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  • Vaccination Levels Tracked Using Clinic Case Data

    Vaccination Levels Tracked Using Clinic Case Data


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    Knowing how many people are vaccinated against an existing or re-emerging threat is a key factor guiding public health decisions, but such information is often sparse or non-existent in many regions, according to researchers at Penn State. Now, in collaboration with a team at the World Health Organization, the researchers have developed a new method to estimate and predict regional measles vaccination coverage levels even when accurate or timely survey data on vaccination is not available. The method uses data that is routinely collected when potential measles cases present at clinics to model vaccination coverage and can be used to guide public health interventions to slow or prevent measles outbreaks.

    A paper describing the research appeared recently in the journal Vaccine.

    “The measles vaccine is highly effective, providing long-lasting protection from the disease, but we still have outbreaks, and the disease causes over 100,000 deaths each year worldwide because of disparities in vaccine distribution,” said Deepit Bhatia, graduate student in biology in the Eberly College of Science and at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State and first author of the paper. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported over 1,300 confirmed cases in the United States for the first half of 2025 — the highest number in 33 years. Accurate information on vaccination levels is crucial to guide public health interventions but the sources we have for this information are imperfect.”

    Researchers use two main sources for information on vaccination coverage. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collects health data at the household and individual level in 90 low- and middle-income countries. Formerly funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) the program is considered the gold-standard for accuracy, according to the researchers. These surveys are expensive and time-consuming to perform and are therefore only produced every three to five years. Outside of these large-scale surveys, countries produce administrative vaccinations coverage estimates based on the number of vaccine doses administered to a certain age group in the region. These administrative estimates are produced more frequently, but they are not as accurate as the DHS and can be biased.

    “The DHS produce amazing data, but it’s analogous to U.S. Census data in that it is only done every few years,” said Matt Ferrari, director of the Penn State Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, professor of biology and leader of the research team. “The census is done every 10 years and takes two years to complete. By the time it’s done, it’s out of date. But it’s too expensive to do more frequently. This is how vaccination coverage has been evaluated, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, places where these diseases have the largest impact.”

    When developing their new method, the researchers said they wanted to find a way to split the difference between the highly accurate but expensive and potentially out-of-date surveys, and the more timely but less accurate administrative coverage estimates. They built a model using data that is routinely collected when patients are treated for potential measles cases at clinics. They used the mean age of the patients, their vaccination status as reported when at the clinic and whether the suspected cases actually were measles, rather than another disease with similar symptoms.

    “We know that these measures are associated with vaccination coverage levels,” Bhatia said. “For example, in regions with high vaccination levels, young children are less likely to come in contact with the disease and the mean age of cases at the clinic will be higher.”

    The research team used the three indicators as predictors to train a regression model that could best predict the gold-standard DHS data. Importantly, they withheld the most recent DHS data to later use as a stronger test of the predictive power of their method. They then used their model to predict vaccination coverage for the period covered by the latest DHS data and found that it was highly correlated.

    “We found that the predictions of our method fit better with the DHS data than the administrative vaccination coverage estimates did,” Bhatia said. “Since our method uses routinely collected information that is readily available to researchers and public health officials, it provides a cheap and more easily accessible methodology to estimate vaccination coverage for a region that can be done quickly and can help inform policy in a timelier way.”

    Recent changes to funding for the DHS have increased the relevance of the new method, according to Ferrari.

    “Although this wasn’t the case when we began this research, the DHS program is currently on pause,” Ferrari said. “DHS was primarily funded by USAID, and we don’t know when or if they will be started again. Our method can hopefully help provide a stopgap.”

    Reference: Bhatia D, Crowcroft N, Antoni S, et al. Prediction of subnational-level vaccination coverage estimates using routine surveillance data and survey data. Vaccine. 2025;60:127277. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127277

    This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.

