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  • Herschel and Lego Collaborate on Tote Bag and Backpack Collection

    Herschel and Lego Collaborate on Tote Bag and Backpack Collection

    Herschel Supply and Lego teamed on a new, limited-edition collection that merges visual creativity with practicality. The Herschel x Lego Collection debuts on Tuesday and will be available on Herschel’s official website and select retailers.

    The collaborative collection features a series of four custom-designed Lego prints for totes, backpacks and more. With an emphasis on creativity and use of color, the prints pop against Herschel’s durable bags, adding a splash of vibrance to the popular and practical accessories.

    Herschel x Lego.

    STEPHEN WILDE

    “This collab with Lego was natural for me, I’ve been building with those bricks since I was a kid. It’s where I first started messing around with ideas and creating just for the fun of it,” said Jamie Cormack, cofounder of Herschel Supply.

    “That same energy is what we try to bring to Herschel — making stuff that sparks curiosity. So, working with Lego just felt right. It’s fun, it’s creative, it doesn’t take itself too seriously — exactly how we like it,” Cormack said.

    Herschel and Lego collaboration.

    Herschel collaborates with Lego.

    STEPHEN WILDE

    Designs from the limited-edition collection include Abstract Brick, featuring pops of red, yellow and blue, and the interactive Scavenger Hunt Meadow, which showcases softer tones and floral inspiration. Fan-favorite Herschel designs featured as part of the Lego collection include the Little America backpack, the Heritage backpack and more styles.

    Along with the limited-edition collection, Herschel celebrates the collaboration and collection by teaming up with Legoland Parks, offering a limited-time giveaway for a family trip to the winner’s nearest Legoland location. The giveaway runs until Aug. 31. Participants can enter online via Herschel’s official website.

    Herschel and Lego collaboration.

    Herschel Supply debuts new, limited-edition collection in collaboration with Lego.

    STEPHEN WILDE

    Herschel expanded their collaborative endeavors over the course of the last few years. Prior to this recent, limited-edition collection with Lego, Herschel partnered with Prince on a tennis-inspired capsule in June 2022.

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  • Muqam, KP Governor express concern over governance, security, corruption in KP

    Muqam, KP Governor express concern over governance, security, corruption in KP

    Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit Baltistan and State and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Provincial President Engineer Amir Muqam and Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi here on Tuesday discussed the prevailing political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
     
    During the meeting, both leaders expressed deep concern over the lack of good governance, worsening law and order, and what they termed as record-breaking corruption under the current provincial administration.

    They described the present provincial government as highly detrimental to the interests of the province.

    The two leaders also consulted on the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on reserved seats and its implications for the political landscape in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
     
    Issues related to Kashmir, the situation in the merged tribal districts, and the misuse of federal funds allocated for these areas by the provincial government were also discussed.
     
    The leaders condemned what they called the provincial administration’s misappropriation of these funds and emphasized the need to address the growing concerns of the people in the merged districts.


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  • Environmental Factor – July 2025: Health data collection after disasters made possible by NIH-NSF partnership

    Environmental Factor – July 2025: Health data collection after disasters made possible by NIH-NSF partnership

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), is supporting research to bolster the collection of time-sensitive health data in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Beryl, the Los Angeles wildfires, and other natural disasters.

    The research projects are part of a larger effort by two NIH-NSF-supported research centers to understand how extreme weather affects human health, creates complex exposures to environmental hazards, and impacts access to health care and other vital services.

    UCLA graduate students prepare a fixed-wing drone in Altadena, Calif. The RAPID Facility helps research teams deploy quickly to set up monitoring equipment, collect environmental samples, and survey affected populations following a disaster. (Photo courtesy of the RAPID Facility)

    “This collaborative effort helps fill a long-standing gap by initiating timely health studies and capturing critical health data that may otherwise be lost,” said Aubrey Miller, M.D., Senior Medical Advisor and Director of the NIH Disaster Research Response Program.

    He added that disaster research has historically focused on the effectiveness of emergency responses rather than the immediate and long-term health consequences of disasters on our communities.

    Supporting quick-response research

    Lori Peek, Ph.D.
    Peek says the NIH-NSF awards support the next generation of researchers and early-career scientists who are examining the link between disasters and health. (Photo courtesy of Lori Peek)

    The Natural Hazards Center (NHC) at the University of Colorado Boulder is one of two centers working with researchers across the U.S. on this effort. The NHC has supported rapid disaster response research on socio-behavioral impacts through its Quick Response Research Award Program for 40 years. However, the NIH-NSF partnership has provided funding to enable the center to support projects focused on the different health outcomes of these events.

