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  • Pembree’s new components line blends high performance and sustainable manufacturing

    Pembree’s new components line blends high performance and sustainable manufacturing

    UK-based mountain bike components manufacturer, Pembree, has launched its new range of gravity-focused parts, including a seatpost for the first time. The brand has championed sustainable manufacturing, using solar and wind power at its HQ in Heathfield, Sussex, and recycled aluminium in its parts. The Pembree website is still being built at the time of writing, but we’re told products should start shipping next month. 

    This dedication to sustainability continues with the new range, as well as focusing on high-performing products for downhill, freeride and dirt jump athletes. The new collection features stems, seat posts, bars, pedals and seat clamps. 

    What’s new with the Pembree gravity range?

    Pembree, as a brand, began in 2019, but in a relatively short span of time, it has garnered quite a following. As well as selling directly from its own website, you’ll likely have seen Pembree on sites like Leisure Lakes or J E James Cycles with a range of high-performance components like stems and pedals. 

    One big part of Pembree’s ethos is sustainability, and the brand does so by using plenty of recycled aluminium in its products. 

    “We set out to make the best possible mountain bike components, not just for performance but for the planet too,” said Phil Law, founder of Pembree. “Sustainability is not an add-on for us – it is fundamental. Every product we make is engineered in the UK with full traceability and no compromises.” 

    The new line-up

    Pembree seat posts.jpg

    For 2025, Pembree has updated its flat pedal with a new iteration, the D3A. It’s a dual-concave pedal designed for better control and grip on technical terrain. Available in six colours, the pedals use CNC-machined recycled aluminium and sealed bearings with a chromoly steel spindle for durability and performance. 

    They come in two sizes to fit shoe sizes EU 37-43 in size small, and EU 43-49 for size large, and a claimed weight of 420g per pair. Which keeps roughly the same weight as the previous generation, but with more concavity. 

    Then there’s the GCS bars. These are designed for downhill and freeride use thanks to the EFBE certification. They are available in 800mm width, with a five-degree upsweep and seven-degree backsweep and two rise options: 20mm and 40mm. 

    Pembree bars gravity.jpg

    The GCS bars are offered in two clamp diameters: 31.8mm and 35mm, and two colour options: black or silver. 

    The GCS stem is e-bike and gravity riding compatible with an ultra-wide clamp interface for better clamping force and stiffness. The stems are CNC-machined with 75% recycled aluminium and are available in 35mm or 40mm lengths.

    They are compatible with 31.8mm or 35mm bars, and come in 6 colours. 

    Next is the DBN seat clamp. This is the second generation of the DBN clamp, and the V2 has apparently been refined to reduce the risk of “crushing the dropper post.”

    Pembree seat clamp.jpg

    It’s available in six colours and two sizes: 34.9mm and 39.7mm.

    Then there’s the ASP seat post – the first seat post designed by Pembree. It’s strictly for downhill and dirt jumping use, and comes in a 300mm length only. It’s EFBE gravity tested and is forged from recyclable aluminium. 

    As we’ve already mentioned, Pembree’s website currently says it is ‘coming soon’, but the brand has assured us that it will be up and running with products shipping in October. The range will also start shipping through selected retail partners next month. 

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  • Lunar ‘Lava Sandwiches’ Could Harbor Earth’s Earliest Biology

    Lunar ‘Lava Sandwiches’ Could Harbor Earth’s Earliest Biology

    Of our Moon’s many remaining secrets, one could be evidence for Earth’s earliest biology in what has been termed a lunar ‘lava sandwich.’

    Finding organics beneath ancient lunar lava, oddly enough, has the potential to usher in a game-changing understanding of life’s origin on Earth. Our own planet’s active geology squelched our ability to retain a full history of the onset of life. But the Moon’s geological record may open a window in time that eludes us here on Earth.

    Records of organic and biological evolution on Earth stopped around 3.8 billion years ago, Mark Sephton, a geochemist at the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London, tells me in his office. Yet, the Moon may contain older preserved materials that were circulating near to Earth when it was just becoming habitable, Sephton tells me.

    First there would need to be a lava flow from the lunar interior that acts as a bit of lunar asphalt on which an organically, or potentially bio-rich meteorite or planetary fragment would serendipitously fall onto the lunar surface. Then within a relatively short geological time frame — perhaps spanning as little as only tens of millions of years, a second lunar lava flow or eruption would insulate the organic material in a protective ‘lava sandwich.’