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  • De Minaur returns to Top 10 following Washington win, Mover of Week – ATP Tour

    1. De Minaur returns to Top 10 following Washington win, Mover of Week  ATP Tour
    2. This DC Open’s lasting image: A crushing loss and a moment of sportsmanship  The Washington Post
    3. ‘I just kind of knew I could do it’ – Incredible De Minaur comeback wins Washington title  Sporty.com
    4. Aussies Abroad: Weekend glory for Piastri, De Minaur and our cricketers  Flashscore.com
    5. Katie Boulter delivers immediate reaction on social media after Alex de Minaur wins Washington Open title  Tennishead

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  • GSK pays $500M for rights to drugs from Chinese firm Hengrui

    GSK pays $500M for rights to drugs from Chinese firm Hengrui

    Andrew Joseph covers health, medicine, and the biopharma industry in Europe. You can reach Andrew on Signal at drewqjoseph.45.

    LONDON — GSK said Monday it would pay $500 million upfront for rights to an experimental COPD drug from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, the latest example of a pharma company turning to a Chinese firm to build out its pipeline. 

    The deal also includes licensing options for 11 other Hengrui medicines, including those in development in immunology and oncology. If all programs are optioned and all milestones are met, the pact could be worth up to $12 billion. 

    The centerpiece of the agreement is HRS-9821, now in clinical studies for COPD. GSK, which recently saw its drug Nucala win approval for COPD in the U.S., said picking up HS-9821 will fuel its “ambition to treat patients across the widest spectrum of COPD,” including those who are not helped by existing medicines. 

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  • Alex Albon ‘happy’ with P6 in Belgium after holding off Lewis Hamilton but Carlos Sainz not ‘clicking’ with FW47

    Alex Albon ‘happy’ with P6 in Belgium after holding off Lewis Hamilton but Carlos Sainz not ‘clicking’ with FW47

    Alex Albon was left elated with a substantial points haul after finishing sixth in the Belgian Grand Prix, the Thai driver holding off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton for much of the race in Spa.

    However, it was mixed fortunes for Williams with Carlos Sainz unable to finish in the points despite doing so in the Sprint, instead having to settle for P18 at the end of a difficult day that began in the pit lane.

    Albon was the Williams man to struggle in the Sprint, coming home a lowly 16th, but a strong Qualifying on Saturday afternoon saw him bag fifth on the grid, and while he lost a place to George Russell in the wet early on, Albon made it to the line in an impressive P6.

    He also managed to keep a charging Hamilton behind for a big chunk of the race, despite the Ferrari man having DRS for lap after lap, and a car that looked strong in race trim. Sixth was Albon’s best finish since Imola, so it was no surprise that he was left delighted with how his afternoon went.

    “Very happy, it was not easy to hold off Lewis [Hamilton] and he gave me a lot of pressure for long parts of the race,” Albon explained.

    “In some ways, a bit annoyed to have given a position up to George [Russell] but to be honest with you, I think we struggled a bit more in the wet than we do in the dry. Once we put the dry tyres on we were okay.

    “I’m happy, I think we finished 12 seconds or so in front of the next midfield car which is a good statement of intent from us and shows our package was working well this weekend, so very happy.”

    Albon has now scored points in nine of the 10 races he has finished this year – as well as putting to be a torrid run where he failed to finish in three consecutive races in Spain, Canada and Austria.

    “It shows I think realistically that if we had finished every race, we would have scored points I think in nearly every race and that’s a really good trait to have,” he continued.

    “It means the DNA of the car is consistent and we are not peaking. I think we are the most consistent midfield team, and we can go to every weekend knowing we can score points as long as we can finish the race.”

    Williams remain fifth in the standings, with a healthier margin to the rest of the midfield thanks to the points earned in Belgium. But despite that, the weekend proved a bittersweet one for Sainz, who did so well to score in the Sprint but had a race to forget on Sunday.

    The Spaniard opted for a pit lane start after taking on some new power unit components, but despite starting ahead of Hamilton in the pit lane – the Ferrari man finishing seventh in the end – Sainz could only come home in P18 on a day where everything went wrong.

