Latest news with #Studer
France 24
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Eurovision door still open for Celine Dion comeback
Dion became a global music icon, selling albums by the millions and staging groundbreaking sell-out concerts around the world. But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage. Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, guesting for Switzerland, with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". That gave Switzerland the right to host Eurovision 1989 in Lausanne, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song. She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination. With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, this time in Basel, organisers opened the door for Dion to appear before an ever-appreciative audience. However, with the singer battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appearing in public, uncertainty reigns over whether she might take a heartwarming trip down memory lane and appear at the world's biggest televised live music event. Stiff Person Syndrome Dion, now 57, first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure. She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour. But she made a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. Eurovision organisers are tight-lipped as to whether Dion might spring a similar star turn in Basel, despite a video message from her screened at Tuesday's first semi-final. "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said, in front of a backdrop of flowers and candles. "Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me. "Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need." 'Wait and see' Eurovision director Martin Green told AFP the situation had become a great guessing game. "Wait and see," he said, cryptically. Given the show's giant cast and crew -- and 6,500 fans watching the untelevised public dress rehearsals -- Green said there was no point asking people to keep a secret. However, he said people could be brought on board in keeping a surprise -- the approach successfully taken when he oversaw the London 2012 Olympics ceremonies. Saturday's final has been micro-rehearsed down to the last second, but co-presenters Sandra Studer and Hazel Brugger admitted they were in the dark. "There is still some hope that she could come. Honestly, we don't know -- and that's not a lie," said Studer, who represented Switzerland at Eurovision in 1991, three years after Dion. "She might decide to come but we don't know," Studer said, adding that they had prepared as if Dion would not be there. © 2025 AFP
Business Wire
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Sigma Welcomes Fred Studer as Chief Marketing Officer, Sets Sharp Focus on Dynamic Platform Expansion
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sigma, the industry-leading analytics platform with unique cloud data platform writeback capabilities, today announced the appointment of Fred Studer as Chief Marketing Officer. Studer will support Sigma's marketing efforts as the company continues expanding its g enerative intelligence interface — Ask Sigma — and its robust set of best-in-class platform features. What truly differentiates Sigma is its commitment to transparency and trust. Leaders don't have to take AI outputs at face value; they can see how decisions are made. - Fred Studer Share In this role, Studer is focused on generating pipeline and further bringing Sigma's cutting-edge technology to life through high-impact customer storytelling. A pioneer in humanizing the marketing process, Studer is building on his 30-year track record of empowering organizations to engage in new types of conversations with current and prospective customers. He previously served as CMO at several leading high-tech and enterprise technology companies, including PowerSchool Holdings Inc., TIBCO, Certinia (formerly FinancialForce), Gigamon, and NetSuite. "Sigma made self-service analytics a reality for all enterprise users," said Mike Palmer, CEO of Sigma. "With Data Apps, we enabled self-service workflows to empower users to increase their productivity. Now, our AI services not only extend choice and governance to enterprises as they evolve their AI adoption, but also put natural language, sophisticated ML, and data discovery into everyone's hands. Sigma is the first and only platform to make data, AI, and workflow automation an enterprise-wide capability. Studer brings the clarity, integrity, and strategic discipline needed to communicate Sigma's differentiated approach at scale.' 'Joining Sigma at this stage is a rare opportunity,' says Studer. 'The pace of innovation—particularly in AI and embedded analytics—is unmatched. What truly differentiates Sigma is its commitment to transparency and trust. Leaders don't have to take AI outputs at face value; they can see how decisions are made. That's a foundational shift in how businesses operate, and I'm excited to help drive the next phase of growth.' Studer will support Sigma's marketing efforts as the company continues to grow and expand its platform features in AI, Data Apps, and Embedded Analytics. On May 20, the company will reveal new ways to build data products, embed AI into products, and operationalize machine learning with transparency and control. Learn more about Sigma's upcoming product announcements here. Studer will be meeting with customers and fellow industry leaders at Snowflake Summit 25 and the Databricks Data + AI Summit this June. For more information on Sigma, visit: ABOUT SIGMA Sigma is business intelligence built for the cloud. With a spreadsheet UI, business users can work in the formulas and functions they already know, while more technical users can write SQL and apply AI models to data. Sigma queries the cloud warehouse directly, making it incredibly fast and secure—data never leaves the warehouse, and Sigma can analyze billions of rows in seconds. Beyond dashboards and reports, teams use Sigma to build custom data apps, which integrate live data with end user input. Sigma is the first analytics platform to enable data writeback, and continues to lead the market with innovation across AI, reporting, and embedded analytics.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Stem-cell therapy for Parkinson's shows 'strong promise' in relieving symptoms
