calls on the Commission to promote, and on member states to strengthen, the role of general practitioners, paediatricians and primary care professionals, given their importance in patient referral to diagnostic tests and oncology specialists, as well as during cancertreatment and follow-up care; calls for the development of multidisciplinary decision-making in the framework of dedicated concertation meetings bringing together various cancer specialists.

According to article 61, the provisional agreement on the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation reached by the European Parliament and the Council on 22 June 2021 is welcomed, to harmonize access to innovative cancer diagnosis and treatments.

Perhaps most importantly, article 87 sees an urgent need for a European charter of the rights of cancer patients; calls for this charter to define the rights of cancer patients at every stage of their care pathway, i.e. access to prevention, initial diagnosis and throughout their treatment, and for it to apply equally to all EU citizens, regardless of the country or region in which they live.

In addition, article 105 looks to the Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment for All flagship and puts a spotlight on the need for the use of the next generation sequencing technology for quick and efficient genetic profiles of tumour cells, allowing researchers and clinicians to share cancer profiles and apply the same or similar diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to patients with comparable cancer profiles.

EAPM looks forward with enthusiasm to all forward progress being made in the fight against cancer. In this context, EAPM is working on two publications with its experts on NGS and RWE which will provide additional input/guidance to the European politicians which EAPM is working with.

HTA political agreement

The Commission welcomes the political agreement on the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation reached by the European Parliament and the Council on 23 June. The Regulation will improve the availability of innovative health technologies such as innovative medicines and certain medical devices for EU patients, ensure efficient use of resources and strengthen the quality of HTA across the EU. Examples of health technologies include medicinal products, medical equipment and diagnostics. It will also facilitate business predictability, reduce duplication of efforts for HTA bodies and industry and ensure the long-term sustainability of EU HTA co-operation.

Welcoming the agreement, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides made the following statement: I am very pleased that the European Parliament and the Council have reached a long-awaited political agreement on the Health Technology AssessmentRegulation. The Regulation will be a significant step forward to enable joint scientific assessments of promising treatments and medical devices at EU level.

Progress on vaccinations welcomed, but further effort urged

The European Council welcomes the good progress on vaccination and the overall improvement in the epidemiological situation, while stressing the need to continue vaccination efforts and to be vigilant and co-ordinated with regard to developments, particularly the emergence and spread of variants.

According to the draft European Council conclusions for the June 24-25 meeting, the Council stated that it reaffirms the EUs commitment to international solidarity in response to the pandemic.

All producing countries and manufacturers should actively contribute to efforts to increase worldwide supply of COVID-19 vaccines, raw material, treatments and therapeutics, and coordinate action in case of bottlenecks in supply and distribution, the draft text declares.

The conclusions also reference recent agreements on travel within the EU, stating that member countries would apply these measures in a manner that ensures the full return to free movement as soon as the public health situation allows. The Council also plans to welcome the decision to set up a special session for the World Health Assembly to discuss a pandemic treaty, with the EU saying that it will continue to work toward a goal of a treaty.

WHO, WIPO and the WTO agree on intensified co-operation to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

On 15 June, the directors general of WHO, WIPO and the WTO met in a spirit of co-operation and solidarity to map out further collaboration to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressing global challenges at the intersection of public health, intellectual property and trade.Acutely conscious of the shared responsibility to communities across the world as they confront a health crisis of unprecedented severity and scale, the organizations pledged to bring the full extent of the expertise and resources of the respective institutions to bear in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and improving the health and well-being of all people, everywhere around the globe.

Commitment to universal, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other health technologies was underscored a commitment anchored in the understanding that this is an urgent moral imperative in need of immediate practical action.In this spirit, there was an agreement to build further on the long-standing commitment to WHO-WIPO-WTO Trilateral Cooperation that aims to support and assist all countries as they seek to assess and implement sustainable and integrated solutions to public health challenges.

Within this existing cooperative framework, it was agreed to enhance and focus our support in the context of the pandemic through two specific initiatives - the three agencies will collaborate on the organization of practical, capacity-building workshops to enhance the flow of updated information on current developments in the pandemic and responses to achieve equitable access to COVID-19 health technologies. The aim of these workshops is to strengthen the capacity of policymakers and experts in member governments to address the pandemic accordingly.The first workshop in the series will be a workshop on technology transfer and licensing, scheduled for September.

Long COVID concerns

More than 2 million adults in England have experienced coronavirus symptoms lasting over 12 weeks, such as respiratory problems and fatigue, government data suggests. It is double the previous estimate for long Covid. The research by the React-2 study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that 37.7% of those who had symptomatic Covid experienced at least one symptom lasting 12 weeks or more, while 14.8% had three or more persistent symptoms. The scale of the problem is quite alarming, said Professor Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University. It comes as more than 16,000 new confirmed Covid cases were reported in the UK on Wednesday (23 June), the highest daily figure since early February. The newest figures showed another 19 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 128,027. While death figures remain relatively low, the sharp rise in reported cases would appear to make it less likely that ministers will scrap most remaining Covid restrictions before the current four-week delay ends on 19 July.

Switzerland to re-open

While countries such as the UK delay their planned lifting of restrictions (as it stands, until 19 July in the case of the UK), Switzerland has announced an even more wide-ranging lifting of restrictions than previously planned. Citizens will no longer be required to work from home; they wont have to wear masks or social distance at cultural and sporting events; and mass events can go ahead without restrictions on numbers or the need for masks if theres a requirement for coronavirus certificates.

And that is all from EAPM for this week have a lovely weekend, stay safe and well, and dont forget to registerhere, and download your agendahere,for the EAPM EU Presidency conference on 1 July.

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EAPM: Presidency bridging conference a great success, HTA compromise agreed and data on the agenda - EU Reporter