Astra's Early Test Fuels Hope for Cell Therapy Approach to Lupus
AstraZeneca Plc said a handful of patients with lupus went into remission after getting an experimental treatment, as the UK drugmaker plows billions into the growing area of cell therapy called CAR-T.
The medicine, which Astra gained in the takeover of Gracell Biopharmaceuticals Inc., has only just entered clinical trials. But the tiny study, conducted in Shanghai, had a stark impact on ten young volunteers whose disease wasn't controlled by earlier treatment. Six of them no longer showed signs of having lupus nine months after the one-time infusion, according to early results.
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Medscape
2 hours ago
- Medscape
RCGP Urges Support to Save Declining GP Partnership Model
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned that GP partnerships are under threat, as the number of partners in England has dropped by 25% over the past decade. In a new report, the college urged action to 'break down barriers to partnership' and called for modernisation of the model to make it more attractive to younger doctors. While the RCGP reaffirmed its support for the independent contractor model, it said there was 'room for modernisation and innovation', and backed ' a mixed economy' of contractual models to deliver general practice. Shift in Workforce Between 2015 and 2025, the number of GP partners in England fell from 24,491 to 18,367. Over the same period, the number of salaried GPs rose by 81%, from 10,270 in September 2015 to 18,557 in December 2024. As of June 2024, GP partners were a minority among fully qualified GPs for the first time. The most significant drop in partnership was seen in younger doctors. Among GPs aged 30-34, numbers fell by 72.9%. The only age group to show growth was those aged 60-64, up by 19.5%. Barriers to Partnership Rising workload, administrative burdens, and concerns about financial risk were cited as major deterrents to partnership. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, RCGP chair, said that many GPs were discouraged by the unlimited personal liability that comes with being a partner. She also pointed to the responsibilities of owning or leasing premises and managing staff, especially as patient demand increases. Exploring Alternatives The RCGP report explored alternative business models that could support general practice, including limited companies, limited liability partnerships (LLPs), and community benefit societies. The college maintained that partnerships still offered flexibility and potential for innovation, particularly if financial and workload pressures could be reduced. In 2024, more than half (55%) of RCGP members said they would be more likely to consider partnership if financial risks were lower. A review by Lord Darzi highlighted the financial discipline of GP partnerships, noting that they could not run large deficits like other parts of the NHS. Earlier this year, the Nuffield Trust described the current GP partnership model as 'withering'. The health think tank warned that the government's plans to improve GP access were at risk due to the fall in partner numbers. Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, told Medscape News UK : 'It is hard to see partnership being the dominant model in the future.' She called for support where the model works well, but said new models must also be explored. Hawthorne maintained that 'there are elements of the traditional GP partnership that can be improved and modernised, while retaining its core strengths'. The GP partnership model has huge benefits for the NHS and for patients, she added. Government Response A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson acknowledged the strengths of the partnership model, including efficiency, innovation, and continuity of care. 'However, we also recognise that this is not the only model delivering general practice,' the spokesperson told Medscape News UK . 'GP practices can choose to organise themselves in different ways and also provide good outcomes in terms of staff engagement and patient experience.'
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
House bipartisan bill directs NSA to create 'AI security playbook' amid Chinese tech race
FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ind., is introducing a new bill Thursday imploring the National Security Administration (NSA) to develop an "AI security playbook" to stay ahead of threats from China and other foreign adversaries. The bill, dubbed the "Advanced AI Security Readiness Act," directs the NSA's Artificial Intelligence Security Center to develop an "AI Security Playbook to address vulnerabilities, threat detection, cyber and physical security strategies, and contingency plans for highly sensitive AI systems." It is co-sponsored by House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. LaHood, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Select Committee on China, told Fox News Digital that the legislative proposal, if passed, would be the first time Congress codifies a "multi-prong approach to ensure that the U.S. remains ahead in the advanced technology race against the CCP." He said the bill will improve export control mechanisms – including for chips and high capacity chip manufacturing – protect covered AI technologies with a focus on cybersecurity, and limit outbound investment to firms directly tied to the Chinese Community Party or China's People's Liberation Army. "We start with the premise that China has a plan to replace the United States. And I don't say that to scare people or my constituents, but they have a plan to replace the United States, and they're working on it every single day. And that entails stealing data and infiltrating our systems," LaHood told Fox News Digital. "AI is the next frontier on that. We lead the world in technology. We lead the world when it comes to AI. But what this bill will do will again make sure that things are done the right way and the correct way, and that we're protecting our assets and promoting the current technology that we have in our country." LaHood pointed to evidence uncovered by the committee that he said shows the CCP's DeepSeek used illegal distillation techniques to steal insights from U.S. AI models to accelerate their own technology development. He also pointed to how China allegedly smuggled AI chips through Singapore intermediaries to circumvent U.S. export controls on the technology. "As we look at, 'How do we win the strategic competition?' I think most experts would say we're ahead in AI right now against China, but not by much. It is a short lead," LaHood told Fox News Digital. He said he is confident the bill will put the U.S. "in the best position to protect our assets here and make sure that we're not shipping things that shouldn't go to AI that allow them to win the AI race in China." "Whoever wins this race in the future, it's going to be critical to future warfare capabilities, to, obviously, cybersecurity," LaHood continued. "And then, whoever wins the AI competition is going to yield really unwavering economic influence in the future. And so we're aggressive in this bill in terms of targeting those areas where we need to protect our AI and our companies here in the United States, both on the commercial side and on the government side, to put us in the best position possible." The legislative proposal calls on the NSA to develop a playbook that identifies vulnerabilities in AI data centers and developers producing sensitive AI technologies with an emphasis on unique "threat vectors" that do not typically arise, or are less severe, in the context of conventional information technology systems." The bill says the NSA must develop "core insights" in how advanced AI systems are being trained to identify potential interferences and must develop strategies to "detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats by threat actors targeting covered AI technologies." The bill calls on the NSA to "identify levels of security, if any, that would require substantial involvement" by the U.S. government "in the development or oversight of highly advanced AI systems." It cites a "hypothetical initiative to build covered AI technology systems in a highly secure government environment" with certain protocols in place, such as personnel vetting and security clearance processes, to mitigate "insider threats." Though not directly related, the legislation is being introduced a week after FBI Director Kash Patel sounded the alarm on how the CCP continues to deploy operatives and researchers to "infiltrate" U.S. institutions. Patel laid out the risk in announcing that two Chinese nationals were charged with smuggling a potential bioweapon into the U.S. LaHood said that case further highlights "the level of penetration and sophistication that the CCP will engage in," but he added that his bill focuses on putting a "protective layer" on U.S. AI tech and "restricting outbound investment to China." He pointed to how the CCP also has bought up farmland around strategic U.S. national security locations, particularly in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. "If everything was an even playing field, and we were all abiding by the same rules and standards and ethical guidelines, I have no doubt the U.S. would win [the AI race], but China has a tendency and a history of playing by a different set of rules and standards," LaHood said. "They cheat, they steal, they take our intellectual property. Not just my opinion, that's been factually laid out, you know, in many different instances. And that's the reason why we need to have a bill like this." The bill comes as the Trump administration has been pushing to bolster artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, and major tech companies, including Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, Oracle and others, have made major investments in constructing AI-focused data centers and enhancing U.S. cloud computing. Last week, Amazon announced a $20 billion investment in constructing AI data centers in rural Pennsylvania. It followed a similar $10 billion investment in North Carolina. In late May, the NSA's Artificial Intelligence Security Center released "joint guidance" on the "risks and best practices in AI data security." The recommendations include implementing methods to secure the data used in AI-based systems, "such as employing digital signatures to authenticate trusted revisions, tracking data provenance, and leveraging trusted infrastructure." The center said its guidance is "critically relevant for organizations – especially system owners and administrators within the Department of Defense, National Security Systems, and the Defense Industrial Base – that already use AI systems in their day-to-day operations and those that are seeking to integrate AI into their infrastructure."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Polyrizon Reports Promising Results Demonstrating Successful Internasal Delivery of its Innovative Hydrogel Formulation for CNS Therapeutics
Ra'anana, Israel, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Polyrizon Ltd. (Nasdaq: PLRZ) (the 'Company' or 'Polyrizon'), a biotechnology company developing intranasal drug delivery systems, today announced encouraging preclinical results from a recent study evaluating its proprietary hydrogel-based Trap & Target (T&T) platform. The study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Parma (Italy), demonstrated that Polyrizon's hydrogel formulation achieves targeted deposition in the upper regions of the nasal cavity—critical for central nervous system (CNS) drug delivery. The promising results are part of a collaborative study between the Company and the Department of Food and Drug of the University of Parma (Italy), led and conducted by Professor Fabio Sonvico, a leading expert in the development of intranasal and pulmonary drug delivery solutions and a member of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board. Using a silicone-based human nasal cast and fluorescein-traced imaging, the Polyrizon hydrogel formulation was shown to exhibit a preferential accumulation of over 60% in the middle and upper turbinates, the region's most favorable for nose-to-brain transport. This region-specific delivery has the potential to be particularly promising for CNS indications, such as opioid overdose (e.g., naloxone) and benzodiazepine for epileptic seizures, where rapid and direct access to the brain can be lifesaving. 'The results validate the unique capabilities of our T&T technology in achieving localized deposition in anatomically favorable zones of the nasal cavity,' said Tomer Izraeli, CEO at Polyrizon. 'We believe that this has the potential to open a strategic path forward for leveraging our intranasal platform in the development of therapies for acute neurological and psychiatric conditions.' Polyrizon's hydrogel demonstrated consistent, concentrated delivery to the upper nasal segments while maintaining favorable handling characteristics. These findings support the continued preclinical development of the T&T platform for CNS-targeted applications. Polyrizon intends to further validate these results in animal models and initiate safety studies as part of its translational roadmap for the T&T technology. About Polyrizon Polyrizon is a development stage biotech company specializing in the development of innovative medical device hydrogels delivered in the form of nasal sprays, which form a thin hydrogel-based shield containment barrier in the nasal cavity that can provide a barrier against viruses and allergens from contacting the nasal epithelial tissue. Polyrizon's proprietary Capture and Contain TM, or C&C, hydrogel technology, comprised of a mixture of naturally occurring building blocks, is delivered in the form of nasal sprays, and potentially functions as a 'biological mask' with a thin shield containment barrier in the nasal cavity. Polyrizon are further developing certain aspects of our C&C hydrogel technology such as the bioadhesion and prolonged retention at the nasal deposition site for intranasal delivery of drugs. Polyrizon refers to its additional technology, which is in an earlier stage of pre-clinical development, that is focused on nasal delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, as Trap and Target ™, or T&T. For more information, please visit Forward Looking Statements This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other securities laws. Words such as 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates' and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, the Company is using forward-looking statements when it discusses its belief that its Trap and Target™ (T&T) platform has the potential to opens a strategic path forward for leveraging its intranasal platform in the development of therapies for acute neurological and psychiatric conditions, the continued preclinical development of the T&T platform for CNS-targeted applications and its intention to further validate these results in animal models and initiate safety studies as part of its translational roadmap for the T&T technology. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon management's current expectations, beliefs and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Such expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith. However, there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'), including, but not limited to, the risks detailed in the Company's annual report filed with the SEC on March 11, 2025 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. Polyrizon is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites. Contacts: Michal Efraty Investor Relations IR@