    “Basically, our weekend was run after a bad Quali yesterday,” Sainz said. “We did a bit of analysis after the bad Qualifying and we saw that we went in the wrong direction with the set-up, that probably cost me quite a bit in Quali.

    “We also found an anomaly in the car throughout the weekend, so we said ‘okay we are starting 15th, better we start 17th from the pit lane than 15th on the grid’.

    “That allows us to change the anomaly, that allows us to change the set-up, that allows us to put a high downforce rear wing for the wet, as it looked like it was going to be wet. It wasn’t wet, and we couldn’t move forward.”

    Sainz was not the only driver to gamble on a set-up that didn’t prove optimal, on a day where the weather was incredibly difficult to predict. But that aside, the Spaniard remains frustrated with his up and down season, where every step forward seems to follow with another step backwards.

    “I don’t know if it is a matter of time, or I’m going to start to consider changing something bigger, to see if there is something that starts clicking a bit more,” he added.

    “We had a super strong Sprint, a super strong Qualifying for the Sprint, super strong lap in Q1 and then suddenly we don’t manage to improve and the weekend started to go south.

    “I don’t know, it is something I need to keep looking at, something I need to keep working on. Every weekend is a different thing so it is not like it is a pattern and, yeah, we are going to keep working hard at it and see what we can do in Hungary.”

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  • Inhaled Isoflurane Matches Midazolam in Critically Ill Kids

    Inhaled Isoflurane Matches Midazolam in Critically Ill Kids

    TOPLINE:

    Inhaled isoflurane demonstrated noninferior sedation efficacy compared with intravenous midazolam in critically ill children aged 3-17 years on mechanical ventilation, while also lowering opioid requirements and time to extubation along with maintaining an acceptable safety profile.

    METHODOLOGY:

    • Amid safety concerns over intravenous midazolam, inhaled isoflurane has emerged as an alternative sedative for critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation. However, supporting evidence remains limited.
    • Researchers conducted a randomized phase 3 trial (IsoCOMFORT) across multiple pediatric ICUs to assess whether inhaled isoflurane was noninferior to intravenous midazolam as an alternate sedative strategy.
    • They included 92 children who were critically ill and required invasive mechanical ventilation and sedation for ≥ 12 hours. They were randomly assigned to either inhaled isoflurane (n = 59; mean age, 8.1 years; 63% boys) or intravenous midazolam (n = 33; mean age, 7 years; 61% boys).
    • At baseline after randomization, depth of sedation was assessed using the COMFORT Behavior scale, and children were assigned to light (score, 17-22), moderate (score, 11-16), or deep (score, 6-10) sedation target. Sedatives were titrated accordingly for up to 48 ± 6 hours during the treatment period.
    • The primary outcome was the percentage of time maintaining adequate sedation within prescribed COMFORT Behavior scale target range — without rescue sedation, assessed every 2 hours over 12-48 hours.

    TAKEAWAY:

    • Isoflurane maintained sedation within the COMFORT Behavior target range for a greater proportion of time (68.94%) than midazolam (62.37%), with a mean difference of 6.57 percentage points (95% CI, -8.99 to 22.13), confirming isoflurane’s noninferiority to midazolam.
    • The opioid requirements were lower in the isoflurane group (least squares mean dose, 2.1 μg/kg/h) than in the midazolam group (least squares mean dose, 4.6 μg/kg/h; P = .0004).
    • Additionally, the time for extubation was significantly shorter with isoflurane (median, 0.75 hours) than with midazolam group (median, 1.09 hours).
    • One child in each arm experienced treatment-related severe hypotension; three children receiving isoflurane discontinued due to adverse events, however, there were no treatment-related deaths.

    IN PRACTICE:

    “Based on [the study] results and on the regulatory support from the EMA [European Medicines Agency], inhaled sedation can be regarded as a therapeutic option for sedation during mechanical ventilation in pediatric intensive care,” the authors of the study wrote.

