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  • Pregnancy and obstetric-neonatal outcomes of patients with thin endometrium using three different endometrial preparation protocols in frozen embryo transfer cycles: a historical cohort of 2671 patients | Reproductive Health

    Pregnancy and obstetric-neonatal outcomes of patients with thin endometrium using three different endometrial preparation protocols in frozen embryo transfer cycles: a historical cohort of 2671 patients | Reproductive Health

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  • IATA Launches Global Campaign to Help Travelers Fly Safely with Lithium Batteries

    IATA Launches Global Campaign to Help Travelers Fly Safely with Lithium Batteries

    Translation: L’IATA lance une campagne pour aider les voyageurs à voler en toute sécurité avec des batteries au lithium (pdf)

    Xiamen – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched ‘Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries’, a global safety campaign that gives travelers seven simple rules for carrying mobile phones, laptops, power banks, and other lithium-powered devices safely when they fly. The campaign will run on IATA’s website and social channels and is available as white-label assets for airlines, airports, and other partners across the travel ecosystem.

    “Lithium-powered devices are safe when handled properly, but they can pose a risk if damaged or packed incorrectly. As more travelers fly with these devices, our Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries campaign will help airlines educate their passengers on the simple rules they must keep in mind when traveling with the electronic devices that have become an essential part of their daily lives,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security.



    Travelers Are Carrying More Devices but with Incomplete Knowledge

    A recent IATA passenger survey found that most travelers fly with lithium-powered devices:

    • 83% of travelers carry a phone
    • 60% carry a laptop
    • 44% carry a power bank

    While 93% of travelers consider themselves knowledgeable on the rules for carrying lithium-powered devices (including 57% rating themselves as very familiar with the rules), critical misconceptions persist:

    • 50% incorrectly believe it’s OK to pack small lithium-powered devices in checked luggage
    • 45% incorrectly believe it’s OK to pack power banks in checked luggage
    • 33% incorrectly believe that there are no power limits on power banks or spare batteries

    Seven Simple Safety Rules

     

    The campaign assets highlight seven simple rules every traveler should follow:

    1. Pack light: Only bring the devices and batteries you really need.
    2. Stay alert: If a device is hot, smoking, or damaged, tell the crew (or airport staff) immediately.
    3. Keep devices with you: Always carry phones, laptops, cameras, vapes (if allowed) and other battery-powered items in your hand baggage, not in checked baggage.
    4. Protect loose batteries: Keep spare batteries and power banks in their original packaging, or cover the terminals with tape to prevent short-circuits.
    5. Gate check reminder: If your hand baggage is taken at the gate to go in the aircraft baggage hold, remove all lithium batteries and devices first.
    6. Check battery size: For larger batteries (over 100 watt-hours, such as those used in larger cameras, drones, or power tools), check with your airline as approval may be required.
    7. Check airline rules: Always confirm your airline’s policies, as requirements may differ in compliance with local regulations.

    Industry-Wide Rollout

     

    The multilingual campaign will be rolled out through digital assets that airlines and other partners can adapt and share with passengers, ensuring consistent safety messaging across the industry. A short, animated video, designed to make the rules simple, engaging, and easy to remember, can be used by airlines and airports on their digital and social channels.

    Campaign assets will also be available to media and other entities in the aviation value chain to help educate travelers on flying safely with their lithium-powered devices.

    > Learn more and download the assets

     

    For more information, please contact:

    Corporate Communications

    Tel: +41 22 770 2967

    Email: corpcomms@iata.org

    Notes for Editors:

    • IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 350 airlines comprising over 80% of global air traffic.
    • You can follow us on X for announcements, policy positions, and other useful industry information.
    • Fly Net Zero
    • Common devices that use lithium batteries
      Many travelers don’t realize just how many everyday devices contain lithium batteries. Beyond mobile phones and laptops, lithium batteries power a wide range of personal and travel items including tablets, e-readers, wireless headphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, cameras, portable speakers, power banks, handheld gaming consoles, and electronic styluses. They are also found in everyday personal-care items like electric toothbrushes, shavers, and hair-straighteners, as well as in e-cigarettes, handheld fans, torches, medical devices such as hearing aids and glucose monitors, and compact tools or gadgets like screwdrivers and laser pointers.  

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  • Can the Gaza ceasefire lead to real peace? – Al Arabiya English

    1. Can the Gaza ceasefire lead to real peace?  Al Arabiya English
    2. The Take: As Palestinians return to ruins, will Trump’s ceasefire hold?  Al Jazeera
    3. The Choreography of Israeli Defeat – w/ Ramzy Baroud and Robert Inlakesh  Palestine Chronicle

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  • ‘Bored aliens’: has intelligent life stopped bothering trying to contact Earth? | Science

    ‘Bored aliens’: has intelligent life stopped bothering trying to contact Earth? | Science

    For centuries, great thinkers have pondered why, given the hundreds of billions of planets in the galaxy, we have seen no compelling signs of intelligent life beyond Earth.

