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Russell set to retire after Aus T20Is

DUBAI:

Andre Russell, who was included in the 16-member West Indies squad against Australia, is set to hang up his boots from international cricket during the T20I series, starting from 20 July. He had missed being a part of the squad against England late last year, due to an injury.

The Jamaican who is a two-time world champion, having been a part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winning squads in 2012 and 2016, will play his last two international matches on 20 and 22 July at his homeground in Sabina Park.

Russell was thankful to have represented the West Indies and expressed his pride in donning the maroon jersey for more than a decade.

“Words cannot explain what it meant. To represent the West Indies has been one of the proudest achievements in my life,” he told Cricket West Indies.

“When I was a kid, I did not expect to get to this level, but the more you start to play and get to love the sport, you realise what you can achieve.

“This inspired me to become better because I wanted to leave a mark in the maroon colours and become an inspiration to others.”

The two-time World Champion expressed about finishing his career in front of the home crowd and hope to bid a memorable farewell to the game.

“I love playing for the West Indies and I love playing at home in front of my family and friends where I get to showcase my talent and produce more high-quality performances.

“I want to finish my international career on a high while being a role model for the next generation of cricketers coming out of the Caribbean.”

Having played only the shortest format of the game since 2019, the swashbuckling all-rounder has snapped 61 wickets and scored 1078 runs in 84 outings. His raw skills in domestic T20 leagues won his teams championships with Russell being a major contributor in many of such victories.

Darren Sammy, who was his teammate, captain and is now the West Indies coach acknowledged Russell’s hunger to perform and win for the country.

“Andre has always been the consummate professional and a fierce competitor. Whether I was captaining him or now coaching him, his hunger to perform and win for West Indies has never wavered.

“I wish him all the best on his next chapter, and I hope he continues to inspire generations to come.”

Andrew, Blades named for T20Is

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveiled a 16-member squad for their upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, starting July 20, following the conclusion of the Test leg which Australia swept 3-0.

Teen sensation Jewel Andrew and left-arm seamer Jediah Blades have earned their first-ever T20I call-ups.

Andrew, just 18, is a highly-rated wicketkeeper-batter known for his maturity at the crease and proficiency against spin. His domestic performances have caught the eye of selectors looking to inject fresh energy into the side.

Blades, who made his ODI debut last December, impressed with the new ball and gets a shot at making his mark in the shortest format of the game.

Skipper Shai Hope leads a squad featuring experienced campaigners like Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, and Rovman Powell.

Head coach Darren Sammy stressed that the series is part of West Indies’ roadmap towards the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka.

“Our focus is clear – we’re building towards winning the T20 World Cup in 2026. This series gives us a chance to refine our playing style and strengthen our core group,” Sammy said.

Acknowledging recent home losses, Sammy added, “We haven’t had the results we wanted at home in our last two series, but this is a fresh start. We’re confident in our group and hungry to turn things around.”

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July 17, 2025
PTI, opposition ‘agree’ on uncontested Senate polls in KP
An inside view of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session in Peshawar on February 28, 2024. — PPI
- PTI to get six Senate seats, opposition five under deal.
- Opposition leader Dr Ibad confirms development.
- PML-N drops minority seat bid in favour of JUI-F.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition parties have reached an understanding to hold uncontested Senate elections, sources confirmed on Friday.

Under the agreement, six candidates from the PTI and five from the opposition are set to be elected unopposed.

The development was confirmed by the Opposition Leader in the KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah.

The opposition’s nominees comprise Talha Mehmood, Attaul Haq, Rubina Khalid, Dilawar Khan, and Niaz Ahmad. PTI’s candidates to be elected unopposed include Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Afridi, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Azam Swati, and Rubina Naz.

Following the final round of late-night negotiations in the provincial capital, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur recorded a video message confirming the consensus in the presence of opposition leaders.

The chief minister also reached out to PTI’s discontented members in an attempt to address their concerns and secure broader consensus.

The meeting was attended by Senator Talha Mehmood, Ataul Haq Darwesh, MPA Sajjadullah, and Dr Ibadullah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), among other opposition figures.