    “These awards are transformative,” said Lori Peek, Ph.D., director of the NHC. “We can now explore new frontiers in health and disaster research that have the potential to improve disaster response and future preparedness in immediate and life-saving ways.”

    Through this effort, the NHC has provided more than $450,000 in awards to support 12 novel time-sensitive studies following disaster events between 2023 and 2025. A sample of the research projects, and the universities conducting them, follows.

    • Assessing community impacts and early warnings in Nebraska tornadoes University of Nebraska Medical Center
    • California wildfire smoke events: life course risk perceptions and mental health impacts
      New York University
    • Impacts of flooding on opioid use disorder in western Pennsylvania
      The Pennsylvania State University
    • Longitudinal evaluation of wildfire impacts on a cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles
      University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)/University of Southern California
    • Mental health of community volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene
      Appalachian State University
    • Transit riders’ health risks during the Los Angeles wildfires
      UCLA/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/Texas A&M University/California Polytechnic State University/University of Washington/Utah State University

    Learn more about all projects funded under the NHC’s special call for health outcomes and disaster research by visiting this website.

    Supporting rapid-research technology to understand exposures

    The NIH-NSF partnership is also providing funding to the Natural Hazards Reconnaissance (RAPID) Facility at the University of Washington to enable health researchers across the U.S. to have timely access, training, and support to critical instruments for collecting information on exposures. The RAPID Facility provides researchers with uncrewed aircraft systems or drones, hyperspectral and multispectral cameras, and street view imaging to help researchers capture time-sensitive health data in response to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and other disasters.

    The RAPID Facility recently played a critical role in supporting researchers studying the health effects of the Los Angeles wildfires. By providing cutting-edge technology, the RAPID Facility supported immediate, post-fire analysis to improve understanding of wildfire behavior and human exposures. The data collected could be used to conduct long-term health studies and robust environmental exposure assessments.

    (Samantha Ebersold is a communications specialist in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.)

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  • Next-gen blood test could make NHS screening programme viable

    Next-gen blood test could make NHS screening programme viable

    Real-world study demonstrates next-gen EpiSwitch PSE blood test safely reduces unnecessary biopsies by up to 79% while accurately detecting prostate cancer.

    A real-world study published high-impact journal Cancers demonstrates the transformative potential of a next-generation prostate cancer blood test developed in the UK to accurately detect more cases of early prostate cancer, while potentially drastically reducing the cost needed to implement a UK-wide screening program.

    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, yet there is no national screening program due to traditional testing relying on an initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which is not an accurate indicator of prostate cancer by itself.

    Approximately 3 in 4 men with a high PSA level do not have cancer, according to Prostate Cancer Research. As a result, many healthy men undergo unnecessary medical scans, invasive procedures, and, in some cases, even overtreatment, leading to  significant anxiety and burden for patients, while also straining healthcare resources.

    Dr. Garrett Pohlman, MD, Urologist at Kearney Urology Center and lead author of the study said: “The results we have seen by integrating EpiSwitch PSE have been transformative. These findings show that a routine blood test can enable us to safely avoid biopsies in up to a staggering 79% of patients with an elevated PSA without compromising diagnosis. This is a major advancement that helps our patients benefit from reduced anxiety and the avoidance of unnecessary, costly medical procedures.”

    By integrating EpiSwitch PSE into clinical practice, the healthcare system could achieve significant savings. The study found that among 187 patients, the PSE test potentially avoided 97 unnecessary prostate biopsies and 95 MRIs in this group alone.

    This translates into an estimated cost saving of over 170,000 GBP (230,000 USD), or almost 1,000 GBP per patient, accounting for reduced subsequent procedures, MRI scans, and occasional downstream complications due to risks from prostate biopsies. Fewer MRI scans also reduce the need for substantial government investment in additional imaging infrastructure.

    When expanded to the national level, the health-economic impact of incorporating PSE into a screening workflow could be substantial according to the study. In the US, the authors estimates that PSE has the potential to conservatively help avoid up to 593,000 prostate biopsies per year, with the economic benefit approaching 2 billion USD annually.

    Oliver Kemp, MBE, Chief Executive Officer of UK charity Prostate Cancer Research, said: “This study shows how smarter testing can save millions while improving care for patients. Reducing unnecessary biopsies and scans means less stress for men and more capacity in the system.”

    The innovation behind EpiSwitch PSE originates from a British company, Oxford BioDynamics (OBD), in collaboration with leading researchers and clinicians at the Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial College London, and the University of East Anglia.