    Now, scientists are mulling an intriguing possibility: if aliens exist,…

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  • ‘A photographer with a cool and deadly eye’: Diane Keaton’s creativity behind the lens | Photography

    ‘A photographer with a cool and deadly eye’: Diane Keaton’s creativity behind the lens | Photography

    It’s one of the most memorable scenes in Annie Hall: Diane Keaton’s eponymous protagonist chatting with Alvy on the balcony of her apartment. Alvy asks if she took the photographs displayed inside. “They’re wonderful,” he says. “They…

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  • Figure skating – Grand Prix de France 2025: Full schedule, all results, scores and standings

    Figure skating – Grand Prix de France 2025: Full schedule, all results, scores and standings

    ISU Grand Prix de France 2025: How to watch live

    The International Skating Union (ISU) has TV partnerships across the globe for the Grand Prix series and Grand Prix Final. You can find a full list of TV providers and streamers by country…

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  • ChatGPT Is Coming to Slack. Here’s How to Use It.

    ChatGPT Is Coming to Slack. Here’s How to Use It.

    Slack is getting an AI boost from OpenAI.

    The online workspace is giving AI chatbot ChatGPT its own place within the app. With the new integration that rolled out this week, OpenAI said it will have a sidebar for…

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  • Preview, schedule and how to watch live

    Preview, schedule and how to watch live

    People’s Republic of China’s Xu Xiaoming and Canada’s Homan return as defending champions

    Reigning men’s champions, the People’s Republic of China, will be bidding to go back-to-back for the first time after their historic title win last year in…

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  • Brief preoperative frailty predicts postoperative adverse outcomes in older patients with radical esophageal cancer surgery | BMC Geriatrics

    Brief preoperative frailty predicts postoperative adverse outcomes in older patients with radical esophageal cancer surgery | BMC Geriatrics

    Study population

    We retrospectively analyzed the case data of 699 patients (aged ≥ 65 years) who underwent radical surgery for esophageal cancer from January 1, 2014 to January 31, 2017 in the perioperative database of geriatric thoracic…

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  • Mitazalimab plus mFOLFIRINOX in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Insights from the OPTIMIZE-1 Study

    Mitazalimab plus mFOLFIRINOX in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Insights from the OPTIMIZE-1 Study

    Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with limited effective treatment options and a generally poor prognosis. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the United States, yet it is responsible for approximately 8% of all cancer deaths. In 2025, an estimated 67,440 Americans (34,950 men and 32,490 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and about 51,980 deaths (27,050 men and 24,930 women) are expected. The average lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 56 for men and 1 in 60 for women.

    In this challenging landscape, novel immunotherapies are being explored to improve patient outcomes. One such investigational agent is mitazalimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD40, a key immune co-stimulatory receptor. Developed by Alligator Bioscience, mitazalimab is currently being studied in combination with chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer, showing promising early-phase results.

    What Are Monoclonal Antibodies?

    Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are laboratory-engineered proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to recognize and bind to specific targets, such as proteins on the surface of cancer cells. By doing so, they can block signals that tumors use to grow, mark cancer cells for destruction by the immune system, or deliver toxic agents directly to the tumor.

    What Is CD40 and Why Does It Matter in Cancer?

    CD40 is a receptor found on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including dendritic cells, B cells, and macrophages. It plays a central role in regulating immune responses by promoting the activation of T cells. In cancer immunotherapy, stimulating CD40 can turn these APCs into potent activators of the immune system, helping to mount a strong antitumor response.

    What Is Mitazalimab?

    Mitazalimab is a next-generation monoclonal antibody developed by Alligator Bioscience. It belongs to a class of drugs designed to stimulate the immune system against cancer. Specifically, it targets CD40, a receptor expressed on antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells, B cells, and macrophages. By activating CD40, mitazalimab enhances the body’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

    This drug is being investigated primarily in metastatic pancreatic cancer, a disease with historically poor outcomes and limited treatment options. Mitazalimab represents one of the most advanced CD40 agonists currently in clinical development.

    How Does Mitazalimab Work?

    CD40 plays a key role in immune system activation. When CD40 is stimulated, it helps dendritic cells “teach” T cells to recognize and attack tumors. Mitazalimab binds to CD40 and mimics the natural signals that activate this immune pathway, leading to:

    • Enhanced antigen presentation
    • Activation of tumor-specific T cells
    • Immune system priming against cancer

    In preclinical studies, it has shown potential to improve immune response not only alone but also when used in combination with chemotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, or cancer vaccines. It may also help generate durable antitumor immunity that persists after treatment ends.

    mitazalimab-mechanism of action Oncodaily

    Photo from Alligator Bioscience Official Website.