Meanwhile, the opposition has resolved its internal rifts, with the PML-N withdrawing its nominee in favour of the JUI-F’s candidate for the minority seat.

In a related development, CM Gandapur signed a summary to summon a session of the provincial assembly on July 20 and forwarded it to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.

During the sitting, newly elected members on reserved seats for women and minorities are expected to take oath, according to sources.

PTI’s internal divisions persist

The ruling party has decided to establish a three-member committee to manage dissent within its ranks.

Separately, PTI members including Irfan Saleem, Khurram Zeeshan and Ayesha Bano, who have been denied Senate tickets, have opted not to withdraw their candidacies, as disclosed during a meeting of the party’s covering candidates.

The trio met PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja and voiced frustration over the nomination process.

Raja is scheduled to meet CM Gandapur later today, accompanied by the aggrieved leaders, to present their objections, sources added.
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July 17, 2025
Guselkumab Shows Promise in Crohn’s Disease Trials
New York, NY — July 17, 2025 — In a major advance for patients with Crohn’s disease, a new study led by researchers at Mount Sinai Health System found that guselkumab, a medication with a mechanism of action that is new to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment, outperformed an established standard of care in promoting intestinal healing and symptom relief.

These findings from two pivotal phase 3 trials known as GALAXI 2 and 3, published today in The Lancet, provided the basis for the recent Food and Drug Administration approval of guselkumab (brand name Tremfya) for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease affects roughly 780,000 people in the United States and often requires a lifetime of management. Despite numerous available biologic medications, many patients fail to achieve sustained remission. Guselkumab blocks the interleukin-23 (IL-23) pathway, a key driver of chronic intestinal inflammation.

“Suboptimal disease control despite the availability of biologic therapies remains a prevalent problem among patients with Crohn’s disease,” said Bruce E. Sands, MD, MS, the Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and senior author on this paper. “The GALAXI trials were especially impactful as they compared two dosing regimens of guselkumab to both placebo and ustekinumab over a 48-week period. Patients receiving guselkumab showed significantly higher rates of endoscopic healing and deep remission, critical indicators linked to fewer disease flares, hospitalizations, and long-term complications.”

Guselkumab is the first biologic shown in identically designed, 48-week, double-blind trials to outperform another leading biologic—ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks both IL-12 and IL-23—for key markers of disease remission and gut healing in Crohn’s disease. The design allowed for head-to-head comparisons to both placebo and ustekinumab. The studies enrolled 1,048 patients worldwide and randomly assigned participants to one of four groups:
- guselkumab 200 mg intravenously (IV) at weeks 0/4/8, then guselkumab 100 mg subcutaneously (SC) every eight weeks beginning at week 16
- guselkumab IV at weeks 0/4/8, then guselkumab 200 mg every four weeks beginning at week 12
- ustekinumab ~6 mg/kg IV at week 0, then ustekinumab 90 mg SC every eight weeks beginning at week 8
- placebo
Guselkumab demonstrated statistically significant improvements across multiple endpoints, including endoscopic response and deep remission. Safety outcomes, based on adverse events and laboratory findings, were favorable and consistent with the known profile of guselkumab in approved indications.

Beyond symptom control, the therapy’s corticosteroid-sparing effect further underscores its clinical value, especially for patients seeking alternatives to long-term steroid use.

The GALAXI 2 and 3 trials were sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and enrolled patients with prior biologic treatment failures.

Dr. Sands, the Chief of Mount Sinai’s Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, is a renowned expert in inflammatory bowel disease. He previously co-authored the pivotal UNITI trial, and was both the lead author and corresponding author on the UNIFI trials. Both of these trials helped establish ustekinumab’s place in IBD care. His latest work builds on that legacy, demonstrating not only the effectiveness of IL-23 inhibition but its potential to redefine front-line treatment.