    Dr. Alexandre Akoulitchev, MA, PhD, FRSM, Chief Scientific Officer at Oxford BioDynamics, said: “This study builds on our earlier robust clinical validation work which demonstrated the application of EpiSwitch PSE as a precise, minimally invasive test that empowers clinicians and patients with clarity, reduced patient risk, and improved outcomes, while easing the pressure on the diagnostic pathway.”

    Given these health and economic outcomes, Oxford BioDynamics says that EpiSwitch PSE is poised to ‘set a new standard’ and streamline prostate cancer diagnosis and management strategies in the US, where it is routinely reimbursed by Medicare, and the UK, where it is currently widely available to private patients and reimbursed by Bupa Health Insurance.

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  • Researchers uncover how bacteria hijack tick cells to survive and spread

    Researchers uncover how bacteria hijack tick cells to survive and spread

    Washington State University researchers have discovered how the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and Lyme disease hijack cellular processes in ticks to ensure their survival and spread to new hosts, including humans.

    Based in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the team found that the bacteria can manipulate a protein known as ATF6, which helps cells detect and respond to infection, to support its own growth and survival inside the tick. The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could serve as a launching point for developing methods to eliminate the bacteria in ticks before they are transmitted to humans and other animals.

    Most research has looked at how these bacteria interact with humans and animals and not how they survive and spread in ticks. What we have found could open the door to targeting these pathogens in ticks, before they are ever a threat to people.”


    Kaylee Vosbigian, doctoral student and lead author on the study

    Vosbigian and her advisor, Dana Shaw, the corresponding author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, focused their research on Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged tick, which is responsible for spreading both Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agents of anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. Both diseases are becoming increasingly common and can cause serious illness in humans and animals.

    The team discovered that when ATF6 is activated in tick cells, it triggers the production of stomatin, a protein that helps move cholesterol through cells as part of a normal cellular processes. The bacteria exploit this process against their tick hosts, using the cholesterol –which they need to grow and build their own cell membranes but cannot produce themselves – to support their own survival and success.

    “Stomatin plays a variety of roles in the cell, but one of its key functions is helping shuttle cholesterol to different areas,” Vosbigian said. “The bacteria take advantage of this, essentially stealing the cholesterol they need to survive.”

    When the researchers blocked the production of stomatin, restricting the availability of cholesterol, bacterial growth is significantly reduced. The researchers believe this shows targeting the ATF6-stomatin pathway could lead to new methods for interrupting the disease cycle in ticks before transmission occurs.

    As part of the study, Vosbigian also developed a new research tool called ArthroQuest, a free, web-based platform hosted by WSU that allows scientists to search the genomes of ticks, mosquitoes, lice, sand flies, mites, fleas and other arthropod vectors for transcription factor binding sites – genetic switches like ATF6 that control gene activity.

    “There aren’t many tools out there for studying gene regulation in arthropods,” Vosbigian said. “Most are built for humans or model species like fruit flies, which are genetically very different from ticks.”

    Using ArthroQuest, the team found that ATF6-regulated control of stomatin appears to be prevalent in blood-feeding arthropods. Since the hijacking of cholesterol and other lipids is common among arthropod-borne pathogens, the researchers suspect many may also exploit ATF6.

    “We know many other vector-borne pathogens, like Borrelia burgdorferi and the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium, rely on cholesterol and other lipids from their hosts,” Shaw said. “So, the fact that this ATF6-stomatin pathway exists in other arthropods could be relevant to a wide range of disease systems.”

    The research was supported in part by a National Institutes of Health R01 grant and a College of Veterinary Medicine intramural seed grant.

    Source:

    Washington State University

    Journal reference:

    Vosbigian, K. A., et al. (2025). ATF6 enables pathogen infection in ticks by inducing stomatin and altering cholesterol dynamics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2501045122.

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  • Ubisoft Teams Up with Hooded Horse and Unfrozen on Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

    Ubisoft Teams Up with Hooded Horse and Unfrozen on Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

    Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is coming to PC via Steam Early Access later this year and will be published by Hooded Horse and Ubisoft. Developed by Unfrozen (Iratus: Lord of the Dead), this new installment in the renowned turn-based tactics series features new factions, biomes, and creatures on a mysterious new continent, Jadame, which has been referenced but never explored in the Heroes of Might and Magic series.

    Ubisoft is partnering with Unfrozen and Hooded Horse on Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Hooded Horse aboard to support the next chapter of Heroes of Might and Magic,” says Alain Corre, Chief Publishing Officer at Ubisoft. “Their passion for the franchise and strong connection with strategy communities make them the perfect complement to Unfrozen’s creative talent. Together, we’ll reignite Heroes of Might and Magic and bring players to exciting, unexplored realms.”  