    It could literally be almost any spot on the Moon that underwent a lava repaving, says Sephton. The only caveat is that you would have to have some delivery mechanism to the surface of the nascent Moon, so that this meteoritic or planetary material would arrive when the first layer of lava was already down, he says.

    In theory, as Sephton and colleagues noted in a 2015 study, such a lava sandwich could protect this precious trapped material from cosmic ray exposure and/or further degradation for billions of years.

    In other words, such materials may simply be waiting for future robotic probes to find them — potentially either in exposed lunar outcrops or by drilling beneath the surface itself.

    We often talk about the transition from prebiotic to biotic, says Sephton. There is little evidence of this on Earth because of the rock cycle, he notes. But perhaps records of the first chemical steps towards life were ejected into space and then fell onto the Moon, says Sephton.

    In a 2002 paper appearing in the journal ICARUS, the authors note that our Moon may preserve material not only from Earth, but also from Venus. The only attainable record of Venus’ early surface geology, catastrophically erased 700 million years ago, is probably also on the Moon, they write.

    It’d be interesting to see molecules where early life has started to generate molecular machinery that’s working but isn’t quite as efficient as the molecular machinery that we have in our present-day biosphere, says Sephton.

    Are any regions of the Moon particularly good candidates for such samples?

    There are multiple places on the Moon with layered lava flows, Oceanus Procellarum — a large near-side lunar mare — is certainly one, as are other mare regions, Ian Crawford, a planetary scientist at the University of London’s Birkbeck College, tells me via email.

    High-resolution imaging from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has also identified many potential localities where layering is exposed in the walls of rilles, craters and collapse pits, he says.

    As for taking an actual sample?

    We would take the samples and liberate organic compounds either by extracting them with organic solvents or by heating (thermal extraction), says Sephton. The latter requires flash heating the sample to fragment the molecules, he says.

    Although it would be cheaper for a potential lava sandwich prospecting mission to perform its own analysis in situ, ideally, such bio-interesting organic samples would best be returned to Earth-based labs.

    Bringing samples back is the best; we’re still benefiting from the rocks that came back from the Moon, says Sephton. The longer these samples are on Earth, the more opportunity for people to come along and say, “I have a new technique; a new type of mineral characterization; a new question,” he says.

    Ancient Lava

    The oldest lava flows will be buried by younger ones so identifying and sampling these may mean drilling down hundreds of meters, which will require quite a lot of infrastructure, so a Moon base would help, says Crawford. But there are other options for paleoregolith preservation in addition to lava flows, he says.

    Case in point, in 1972, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt, the only geologist to walk the lunar surface, stumbled across orange and black pyroclastic beads in the Moon’s Taurus Littrow Valley. These kinds of pyroclastic volcanic eruptions could have conceivably cloaked and preserved ancient organics as well.

    The ideal case would be to find a terrestrial meteorite containing organic molecules, or conceivably micro-fossils, from a time that Earth’s own geological record has not preserved, says Crawford.

    ForbesMoon’s Far Side Marks Astronomy’s Final Frontier, Says Big Bang CosmologistBy Bruce Dorminey

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  • Lost Boys and Fairies leads nominations with seven

    Lost Boys and Fairies leads nominations with seven

    Adoption drama Lost Boys and Fairies leads the way with seven nominations for this year’s Bafta Cymru awards.

    The nominations have been announced and also include five for Until I Kill You, four for My Burton and Cleddau and two for Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin, Marw Gyda Kris and Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me.

    Lost Boys and Fairies was praised by critics and viewers for its honest portrayal of a gay couple who adopt a son.

    “Congratulations to this year’s Bafta Cymru nominees, whose outstanding talent and creativity have delivered an incredible line-up of must-watch films, television and performances,” said Lee Walters, Bafta Cymru chairman.

    “These nominations celebrate the strength of Welsh storytelling and our fast-growing screen industries,” he added.

    He said Bafta Cymru was “proud to champion Welsh talent”.

    There are 17 categories, including a presenter category, which features three first-time Bafta nominees including Amy Dowden for the documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, Bethan Rhys Roberts for Newyddion S4C’s coverage of the 2024 general election, and Kristoffer Hughes for Marw gyda Kris, alongside Chris Roberts for Chris Cooks Cymru.