Link to paper: “Efficacy and safety of intravenous induction and subcutaneous maintenance treatment with guselkumab in participants with Crohn’s disease: results of two phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and head-to-head versus ustekinumab, 48-week trials (GALAXI 2 & 3).” Reference: THELANCET-D-24-08019R1

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
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July 17, 2025
Roundup: Access to cardiac AI holds promise to save more lives
Roundup: Access to cardiac AI holds promise to save more lives | Healthcare IT News

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July 17, 2025
County Championship should be cut to 12 games, says PCA

Cutting the County Championship from 14 games to 12 is the “only reasonable option” to protect welfare and improve standards, according to the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).

A review into the structure of the domestic game, aiming to implement changes next season, is due to conclude in the coming weeks.

A reduction in the T20 Blast from the current system of two groups playing 14 games, to three groups playing 12 games, is set to be agreed.

But the future of the Championship is less clear, with a number of options on the table.

The status quo of 10 teams in the top flight and eight in the second tier could remain. The divisions could be flipped, to eight in Division One and 10 in Division Two. Either structure could include 14 or 12 games per season.

Another option would be to have a 12-team top flight, split into conferences of six, with a second tier of six teams.

The champions would be decided by a play-off between the winners of the two top-tier conferences, with one of the two promotion places from the second tier decided by a play-off between teams finishing second and third.

This system would mean 12 games for every county and a 13th for those involved in play-off matches.

The PCA prefers the conference model, but would also support the traditional divisional structure, as long as either is played over 12 games per county.

It points to research carried out among players, where 83% said the current schedule caused concern for their physical wellbeing and 67% have worries for the mental health.

“The schedule has always been a contentious issue,” said PCA chair and Warwickshire seamer Olly Hannon-Dalby.

“The feeling in recent seasons due to ever-increasing intensity of fixtures has led the game to a position where positive action has to be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow.

“A change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe new life into what I believe would become the best red-ball competition in the world.”

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July 17, 2025
Ponting backs Aus top order for Ashes

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday threw his support behind Australia’s current top-order lineup ahead of the highly anticipated Ashes series against England later this year. Speaking on the ICC digital, Ponting offered his thoughts on who should occupy the top three batting positions for the Ashes and the start of Australia’s new World Test Championship cycle.

“The batters that they’re talking about in the last couple of weeks in particular have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, and then there was some talk about Cameron Green, whether he’s a long-term number three or not,” Ponting said.

He believed the current trio will remain unchanged, including the embattled Konstas and urged selectors to stay the course.

“Green’s second innings in the West Indies might have put that to bed. As tough as the conditions were, the way he batted might have silenced a few of those critics,” he said.

He acknowledged that there are a few matches left to make a strong case for selection.

“I read a really interesting piece by Robert Craddock about how they tried to protect Sam from the Sri Lanka tour, thinking the Caribbean would be easier. But it turned out the pitches in Sri Lanka were better for batting and the West Indies surfaces were really tough,” he explained.

Ponting believed the conditions have played a significant role in Konstas’s challenges, noting that Australia’s initial plan to shield him from the difficult Sri Lanka tour backfired.

“That last match where the West Indies were bowled out for 27 – that’s not just world-class bowling, that’s also about the surface and conditions.” He recalled how he only managed one century in his first two years in the format after debuting at the age of 20.

“The unfortunate thing about Test cricket is that, when you’re a young player, you often have to work things out yourself – in the middle,” Ponting said.

“Practice, coaching, advice they all help, but finding a method that works for you happens out there in real match situations.”

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July 17, 2025
US passes Genius Act, first major national crypto legislation

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Lawmakers in the US have passed the country’s first major national cryptocurrency legislation.

It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year’s election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump.

The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar.

Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.

Known as the Genius Act, the bill is one of three pieces of cryptocurrency legislation advancing in Washington that is backed by Trump.

The president once derided crypto as a scam but his opinion shifted as he won backing from the sector and got involved in the industry as a businessman, with ties to firms such as World Liberty Financial.

Supporters of the legislation say it is aimed at providing clear rules for a growing industry, ensuring the US keeps pace with advances in payment systems. The crypto industry had been pushing for such measures in hopes it could spur more people to use digital currency and bring it more into the mainstream.