    SOURCE:

    This study was led by Jordi Miatello, PhD, from the IHU-SEPSIS Comprehensive Sepsis Centre and Paediatric Intensive Care in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France, and Alba Palacios-Cuesta, MD, from the 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. It was published online on July 15, 2025, in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

    LIMITATIONS:

    This study excluded children younger than 3 years, limiting the generalizability of the findings to younger pediatric ICU patients. The choice of inhaled sedative, as sevoflurane has replaced isoflurane for general anesthesia in many countries. Lastly, masking only the COMFORT Behavior assessor, rather than the entire clinical team, could lead to bias in outcome assessment.

    DISCLOSURES:

    This study was funded by Sedana Medical, Stockholm, Sweden. Few authors received honoraria from the funding organization for participation in the IsoCOMFORT Study Steering Committee. Two authors were employees of the funding organization. Two authors also reported being consultant with other pharmaceutical organizations.

    This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

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  • Titles for Francesca Jones & George Loffhagen; Emma Raducanu returns to British No.1

    Titles for Francesca Jones & George Loffhagen; Emma Raducanu returns to British No.1

    Loffhagen makes ATP Challenger breakthrough

    There was also a breakthrough for 24-year-old George Loffhagen last week, winning his first ATP Challenger singles title in Segovia, Spain.

    The British star had to fight through a three-hour final against Nicolas Alvarez Varona to seal the title with a 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4 victory.

    It’s the biggest title of Loffhagen’s career so far and his fourth of the season – adding to trophies in Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Nottingham.

    Loffhagen – who is supported by the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme, presented by Lexus – overcame fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in the opening round before going on to beat Hugo Grenier, Rafael Jodar and Edas Butvilas.

    Raducanu reclaims British No.1 spot

    Former US Open champion Raducanu headlined the British performances on the WTA and ATP tours last week – making the semi-finals of the WTA 500 in Washington.

    The British star picked up statement wins over seventh seed Marta Kostyuk, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and former world No.3 Maria Sakkari en-route to the final four.

    In the semi-finals however, she lost out to Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-3 to deny her place in what would have been a first final since the US Open.

    Off the back of her best result of the season, Raducanu has jumped 13 places in the rankings to world No.33 – reclaiming her position as British No.1.

    Also in Washington, Neal Skupski and Australia’s John-Patrick Smith lost in the men’s doubles semi-final 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 against top seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

    Elsewhere, Marcus Willis made the final of the ATP 250 Umag with Patrik Trhac but eventually finished runners-up to fourth seeds Romain Arneodo and Manuel Guinard 7-5, 7-6(2).

    There were also semi-final finishes for Alicia Barnett and Emily Appleton with their respective partners at the Prague Open.

    Jubb crowned champion in Champaign

    Paul Jubb clinched his second ITF singles title of the season so far at the M25 Champaign over the weekend.

    Jubb, 25, defeated Jamaica’s Blaise Bicknell 6-1, 7-6(4) in the final to bag the 12th singles trophy of his career.

    Meanwhile, Victoria Allen won her second consecutive doubles title, this time teaming up with Germany’s Angelina Wirges to lift the W15 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

    Allen and Wirges beat Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi and Emma Kamper 6-1, 2-6, 10-6 in the final to add to her recent trophy at the Lexus GB Pro Series Nottingham.

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  • Plants Develop Defense Against Sneaky Bacterial Invaders

    Plants Develop Defense Against Sneaky Bacterial Invaders

    Scientists at the University of California, Davis, used artificial intelligence to help plants recognize a wider range of bacterial threats — which may lead to new ways to protect crops like tomatoes and potatoes from devastating diseases. The study was published in Nature Plants.

    Plants, like animals, have immune systems. Part of their defense toolkit includes immune receptors, which give them the ability to detect bacteria and defend against it. One of those receptors, called FLS2, helps plants recognize flagellin — a protein in the tiny tails bacteria use to swim. But bacteria are sneaky and constantly evolving to avoid detection.