    Lost Boys and Fairies writer Daf James is among the writers nominated, alongside Abi Morgan for Eric, and Nick Stevens for Until I Kill You.

    In the actress category, Anna Maxwell Martin has been nominated for true crime drama Until I Kill You, alongside Elen Rhys for detective drama Cleddau, Gwyneth Keyworth for Lost Boys and Fairies and Katy Wix for sitcom Big Boys.

    In the actor category, Rhys Ifans has been nominated for his role in fantasy series House of the Dragon, alongside Harry Lawtey for biographical drama film Mr Burton, Shaun Evans for Until I Kill You and Sion Daniel Young for Lost Boys and Fairies.

    Joshua Trigg is a first-time Bafta Cymru nominee in the director: fiction category for feature film Sat: Year of the Rabbit.

    In the news and current affairs category, BBC Wales Investigates has been nominated for Unmasked: Extreme Far Right, alongside Newyddion S4C for its programme about Neil Foden, the Wales at Six: Women’s Euros Special from ITV Cymru Wales and Y Byd ar Bedwar: Huw Edwards for ITV Cymru and S4C.

    The Bafta Cymru Awards, which will be hosted by Welsh TV presenter, Owain Wyn Evans, will take place at the ICC Wales in Newport on Sunday 5 October

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  • Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing in Singapore

    Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing in Singapore

    Singapore has positioned itself as the most credible base for cell and gene therapy manufacturing in Southeast Asia. It combines internationally aligned standards, a transparent regulatory framework, modern facilities, and a logistics platform built for living products. For investors deciding where to place capital, this combination reduces execution risk and accelerates commercialization, turning a small domestic market into a strategic hub for the region.

    Regulatory and manufacturing standards

    The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) regulates Cell, Tissue, and Gene Therapy Products (CTGTP) under the Health Products Act and specific regulations introduced in 2021.

    The framework is risk-based, with Class 1 products — minimally manipulated and used for homologous purposes — subject to notification and acceptance, while Class 2 products require full registration. Manufacturers, importers, and wholesalers handling Class 2 therapies must be licensed, and distribution is tied to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) audits. This clarity informs investors precisely which category their products fall into and what obligations they incur.

    Singapore is also a member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S), meaning its GMP inspections are recognized internationally. From October 2024, HSA began requiring GMP compliance evidence for drug-substance manufacturers in new applications, making clear that enforcement is active and non-negotiable.

    Distribution is equally controlled: GDP guidance requires importers and wholesalers to maintain quality systems covering storage, transport, and record-keeping, with audits before licensing. For businesses, this assures that every stage of the chain meets international expectations.

    Infrastructure and facilities

    Standards are reinforced by infrastructure. The Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS), opened in August 2023 with fourteen GMP-compatible clean suites, four translational labs, and a QC laboratory. It was designed to give hospitals, universities, and start-ups a platform to scale therapies without years of capital-intensive facility construction.

    Beyond ACTRIS, Tuas Biomedical Park and Biopolis anchor Singapore’s industrial and research ecosystems with integrated utilities, cleanroom layouts, and co-located R&D facilities that align with global norms.

    The presence of this ecosystem has catalyzed private investment. WuXi Biologics is committing S$2 billion to a new CRDMO campus at Tuas, adding 120,000 liters of bioreactor capacity and employing around 1,500 staff.

    Multinationals such as Novartis, GSK, and Sanofi have also established operations, using Singapore as both a production base and a regional distribution hub.

    Together, these public and private commitments demonstrate that the system functions at a global scale, not only at a pilot scale.

    Case example: First-in-region approval

    In March 2021, HSA approved Novartis’ Kymriah, making it the first commercial CAR-T therapy authorized in Southeast Asia. This approval demonstrated that Singapore’s CTGTP framework can handle advanced therapy dossiers and bring products to patients under international scrutiny. For investors, this provides tangible proof that the regulatory system functions in practice, not only on paper.

    Logistics and export readiness

    Export capacity is critical for cell and gene therapies. Changi Airport operates Asia-Pacific’s first IATA CEIV Pharma-certified community, with temperature-controlled warehouses, 24/7 monitoring, and end-to-end audited handling. This means therapies can move from cleanroom release to outbound flight under continuous conditions recognized by regulators abroad. For living products where a break in the cold chain can destroy an entire batch, this infrastructure reduces one of the biggest operational risks.