The provisions include requiring stablecoins, an alternate cryptocurrency to the likes of Bitcoin, to be backed one-for-one with US dollars, or other low-risk assets. Stablecoins are used by traders to move funds between different crypto tokens.

The use of these coins, which are viewed as less volatile, has grown rapidly in recent years.

Critics argue the bill will introduce new risks into the financial system, by legitimising stablecoins without erecting sufficient protections for consumers.

For example, they said it would deepen tech firms’ participation in bank-like activities without subjecting them to similar oversight, and leave customers hanging in a convoluted bankruptcy process in the event that a stablecoin firm should fail.

They had also tried to rally opposition to the bill by arguing that voting in favour was effectively condoning Trump’s business activities – including his family’s promotion of their own crypto coins.

But it nevertheless drew significant support from Democrats, about half of which supported the bill, as well as the majority of Republicans.

“Some members may believe passage of this bill, even with flaws, is better than the status quo. We believe this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the risks involved with these instruments,” a coalition of consumer and advocacy groups wrote in a letter to Congress this spring.

They warned that passage would “allow the proliferation of assets that consumers will wrongly perceive as safe”.

Analysts had expected Congress to pass all three bills earlier this week, but unexpected hiccups led to delays.

The two other bills have passed the House and are headed to the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. Those bills would prevent the US central bank from establishing a digital currency and set up a regulatory framework for other forms of crypto.

The advance comes as Trump is reportedly working on an presidential order that could allow retirement accounts to be invested in private assets, such as crypto, gold and private equity.

The value of Bitcoin hit a new record this week, passing $120,000 (£89,000).

But Terry Haines of Washington-based analysis firm Pangaea Policy, said he did not expect the other two bills, which are more significant, to go further.

“This is the end of crypto’s wins for quite a while – and the only one,” he wrote. “When the easy part, stablecoin, takes ~4 to 5 years and barely survives industry scandals, it’s not much to crow about.”

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July 17, 2025
expert reaction to study looking at scarring and heart arrhythmia in veteran male athlete’s hearts
July 18, 2025

A study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging looks at cardiac scarring and arrhythmia in veteran males.

Prof Steffen Petersen, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Queen Mary University of London; Consultant Cardiologist at Barts Health NHS Trust; BHF Data Science Centre Interim Director; and Immediate Past President, European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, said:

“This study is an important contribution to improving our current understanding of the long-term heart health impact of endurance exercise in older asymptomatic male athletes. First, scar formation in the heart is common in about half of those athletes enrolled. Second, a type of scar which is not due to poor blood supply of the heart muscle predicts the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias, but a very common type (insertion point between the left and right heart) is not concerning, which is reassuring to know.

“A strength of the study is the confidence we can have in the accuracy of the outcome regarding ventricular arrhythmias, as determined by implantable loop recorders. A weakness is the limited generalisability of the findings due to the small sample size, exclusive inclusion of male endurance athletes over 50 years of age from a single centre.”

Prof James Ware, Professor of Cardiovascular and Genomic Medicine, Imperial College London and the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, and NHS consultant cardiologist, said:

“This is in my opinion a well designed and well executed study. The authors themselves acknowledge the principal limitations of the study, and the conclusions are balanced and fair. The press release is a fair reflection of the science described in the article.

“I would note:

“This is a highly selected group of competitive athletes who have trained intensively for many years. I would not expect these findings to have direct relevance to most recreational athletes, and I would not want anyone to be scared of exercise as a result of this study. Regular physical activity is hugely beneficial for the vast majority of people, and I would encourage participation and enjoyment. Dr Swoboda emphasises this in his own comments.

“Nonetheless, fibrosis (scarring) is evidently more common in these high intensity athletes, and associated with heart rhythm abnormalities. This is something we need to understand better.