    Early Clinical Experience and Biomarker Evidence

    Mitazalimab was initially evaluated in two Phase 1 trials. One, led by Alligator Bioscience, assessed intratumoral administration, while the other, conducted by Janssen Biotech, studied systemic administration in patients with advanced solid tumors. These trials confirmed mitazalimab’s favorable safety profile and demonstrated early signals of antitumor activity. One patient with renal cell carcinoma achieved a partial response, and ten patients experienced stable disease for six months or longer.

    Mitazalimab’s mechanism of action was further supported by biomarker analyses. The drug activated key immune cells—including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T cells—enhancing both innate and adaptive immune responses. Transcriptomic profiling in patient-derived immune cells showed strong immune activation consistent with its CD40 agonist activity.

    REACTIVE-2: Investigator-Initiated Study in Pancreatic Cancer

    The REACTIVE-2 trial was a Phase 1, investigator-sponsored study evaluating mitazalimab in combination with the cancer vaccine MesoPher in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. The final patient was dosed in 2023. This study added further translational support to the immune-stimulatory potential of mitazalimab in this hard-to-treat malignancy.

    OPTIMIZE-1: Phase 2 Trial in First-Line Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

    The OPTIMIZE-1 study marked a major advancement in mitazalimab’s development. This open-label, multicenter Phase 2 trial evaluated mitazalimab in combination with mFOLFIRINOX in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

    At the 24-month cutoff:

    • Overall survival rate was 29.4%, nearly triple the historical 8% seen with chemotherapy alone.
    • Median overall survival (mOS) reached 14.9 months, surpassing the 11.1 months typically seen with FOLFIRINOX and the 9.2–11.1 months reported in studies like NALIRIFOX.
    • Objective response rate (ORR) was 42.1% confirmed and 54.4% unconfirmed among 57 evaluable patients.
    • Median duration of response (DoR) was 12.6 months, significantly longer than with standard chemotherapy.

    At the data cutoff, 28% of patients remained alive, and 9% were still on active treatment. These results highlight mitazalimab’s potential to enhance the depth and durability of responses when combined with chemotherapy.

    Previously published in The Lancet Oncology 2024, the OPTIMIZE-1 trial showed that among 57 evaluable patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with mitazalimab plus modified FOLFIRINOX, the confirmed objective response rate was 40%, exceeding the primary endpoint. Median progression-free survival was 7.7 months, and median overall survival reached 14.3 months, with 59% of patients alive at 12 months. At data cutoff, 51% remained on study and 32% on treatment.

    The median duration of response was 12.5 months. Treatment was generally manageable; the most common grade 3 or higher adverse events included neutropenia (26%), hypokalemia (16%), anemia, and thrombocytopenia (both 11%). Serious adverse events occurred in 41% of patients but none were attributed to mitazalimab. No treatment-related deaths were reported. These encouraging results support further phase 3 evaluation of this combination.

     

    Mitazalimab plus mFOLFIRINOX in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Insights from the OPTIMIZE-1 Study

    An updated analysis published in Cell Reports Medicine 2025 provided extended follow-up and biomarker insights. At a median follow-up of 18.2 months, the confirmed ORR was 42.1 % (one complete and 24 partial responses), with an unconfirmed ORR of 54.4 % and a disease-control rate of 78.9 %. The median duration of response was 12.6 months, PFS 7.7 months, and OS 14.9 months, with 12- and 18-month OS rates of 57.8 % and 36.2 %, respectively.

    Exploratory biomarker analyses identified a fibrosis-related gene signature enriched for extracellular-matrix-remodeling genes (MMP2, MMP14) associated with improved survival, and mitazalimab-induced activation of T, B, NK, and myeloid cells correlated with longer PFS and OS. Circulating-tumor-DNA analyses showed ctKRAS clearance in 72 % of patients, predicting longer survival; molecular responses preceded radiologic responses by ≈47 days, while molecular progression appeared ≈39 days earlier than imaging.

    Dose Optimization and Regulatory Feedback

    Based on FDA guidance, an expansion cohort of OPTIMIZE-1 tested a lower 450 µg/kg dose. Topline results showed an ORR of 22.7% at this dose—less effective than the 54.4% seen at 900 µg/kg—confirming the need to advance the higher dose into Phase 3.

    Alligator Bioscience has completed CMC requirements, including GMP manufacturing readiness. Both the U.S. FDA and Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute confirmed that OPTIMIZE-1 qualifies as a Phase 3-enabling trial.

    Phase 3 Planning and Commercial Strategy

    A final Phase 3 protocol was submitted at the FDA’s End-of-Phase-2 meeting in January 2025. Regulatory agencies have agreed that the proposed design is suitable to support a future Biologics License Application (BLA) and Marketing Authorization Application (MAA).

    Alligator Bioscience is planning to launch a global Phase 3 trial in the second half of 2025, potentially positioning mitazalimab for accelerated approval in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer.

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