    “Bacteria are in an arms race with their plant hosts, and they can change the underlying amino acids in flagellin to evade detection,” said lead author Gitta Coaker , professor in the Department of Plant Pathology.

    To help plants keep up, Coaker’s team turned to using natural variation coupled with artificial intelligence — specifically AlphaFold, a tool developed to predict the 3D shape of proteins and reengineered FLS2, essentially upgrading its immune system to catch more intruders.

    The team focused on receptors already known to recognize more bacteria, even if they weren’t found in useful crop species. By comparing them with more narrowly focused receptors, the researchers were able to identify which amino acids to change.

    “We were able to resurrect a defeated receptor, one where the pathogen has won, and enable the plant to have a chance to resist infection in a much more targeted and precise way,” Coaker said.

    Why it matters

    Coaker said this opens the door to developing broad-spectrum disease resistance in crops using predictive design.

    One of the researchers’ targets is a major crop threat: Ralstonia solanacearum, the cause of bacterial wilt. Some strains of the soil-borne pathogen can infect more than 200 plant species, including staple crops like tomato and potato.

    Looking ahead, the team is developing machine learning tools to predict which immune receptors are worth editing in the future. They’re also trying to narrow down the number of amino acids that need to be changed.

    This approach could be used to boost the perception capability of other immune receptors using a similar strategy.

    Other authors of the study include Tianrun Li, Esteban Jarquin Bolaños, Danielle M. Stevens and Hanxu Sha of UC Davis and Daniil M. Prigozhin of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

    The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

    /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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  • Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco share a glimpse of their $35 million Beverly Hills mansion

    Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco share a glimpse of their $35 million Beverly Hills mansion

    By Kelsi Karruli

    Blanco took to Instagram to let fans in on their low-key birthday celebration and gift from Taylor Swift

    Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have shared a rare glimpse inside the kitchen of their $35 million Beverly Hills mansion while showing off the homemade treat pop star Taylor Swift gifted them.

    The “Love You Like a Love Song” hitmaker, 33, and the producer, 37, boasted their love for each other and their A-lister pals while celebrating Gomez’s birthday.

    Blanco, who popped the question and gave Gomez a sparkling rock in December 2024, took to Instagram to let fans in on their low-key birthday celebration that saw them lounging around their pad and enjoying some delicious sourdough bread made by Swift herself.

    Swift, 35, gifted her best friend, with whom she has spent several holidays, a special basket from her kitchen filled with fresh bread and a candle from Le Labo.

    The pop star wrote “Home-Made Sourdough” on a sticker on the package, followed by “It’s a loaf story,” which is a play on Swift’s lyrics from her 2008 hit “Love Story.”

    “For Selena + Benny,” she added on another sticker.

    She signed the adorable gift, “Love, Taylor.”

    It comes after Blanco and Gomez shared images of themselves with their friends, including Swift.

    Gomez revealed that this past year has been the “most beautiful.”

    The heartwarming gift from Swift sat on the couple’s kitchen, which features a stunning marble countertop.

    On July 22, Blanco shared photos of Gomez sleeping around their house, which boasts wooden floors and large windows that allow natural light to flood in.

    “Our life is a dream … so I’m never waking you up … happy birthday my love,” he captioned the carousel of snaps.

    The couple have been relishing their newly engaged bliss inside their $35 million California home, which they snapped up in December.

    They closed on an enormous new seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom dwelling, which they purchased on Dec. 4, according to records seen by Realtor.com.

    The property actually comprises two lots that are home to an expansive main residence and two guesthouses-one of which boasts a studio, while the other houses a home theater.

    Previously, the property was owned by a famous Hollywood director, according to TMZ, which first reported the news of the sale.

    When the singer and her fiancé bought the home, it marked one of the priciest sales in the area in 2024.

    The Spanish-inspired mansion features a spiral staircase and library. Outside, there is a fitness center, pool, and a greenhouse solarium, which is a nod to Blanco’s green thumb. The music producer has been known to use his garden to give back to the community.