“Most of the arrhythmias observed were non-sustained ventricular arrhythmia (NSVT) – that is short runs of abnormal rhythm lasting <30secs, that revert to normal rhythm without treatment. These are not usually dangerous rhythms in themselves, but rather can be heralds of more dangerous rhythms. Three people had sustained ventricular arrhythmia that was symptomatic and could be more dangerous. I highlight this just to emphasise that although almost a half of athletes had scarring, and about one in five had a ventricular arrhythmia, the number was dangerous rhythms was much smaller during the follow up period (which averaged 2 years). We will need more data to really pin down the absolute risk of a life-threatening rhythm in the longer term. But I think these findings highlight an important issue for this group.”

‘VENTricular arrhythmia and cardiac fibrOsis in endUrance eXperienced athletes (VENTOUX)’ by Wasim Javed first author et al. was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging at 00:01 UK time on Friday 18 July 2025.

Declared interests

Prof Steffen Petersen: “Disclosures:
1. Consultancy, Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada (in my view no conflict related to this work).
2. Named reviewer of two relevant European guidelines:
1. Pelliccia A, Sharma S, Gati S, Bäck M, Börjesson M, Caselli S, Collet JP, Corrado D, Drezner JA, Halle M, Hansen D, Heidbuchel H, Myers J, Niebauer J, Papadakis M, Piepoli MF, Prescott E, Roos-Hesselink JW, Graham Stuart A, Taylor RS, Thompson PD, Tiberi M, Vanhees L, Wilhelm M; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2020 ESC Guidelines on sports cardiology and exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease. Eur Heart J. 2021 Jan 1;42(1):17-96. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa605. Erratum in: Eur Heart J. 2021 Feb 1;42(5):548-549. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa835. PMID: 32860412.
2. Visseren FLJ, Mach F, Smulders YM, Carballo D, Koskinas KC, Bäck M, Benetos A, Biffi A, Boavida JM, Capodanno D, Cosyns B, Crawford C, Davos CH, Desormais I, Di Angelantonio E, Franco OH, Halvorsen S, Hobbs FDR, Hollander M, Jankowska EA, Michal M, Sacco S, Sattar N, Tokgozoglu L, Tonstad S, Tsioufis KP, van Dis I, van Gelder IC, Wanner C, Williams B; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022 Feb 19;29(1):5-115. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwab154. PMID: 34558602.
1. Author of relevant European consensus paper:
Galderisi M, Cardim N, D’Andrea A, Bruder O, Cosyns B, Davin L, Donal E, Edvardsen T, Freitas A, Habib G, Kitsiou A, Plein S, Petersen SE, Popescu BA, Schroeder S, Burgstahler C, Lancellotti P. The multi-modality cardiac imaging approach to the Athlete’s heart: an expert consensus of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2015 Apr;16(4):353. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeu323. PMID: 25681828.”

Prof James Ware: “I was not involved in this study, though have collaborated with Dr Swoboda on other research projects.

Industry relationsships (in the last 2 years): I have received research support from Bristol Myers Squibb, and have acted as a paid advisor to Health Lumen, Tenaya Therapeutics, and Solid Biosciences. I am a founder with equity in Saturnus Bio.

I do not consider that these relationships are directly related to the subject of this paper.”
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July 17, 2025
expert reaction to Perspective article on genome editing for conservation

July 18, 2025

A Perspective article published in Nature Reviews Diversity looks at genome engineering for biodiversity conservation and restoration.

Prof Bruce Whitelaw, Professor of Animal Biotechnology and Director of The Roslin Institute, said:

“Biodiversity across our planet is both facing unprecedented challenges and increasing recognised as critical for planetary health. Genome editing technology offers approaches that overcome aspects that current approaches addressing biodiversity cannot address – it can restore lost genetic diversity and increase the resilience of endangered species. Genome editing technology is advancing fast and for species where we know much about their genetic make-up could be used now to reduce genetic load and enable adaption to environmental change. This could include restoration of lost variation but we are still some way-off from restoring a species – although this is foreseeable for the future. No single technology can solve all biodiversity concerns. Genome editing should be adopted alongside traditional conservation methods and habitat restoration. The driver should be for social benefit, have societal involvement, and be guided by science-based regulation – and should be viewed as another useful method in the race to safeguard the world’s needed biodiversity.”