With around one million people living with Parkinson's disease in the U.S. — and 90,000 getting new diagnoses each year — the race is on for a cure. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have announced progress on that front — they have developed a new therapy that uses stem cells to treat advanced Parkinson's. In the phase 1 trial, the researchers used donated stem cells (taken from early-stage embryos) to create nerve cells (neurons) and transplanted them into the brains of 12 Parkinson's patients, according to a press release from MSK. New Drug For Parkinson's Shown To Be Effective In Clinical Trials: 'Very Encouraged' Once the cells are injected, they produce dopamine, a hormone in the brain that helps with movement and coordination. (One of the hallmarks of Parkinson's is low levels of dopamine, which causes the typical symptoms of tremors, stiffness, balance issues and difficulty walking.) Read On The Fox News App After 18 months, the injected cells had "taken hold in the brain with no serious side effects," the researchers reported. Based on the MDS-UPDRS — a ratings scale for symptoms developed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society — the participants experienced "noticeable improvements," especially the group that received a higher dose. "Neurologists say things usually get a little bit worse every year with this disease, meaning the score goes up by a few points," study co-author Lorenz Studer, MD, director of MSK's Center for Stem Cell Biology, said in the press release. "In our study, not only did the score not get worse, it dropped by more than 20 points in the high-dose group." On average, patients in the high-dose group reported 2.7 hours of additional "on time" — indicating periods of normal functioning with minimal symptoms — "a result that could be quite meaningful for their everyday life," Studer noted. Given the success of the phase 1 trial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the researchers to go straight to a phase 3 clinical trial in a much larger patient group — around 100 people — which will take place in the first half of 2025. The findings were published in the journal Nature. Parkinson's Cases Could Double Globally By 2050, Study Reveals "The study showed that developing specific nerve cells from human embryonic stem cells in the lab, then injecting them in the brain of people with Parkinson's disease, is safe and holds significant promise as a possible future treatment," lead study author Viviane Tabar, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, told Fox News Digital. "The findings were rewarding, as this work is more than a dozen years in the making." Dr. Mary Ann Picone, medical director of the MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, said that cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease could offer potential for not only slowing disability, but also stopping progression and bringing about improvement in motor function. "Although there is risk involved in the immune suppression necessary before the stem cell implantation and the procedure itself, it would be a major step forward in replacing the dopaminergic neurons lost in the disease," Picone, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. Levodopa, currently the first-line treatment for Parkinson's, is limited in that patients need greater dosage amounts as time goes on, according to Picone — "and regulating off and on periods of either stiffness or dyskinesias (uncontrolled muscle movements) becomes more difficult." Dr. Ann Murray, director of movement disorders at WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in West Virginia, referred to the study as "unbelievably exciting" for Parkinson's patients. "Although the goal of this particular research project was to ensure safety, getting that significant clinical improvement in the UPDRS is absolutely groundbreaking," Murray told Fox News Digital. (She also was not involved in the study.) Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "This is just the first step in getting this type of therapy approved for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, but this is an amazing first step for the potential benefits of stem cell brain therapy." There were some limitations associated with the study, Tabar noted. "This is a small study designed to show safety — it is critical to conduct a larger, well-controlled study to prove that the treatment indeed works, otherwise referred to as a Phase 3 'efficacy' study," she said. These early findings, however, are "suggestive of a strong promise." "I think we can finally say that stem cells, when derived and differentiated properly, hold great promise to repair the brain in Parkinson's and potentially in other conditions someday," Tabar said. For more Health articles, visit The cell therapy was developed at MSK and was licensed to BlueRock Therapeutics in Massachusetts, which funded the article source: Stem-cell therapy for Parkinson's shows 'strong promise' in relieving symptoms
Fox News
22-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Stem-cell therapy for Parkinson's shows 'strong promise' in relieving symptoms
With around one million people living with Parkinson's disease in the U.S. — and 90,000 getting new diagnoses each year — the race is on for a cure. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have announced progress on that front — they have developed a new therapy that uses stem cells to treat advanced Parkinson's. In the phase 1 trial, the researchers used donated stem cells (taken from early-stage embryos) to create nerve cells (neurons) and transplanted them into the brains of 12 Parkinson's patients, according to a press release from MSK. Once the cells are injected, they produce dopamine, a hormone in the brain that helps with movement and coordination. (One of the hallmarks of Parkinson's is low levels of dopamine, which causes the typical symptoms of tremors, stiffness, balance issues and difficulty walking.) After 18 months, the injected cells had "taken hold in the brain with no serious side effects," the researchers reported. Based on the MDS-UPDRS — a ratings scale for symptoms developed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society — the participants experienced "noticeable improvements," especially the group that received a higher dose. Patients in the high-dose group reported 2.7 hours of additional "on time" each day. "Neurologists say things usually get a little bit worse every year with this disease, meaning the score