    More from Realtor.com: I’m 39 and Self-Employed-Here’s How I Bought a $600,000 Home in Destin, Florida

    The property’s lush landscaping features sophisticated stone flooring around the pool.

    Gomez and Blanco purchased the property in an off-market deal that was carried out via an LLC that is associated with the music producer’s business manager.

    More from Realtor.com: Here’s How Much $1 Homes Really Sell For

    The property was last sold in August 2021, for $30.7 million.

    At the time, the listing described the home as a “true masterwork” and a “perfect combination of authentic details, fine craftsmanship, and the best modern amenities.”

    The listing noted that the home featured an array of living spaces, including a “fairytale playroom” and a “sensational living room.”

    More from Realtor.com: This U.S. Lake Looks Like It Belongs in the Caribbean-and It’s Driving Up the Price of Waterfront Properties

    Blanco previously revealed that he knew Gomez was going to be his wife during the early days of their relationship.

    “The second we started hanging out, I was like, ‘This is my wife.’ I was telling my mom, ‘This is the girl I’m going to marry,’” he told Interview magazine.

    The couple had previously collaborated on a few musical projects. But they first sparked romance rumors in mid-2023, then confirmed their relationship in December of that year, revealing on social media that they had been seeing each other for “six months.”

    More from Realtor.com: The Housing Markets Where Homes Are Selling Below the Asking Price

    In addition to planning their wedding and searching for the perfect decor for their dream property, the lovebirds also collaborated on Gomez’s album, “I Said I Love You First,” which was released on March 21.

    The album’s debut single, “Scared of Loving You,” is a nod to her former partners as Gomez reveals that she would “love too fast” when she was “young.”

    This story originally ran on Realtor.com.

    This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

    (END) Dow Jones Newswires

    07-28-25 0503ET

    Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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  • Blast derails Jaffer Express coaches near Jacobabad

    Blast derails Jaffer Express coaches near Jacobabad

    An explosion on the railway track near Jacobabad on Monday morning led to the derailment of three coaches of the Jaffer Express, railway officials confirmed.

    The blast occurred at approximately 10:20 AM between Sultan Kot and Jacobabad, affecting the Peshawar-bound train. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported as a result of the incident.

    Rescue teams were swiftly dispatched to the site to assist passengers and assess the extent of the damage. The affected coaches were derailed due to the impact of the explosion.

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the relevant authorities to ensure immediate relief and medical assistance. He condemned the attack, calling it a strike against the state, and emphasized that those behind the act would be held accountable.

    A detailed investigation into the blast is currently underway.


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  • Meet the new James Bond: how 007 First Light earned its license to thrill | Games

    Meet the new James Bond: how 007 First Light earned its license to thrill | Games

    Four years after No Time to Die – the 25th 007 film and the final outing for Daniel Craig’s version of the world’s most famous spy – there is still no named successor to put on the tux, order a martini, or get behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. At least, not in cinemas. However, for the first time in Bond history, the world will meet a new James Bond in a video game, before a new 007 makes their debut on film.

    As developed by Danish studio IO Interactive for next year’s 007 First Light, the new Bond is blandly handsome in a doll-like way. He is fresh-faced, with blue eyes that appear more cocksure than piercing, in contrast to the refined older Bond of most films or Craig’s ruggedness – although he is clearly inspired by Craig’s man-of-action approach. The implication is not that this Bond will eschew these traits but acquire them. First Light is an origin story intended to define one of the most durable protagonists in entertainment for a new generation of game-literate fans.

    “The way we went about it was to start with the origin. Because then we get to play with questions such as, ‘Who is James Bond the young man, and what does it mean to be a 00 Agent?’” says IO Interactive co-owner and First Light creative director Christian Elverdam. “What does it mean to become 007?”