    “Heroes of Might and Magic is a legendary series, one that has a place in the hearts and childhoods of many gamers,” says Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender. “We’re honored to be teaming up with Ubisoft and Unfrozen on this project.”

    “The entire Unfrozen team is very excited that Hooded Horse is joining the project. We firmly believe that their expertise, combined with Ubisoft’s legacy, will allow us to make Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era truly successful and introduce the game to even more fans of tactical turn-based strategies from all over the world,” says Denis Fedorov, CEO of Unfrozen.

    Olden Era features six factions, a single-player campaign, and several multiplayer modes, including the local multiplayer Hotseat mode. In addition, you can venture into the unknown on randomly generated maps, and access the map editor to create your own worlds or experience those created by other players.

    Wishlist Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era on Steam to be notified when it launches in Early Access later this year.

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  • Gordon Brown and Prince William become allies for homeless campaign

    Gordon Brown and Prince William become allies for homeless campaign

    PA Media Gordon Brown and Prince William in Sheffield at a Homewards eventPA Media

    Gordon Brown’s charity is partnering with Prince William’s homelessness campaign

    Prince William is changing public attitudes towards homelessness in the way that his mother Princess Diana changed attitudes towards people with HIV/Aids, says former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

    The two men have formed an unexpected alliance in a campaign against homelessness, as Prince William’s Homewards project marked its second anniversary with an event in Sheffield.

    The ex-Labour PM – who now runs an anti-poverty charity – praised the prince’s involvement in tackling homelessness, saying “his passion, his dedication, his commitment shone through”.

    The warmth was reciprocated, with Prince William talking about the strengths of working together.

    Brown introduced himself at the event as someone now “too old to be a UK prime minister and too young to be a US president”.

    He said the prince’s interest in social problems such as homelessness had been influenced by his mother Princess Diana.

    She had “encouraged him to take an interest in why people were on the streets, and why people were homeless, and why people needed a better chance”, said Brown, who said he was “proud” of the prince’s engagement in such a complex problem.

    Prince William said: “The power of partnerships gives me hope.

    “I feel less hopeful when I’m doing things by myself. I think we all as human beings want to feel connected and part of something.”

    The shared project in this case is the Homewards campaign to tackle homelessness, based in six areas in the UK, which are trying out approaches that can be used elsewhere.

    The campaign brings together public and private sector organisations, with more than £50m in funding from Lloyds Bank.

    In Sheffield they are experimenting with an early intervention scheme, working with schools to identify young people at risk of being homeless. It’s based on a project in Geelong in Australia which has cut youth homelessness by 40%.

    PA Media Gordon Brown and Prince William in Sheffield at a Homewards eventPA Media

    The former prime minister praised the impact of the Homewards charity

    Prince William spoke of the importance of hope and optimism, in a street in Sheffield that seemed to be posing its own questions about whether it was time to be optimistic or pessimistic.

    Beside the event venue was a derelict building with “Faith” spray painted on to a green bin, and on the other side “Vomit” was painted on a boarded up window.

    The speeches about homelessness were also about stark choices of direction.

    Prince William talked about the feeling of success when people are moved into a home as a result of his project. It was about giving people dignity and stability, he said.

    “You envisage it, you talk about and think about it. But then you see it actually coming into fruition, and you meet parents and family in the house.

    “This has come together because of all the great people within the organisation. You start to feel OK. There’s hope, there’s traction.

    “And wherever I go I’m always asking questions like: What’s the problem? What’s not working? What we’re going to do more on?”

    He says getting into a home can give people calm after the “chaos of their life”.

    Brown’s charity, Multibank, is helping to furnish such homes, using donations from individuals and businesses.

    Since leaving public office he has been campaigning against poverty and he now says his charity is helping a younger generation which he describes as “austerity’s children”.

    He praised Prince William’s involvement in helping people who “through no fault of their own need help to get back on their feet”.

    And he welcomed the way that the prince, through Homewards, was changing perceptions about people who become homeless.

    “He’s changing people’s views, so that you’ve got to think of a homeless person as an individual who has potential, who if given the proper chance can make something of their lives, and not as someone to be discounted as a down and out.

    “It’s someone who has got potential talent, and if you can find a way of developing that talent, you can make a real difference to their lives, and they can make a real difference to the life of the community. So this is an investment in all our future,” said Brown.

    “We’re seeing something big here,” added Brown, that familiar voice now in an unexpected royal partnership.

    It was even more of a surprise for a handful of bystanders outside the low-key visit, who looked up to see a former prime minister and then a purposeful Prince of Wales, heading towards his car.