Prof Dusko Ilic, Professor of Stem Cell Science at King’s College London, said:

“The article is a thoughtful and forward-looking synthesis, offering a powerful vision for integrating genome engineering into conservation biology. However, its weaknesses lie in over-optimism, lack of robust comparative cost-effectiveness analysis, and occasional underplaying of ecological, regulatory, and ethical risks—especially in complex field scenarios.

“The paper persuasively argues that genome engineering can address genomic erosion—an underappreciated long-term threat in conservation biology—by restoring adaptive genetic variation and reducing genetic load. The technology has potential, but the evidence base is currently stronger in theory and in model organisms than in demonstrated success with real-world.

“The authors assume that the relationship between genome-wide variation and fitness is sufficiently understood to justify editing decisions. In reality, the genotype–phenotype–fitness map remains poorly resolved in most non-model organisms, which weakens confidence in editing targets. What improves fitness in captivity or small restored habitats may not translate under fluctuating wild conditions.

“The paper clearly articulates how genome engineering can target fixed deleterious alleles, reintroduce lost immunogenetic diversity, and enhance climate adaptation capacity—things traditional conservation (e.g. protected areas, captive breeding) cannot accomplish once variation is lost.

“The concept is compelling but lacks quantitative modelling or comparative data to support the claim that genome editing is more effective or feasible than scaled-up traditional approaches in most cases.

“The argument presumes that ancestral or heterospecific alleles can be confidently identified and reintroduced without negative pleiotropic effects, but this is rarely tested rigorously outside lab settings.

“The paper is also light on cost-benefit comparisons. For example, how does gene editing for climate resilience compare (in cost, efficacy, and ecological risk) to investing in habitat corridors that allow natural gene flow?

“International approvals for edited wildlife release is a probable limiter of near-term feasibility. Regulatory inertia and public scepticism that have historically limited the rollout of genetically modified (GM) organisms—particularly in agriculture, where decades of commercial GM crop use remain contentious in many countries despite robust safety data. Scientific bodies (e.g., WHO, NAS, EFSA) consistently find no substantiated health risks from approved GM crops, yet public acceptance varies widely. The first GM crop was approved in the US in 1994. Thirty years later, only about 30 countries cultivate GM crops, and about 70 allows imports but not domestic cultivation.

“The distinction between technical readiness (editing) and ecological readiness (release, integration, adaptation) is important. Timescales needed for breeding, backcrossing, release, and population establishment, are equally complex. In species with long generation times, edited lineages may not reach ecological relevance for decades.

“While critical of de-extinction, the authors do not fully confront the blurring of boundaries in practice—e.g. Colossal Biosciences’ projects (which some authors are affiliated with) walk a fine line between de-extinction branding and conservation justification.

“The critique of de-extinction would be more credible if potential conflicts of interest were explicitly addressed, and if more scrutiny were applied to projects that market proxy-species restorations as conservation.

“The call for responsibility is ethically sound, but implementation guidance is vague. How, for example, will conservation scientists ensure openness when working with private-sector collaborators like biotech firms or proprietary genome platforms? How engineered lineages may tie future conservation efforts to specific technologies or patents, raising issues of access, control, and continuity?”

Prof Tony Perry, Head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology at the University of Bath, said:

“This timely Perspective collates potential contributions from the revolution in ‘genome engineering’ (including genome editing) to biodiversity conservation. The piece points out that to be effective, these advances need to include advanced assisted reproduction methodologies, such as embryonic and stem cell chimeras and nuclear transfer cloning. In addition, the behaviour of individual or small numbers of gene variants moved into a foreign genome may be difficult or impossible to predict, making it desirable to replicate entire genomes from the oldest sources available.

“The challenges of achieving this are considerable even for well-studied species, but by raising the profiles of these challenges, the Perspective promises to accelerate our efforts to solving them for species conservation and its retroactive cousin, de-extinction.”

‘Genome engineering in biodiversity conservation and restoration’ by Cock van Oosterhout et al. was published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity at 00.01 UK time Friday 18 July.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44358-025-00065-6

Declared interests

Dusko Ilic: “I declare no conflict of interest.”