    Most James Bond video games to date have been shooters, in the mould of 1997’s wildly popular Nintendo 64 game GoldenEye 007. Despite the continued success of the first-person shooter genre that GoldenEye helped popularise, subsequent 007 games saw diminishing returns. The tepid reviews and poor sales of 2012’s 007 Legends put Bond’s video-game career on hiatus, until IO approached Eon Productions with a deceptively straightforward pitch: a game that is less about shooting things and more about recreating the experience of a Bond film.

    “There are great shootouts in the movies – but, if you think about it, it’s not that many, right?” says Elverdam. Correcting this discrepancy between the movies and games became “the nucleus” of IO’s pitch to Eon: to do Bond right in a video game, Elverdam says, meant letting players inhabit a character who is “not always shooting”.

    This was an easy case for IO to make, because it had done it before. Between 2016 and 2021, the studio released an impressive three-part reboot of Hitman, its series about an elite contract killer. With an admirable lack of self-consciousness, IO kept what worked about older Hitman games (prioritising elegant planning and problem-solving over wanton violence) and jettisoned what didn’t (a sometimes lurid tone and confounding story). The result was remarkable: a series of endlessly replayable puzzles whose solutions involved the untimely deaths of the worst of the global elite with little collateral damage and allowed the assassin to escape entirely unnoticed. Satirical, witty and clever, Hitman: World of Assassination was a compelling calling card for IO to leave in Eon’s hands.

    “All this stuff [in Hitman] feels like spycraft already,” Elverdam says, “So if we take that, and we take some leaps” – these leaps being the things a Bond game ought to include, such as driving, fisticuffs and, yes, shootouts – “that becomes the pitch for what would eventually be First Light.”

    ‘Not always shooting’ … Bond takes to the road in 007 First Light. Photograph: IO Interactive

    The title is apt, as this game is the first glimmer of promising news for an entertainment property in a precarious position. Initially announced as Project 007 in November 2020, the game has survived a tumultuous period for Bond, which began with the $8.45bn (£6.3bn) merger of the character’s studio home MGM with the e-commerce giant Amazon in March 2022. While the newly christened Amazon MGM would control the lucrative existing Bond catalog, the idea was that creative decisions on future films – including who would play the MI6 agent – would remain with Eon, with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson steering the family business.

    Then, this February, Broccoli and Wilson handed creative control over to Amazon in an undisclosed but allegedly massive deal that ended the Broccoli family’s 63-year tenure as the stewards of James Bond’s cinematic exploits. In the months since, Amazon has begun to announce its plans, and selected Denis Villeneuve to direct the next film. But everyone with a passing or professional interest in Bond is still waiting with bated breath for a casting decision, and what it may mean for one of the most lucrative film franchises in the world.

    With the next cinematic Bond in limbo, however, a new video game Bond can make a stronger impression. The first trailer for 007 First Light isn’t terribly specific but it exudes confidence. It’s a montage affirming that everything fans love about 007 will be present. The death traps and gadgets from the Roger Moore era are there, as is the muscular physicality of Craig’s Bond, and the devil-may-care attitude consistent across all onscreen depictions of the character.

    Everything fans love about the series will be present. Photograph: IO Interactive

    “If you want to really do this with high ambition, you have to look at the different Bond instalments and figure out what each of them tried to do, and then let that inform your own take,” Elverdam says.

    While the creative director of First Light has much to say about 007 in general, he is not quite ready to talk specifics in relation to his version. The name of the voice actor playing Bond, for example, remains classified. But Elverdam is aware that, for all Bond’s enduring popularity, he is not a character who can just be dropped thoughtlessly into the modern world.

    “Every Bond is a Bond of their time, no matter how intentional you are. It’s unavoidable,” he says. “There is a zeitgeist in what you perceive as a threat, what you perceive as aspirational qualities – all that changes over time.” Elverdam rattles off some questions that IO’s version of Bond will consequently contemplate: when do you do your duty? When do you improvise? What does it mean to serve King and Country? Why do it in the first place?

    If Elverdam and IO are clever enough in answering these questions, they may give the next film-star Bond a run for his money.

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