goes up by a few points," study co-author Lorenz Studer, MD, director of MSK's Center for Stem Cell Biology, said in the press release. "In our study, not only did the score not get worse, it dropped by more than 20 points in the high-dose group." On average, patients in the high-dose group reported 2.7 hours of additional "on time" — indicating periods of normal functioning with minimal symptoms — "a result that could be quite meaningful for their everyday life," Studer noted. Given the success of the phase 1 trial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the researchers to go straight to a phase 3 clinical trial in a much larger patient group — around 100 people — which will take place in the first half of 2025. The findings were published in the journal Nature. "The study showed that developing specific nerve cells from human embryonic stem cells in the lab, then injecting them in the brain of people with Parkinson's disease, is safe and holds significant promise as a possible future treatment," lead study author Viviane Tabar, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, told Fox News Digital. "The findings were rewarding, as this work is more than a dozen years in the making." Dr. Mary Ann Picone, medical director of the MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, said that cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease could offer potential for not only slowing disability, but also stopping progression and bringing about improvement in motor function. "Although there is risk involved in the immune suppression necessary before the stem cell implantation and the procedure itself, it would be a major step forward in replacing the dopaminergic neurons lost in the disease," Picone, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. Levodopa, currently the first-line treatment for Parkinson's, is limited in that patients need greater dosage amounts as time goes on, according to Picone — "and regulating off and on periods of either stiffness or dyskinesias (uncontrolled muscle movements) becomes more difficult." Dr. Ann Murray, director of movement disorders at WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in West Virginia, referred to the study as "unbelievably exciting" for Parkinson's patients. "Although the goal of this particular research project was to ensure safety, getting that significant clinical improvement in the UPDRS is absolutely groundbreaking," Murray told Fox News Digital. (She also was not involved in the study.) "This is just the first step in getting this type of therapy approved for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, but this is an amazing first step for the potential benefits of stem cell brain therapy." There were some limitations associated with the study, Tabar noted. "This is a small study designed to show safety — it is critical to conduct a larger, well-controlled study to prove that the treatment indeed works, otherwise referred to as a Phase 3 'efficacy' study," she said. "This is an amazing first step for the potential benefits of stem cell brain therapy." These early findings, however, are "suggestive of a strong promise." "I think we can finally say that stem cells, when derived and differentiated properly, hold great promise to repair the brain in Parkinson's and potentially in other conditions someday," Tabar said. The cell therapy was developed at MSK and was licensed to BlueRock Therapeutics in Massachusetts, which funded the study.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Taxidermists Linked in Idaho Trophy Poaching Scandal: Father-Son Business Charged
A high-profile Idaho poaching investigation has widened, with new charges filed against a father-son taxidermy team from Filer. Tom and Ryan Schiermeier of Schiermeier Taxidermy are now facing criminal charges after authorities allege they processed dozens of trophy mounts tied to illegally harvested animals, without proper documentation or record-keeping. Schiermeier Taxidermist Studio built a reputation over 40 years in southern Idaho for producing lifelike mounts and sought-after taxidermy work. The duo is now accused of accepting orders for trophy mounts of 43 animals taken illegally, and failing to maintain the required records. During a search of their business, investigators discovered intake forms and documents linked to the poaching case hidden in a filing cabinet. Tom Schiermeier faces eight charges, including two felonies. Prosecutors charged his son, Ryan, with one felony for destroying and preparing false evidence, along with seven misdemeanors. The court scheduled both men to appear for preliminary hearings on May 9. The taxidermists' charges are linked to a broader investigation of Karl W. Studer, a 43-year-old resident of Rupert, Idaho. Studer is facing a total of 20 charges stemming from a comprehensive investigation by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The charges include five felonies and 15 misdemeanors related to various wildlife violations. Unlawful possession of wildlife Unlawful killing or wasting of wildlife (multiple counts) Molesting game animals or birds with a motorized vehicle or unmanned aircraft Hunting to spot or communicate the location of wildlife from an aircraft Interfering with hunting, fishing, and predator control Criminal solicitation to commit a crime Outfitting and guiding without a license The investigation revealed that Studer allegedly hired a helicopter pilot to scout and harass wildlife, disrupting other hunters and violating state laws. He is also accused of purchasing and reselling Landowner Appreciation Program (LAP) tags, which are nontransferable and illegal to sell. Court documents indicate that Studer spent over $150,000 acquiring these tags. Additional allegations include the unlawful killing of multiple elk, exceeding legal bag limits, and the illegal possession of a live, wounded pronghorn antelope. Investigators used cellphone location data, text messages, and helicopter flight records to support the charges. Studer's preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place in September 2025. If convicted, he could face significant fines, imprisonment, and the suspension of his hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. GearJunkie reached out to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, but representatives declined to comment. Smugglers Sentenced After 113 Exotic Birds Drown in Botched Heist