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  • July 1, 2004: The Cassini-Huygens mission makes it to Saturn – Astronomy Magazine

    1. July 1, 2004: The Cassini-Huygens mission makes it to Saturn  Astronomy Magazine
    2. “The Grand Finale”: The Last Thing A NASA Spacecraft Saw Before Plunging Into Saturn  IFLScience
    3. The Last Thing NASA’s Cassini Saw Before Diving Into Saturn’s Atmosphere  Orbital Today
    4. NASA’s Cassini Mission Ends with a Dramatic Plunge into Saturn’s Atmosphere  The Daily Galaxy
    5. Cassini’s Epic Plunge: Unveiling Saturn’s Secrets and Safeguarding Future Explorations  OpenTools

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  • First-Line Bemarituzumab Plus Chemo Hits OS End Point in FGFR2b+ Advanced Gastric Cancer

    First-Line Bemarituzumab Plus Chemo Hits OS End Point in FGFR2b+ Advanced Gastric Cancer

    Image Credit: ©

    Ashling Wahner & MJH Life Sciences Using AI

    The addition of bemarituzumab to mFOLFOX6 (modified oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil) led to a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) vs placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative, unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer harboring FGFR2b overexpression, meeting the primary end point of the phase 3 FORTITUDE-101 trial (NCT05052801).1

    Findings announced by Amgen also showed that the most common treatment-emergent adverse effects (AEs) reported in more than 25% of patients treated in the bemarituzumab arm comprised reduced visual acuity, punctate keratitis, anemia, neutropenia, nausea, corneal epithelium defect, and dry eye. Although instances of ocular AEs were consistent with prior phase 2 data and occurred in both treatment arms, they were reported at a higher rate frequency and severity in the phase 3 bemarituzumab group.

    Detailed data from the prespecified interim analysis will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

    “Most patients with gastric cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, with poor prognosis, low survival rates, and limited therapeutic options,” Jay Bradner, MD, executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen, stated in a news release. “These first positive topline results of an FGFR2b-targeted monoclonal antibody from our phase 3 FORTITUDE-101 study mark a meaningful advance in the development of effective targeted therapy for gastric cancer.”

    FORTITUDE-101 Overview

    The randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled patients at least 18 years of age with histologically documented locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or GEJ cancer not amenable to curative therapy.2 Patients needed to be positive for FGFR2b overexpression, defined 2+ or 3+ staining on at least 10% of tumor cells per centrally performed immunohistochemistry (IHC).

    Other key inclusion criteria included an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1; evaluable disease that could be measurable or non-measurable per RECIST 1.1 criteria; no contraindications to mFOLFOX6; and adequate organ and bone marrow function.

    Patients were excluded if they received prior treatment in the metastatic or unresectable setting; however, previous neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and perioperative therapy was permitted if completed more than 6 months prior to first dose of study treatment. Other exclusion criteria included any prior treatment with a selective FGFR inhibitor; HER2-positive disease; untreated or symptomatic central nervous system disease or brain metastases; and clinically significant cardiac disease.

    A total of 547 patients enrolled across the study at 300 sites across 37 countries.1 Patients were randomly assigned to receive bemarituzumab plus mFOLFOX6 or placebo plus mFOLFOX6.

    Along with the primary end point of OS, secondary end points included progression-free survival, objective response rate, duration of response, disease control rate, quality of life, and safety.2

    Bemarituzumab is also being investigated in the phase 3 FORTITUDE-102 study (NCT05111626), where patients with previously untreated gastric cancer are being randomly assigned to receive bemarituzumab in combination with chemotherapy and nivolumab (Opdivo) or placebo plus chemotherapy and nivolumab. Data from this study are expected to read out in the second half of 2025.1

    After the safety and tolerability of the combination of bemarituzumab, chemotherapy, and nivolumab were evaluated in the first nonrandomized part of the study, patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic, histologically documented gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma are being randomly assigned between the 2 arms in the second part of the study. Notably, patients being enrolled to the randomized portion are required to have centrally confirmed FGFR2b overexpression per IHC.

    References

    1. Amgen announces positive topline phase 3 results for bemarituzumab in fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) positive first-line gastric cancer. News release. Amgen. June 30, 2025. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2025/06/amgen-announces-positive-topline-phase-3-results-for-bemarituzumab-in-fibroblast-growth-factor-receptor-2b-fgfr2b-positive-firstline-gastric-cancer
    2. Bemarituzumab or placebo plus chemotherapy in gastric cancers with fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b) overexpression (FORTITUDE-101). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated February 7, 2025. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05052801
    3. Bemarituzumab plus chemotherapy and nivolumab versus chemotherapy and nivolumab for FGFR2b overexpressed untreated advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer. (FORTITUDE-102). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated June 12, 2025. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05111626

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