Tony Perry: “None”

Bruce Whitelaw: “I receive funding from BBSRC, Roslin Foundation, and Gates Foundation. I am a member of FSA’s Advisory Committee for Novel Foods & Processes, and the Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.”

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July 17, 2025
China sees robust IP progress, fueling high-quality development

BEIJING, July 17 — China has made significant strides in intellectual property (IP) protection during its 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), providing impetus for innovation and high-quality development, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said on Thursday.

CNIPA head Shen Changyu, speaking at a press conference on reviewing China’s IP progress, outlined the administration’s comprehensive strategy to establish a world-class IP governance system, institutional framework, cultural environment and professional talent pool. “Our clear objective is to establish China as a global IP powerhouse by 2035.”

He emphasized four strategic focus areas: advancing the modernization of the IP governance system and its capabilities, supporting China’s high-level self-reliance in science and technology, cultivating new quality productive forces and modern industrial systems, and promoting high-standard opening-up and market system development.

Through a quality-oriented approach, the CNIPA has refined key performance metrics such as high-value invention patents per 10,000 people, the value-added of patent-intensive industries as a percentage of GDP, the total import and export volume of IP royalties, and IP examination quality and efficiency standards.

“These indicators reflect a more scientific approach to measuring China’s IP progress,” Shen said, adding that the administration will actively engage stakeholders in shaping the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) to ensure practical, innovation-friendly policies that boost industries and benefit public welfare.

As the 14th Five-Year Plan period nears its conclusion, China is clocking up a series of achievements in the transformation and industrialization of patents, IP in green and low-carbon technologies, geographical indication (GI) products and international IP cooperation.

China has effectively promoted the transformation and industrialization of a large number of patents, with the industrialization rate of enterprise invention patents up from 44.9 percent in 2020 to 53.3 percent in 2024.

As of June 2025, China’s number of valid domestic invention patents has reached 5.01 million, which is an increase of 13.2 percent year on year, according to Shen, while ownership of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people has reached 15.3.

Additionally, the dominant position of enterprises in technological innovation continues to be enhanced in China, Shen said.

There were 524,000 domestic enterprises that held valid invention patents in June 2025, by which time the total number of valid invention patents held by those enterprises had reached 3.7 million, accounting for 74.4 percent of the total number in China — an increase of 6.1 percentage points compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

China has seen increasingly vibrant innovation in green and low-carbon technologies, with 53,000 invention patents granted in the sector in 2024 alone, said Liang Xinxin, an official of the CNIPA. The 2024 figure, which doubled 2020’s, reflects an average annual growth rate of 19.2 percent.

The clean energy and energy storage sectors showed robust growth, with respective invention patent authorizations rising 34.9 percent and 32.8 percent year on year — the highest increases among all green technology categories, Liang noted.

China has cumulatively recognized 2,861 GI products, according to Shen. The annual output value of China’s GI products increased from 639.8 billion yuan (about 89.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 to 969 billion yuan in 2024, he noted.

A total of 7,424 GIs have been registered as collective or certification trademarks, and over 37,000 business entities have been authorized to use the special GI symbol.

China has established IP cooperation partnerships with over 80 countries and regions. The China-EU agreement on GIs has come into force, realizing the mutual recognition and protection of the first group of listed products, Shen said, adding that China has successfully acceded to the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs.

CNIPA Deputy Commissioner Hu Wenhui noted that the administration treats domestic and foreign enterprises equally in terms of IP protection. In the first half of the year, foreign applicants filed 94,000 trademark applications in China — a year-on-year increase of 7.4 percent, with significant growth of over 20 percent in applications from Germany, Italy and the United States, Hu said.

By the end of 2024, the CNIPA had provided a total of 2,393 guidance services and 6,885 advisory consultations to domestic enterprises engaging in global expansion, helping them reduce litigation costs by 1.32 billion yuan and recover economic losses amounting to 38.04 billion yuan, he said.

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July 17, 2025