    Incentives and operating economics

    Singapore’s 17 percent corporate tax rate is made more attractive through targeted incentives. The Development and Expansion Incentive and the Pioneer Certificate Incentive can reduce effective rates to 5–10 percent for qualifying activities.

    Find Business Support

    The Enterprise Innovation Scheme, introduced in 2024, provides a 400 percent tax deduction on up to S$400,000 of annual R&D and training expenses, with an option to convert part of the deduction into a cash payout. Multinationals subject to the OECD’s 15 percent global minimum tax can structure these incentives compliantly through Singapore’s domestic top-up tax regime.

    For investors, this means early cash savings and predictable compliance with international tax rules.

    Market trends and outlook

    Singapore’s biomedical exports totaled S$38 billion (US$29.4 billion) in 2022, with advanced therapies representing a small but fast-growing share. ASEAN’s healthcare expenditure is on track to reach US$740 billion by 2025, and most countries lack the infrastructure to support advanced therapy production domestically. Singapore’s combination of standards, logistics, and incentives positions it as the natural hub to fill this gap.

    Subsector opportunities within cell and gene therapy manufacturing

    Cell therapies: CAR-T and stem cell applications

    Cell therapies are among the most commercially advanced areas of the industry. Global cell therapy revenue reached US$18.25 billion in 2024 and is projected to rise to US$50.5 billion by 2037.

    In the Asia-Pacific region, the CAR-T market alone is expected to grow from US$620 million in 2024 to US$2.07 billion by 2033. Singapore’s ACTRIS is already supporting CAR-T clinical trials, giving investors immediate entry into this fast-growing market with access to compliant facilities and established hospital networks.

    Gene therapies and viral vector manufacturing

    Gene therapy depends heavily on viral vectors, which remain a global supply bottleneck. The Asia-Pacific viral vector market is projected to expand from US$174 million in 2024 to US$1.16 billion by 2033, growing at more than 23 percent annually, while globally the segment could reach US$7.66 billion by 2030.

    Singapore is outfitting its facilities for scalable vector production, opening the door for investors with expertise in adeno-associated and lentiviral vectors, purification, and automation to address unmet demand both regionally and internationally.

    Delivery platforms: Ex vivo and in vivo therapies

    Ex vivo therapies, where cells are modified outside the body, currently represent about US$3.24 billion globally and are well supported by Singapore’s cleanroom infrastructure. In vivo therapies, valued at US$16.89 billion worldwide, are less mature but are advancing quickly, representing the next frontier of investment. Singapore’s translational research base is well-positioned to support in vivo breakthroughs, allowing investors to pursue near-term revenues from ex vivo therapies while preparing for longer-term in vivo opportunities.

    CDMO services

    Contract development and manufacturing organizations already form part of Singapore’s value chain. WuXi Biologics’ S$2 billion project at Tuas demonstrates that the city-state is trusted to host large-scale outsourcing facilities. For smaller biotechs, CDMOs offer speed and compliance without the need for massive upfront investment. Investors also have the chance to support niche CDMOs focused on vectors, quality testing, or patient-specific processes.

    Ancillary services and supply chain enablers

    Supporting services such as quality control, cryopreservation, and cold-chain technology are expanding quickly. The Asia-Pacific quality control market for cell and gene therapies is expected to grow from US$246 million in 2023 to US$1.32 billion by 2033.

    Although Singapore already has GDP-certified logistics through Changi Airport, there remains unmet demand for specialized storage, tracking systems, and advanced packaging solutions. Companies that address these needs can build profitable positions adjacent to the core manufacturing sector.

    Clinical trial and research support services

    Clinical trial support is another area of growth. Singapore is rated as an “advancing” market for CAR-T readiness by IQVIA, reflecting its clear ethics frameworks and robust trial infrastructure. Investors can contribute through reagents, trial management platforms, or bioinformatics tools that integrate hospitals, regulators, and manufacturers.

    As the pipeline of therapies expands, demand for trial support will scale in parallel.

    Decision pathways for investors

    Investors evaluating Singapore as a base for cell and gene therapy manufacturing typically choose among three routes: direct facility investment, joint ventures with local or regional players, or outsourcing to contract development and manufacturing organizations. Each option balances control, cost, and timing differently and will shape both regulatory strategy and financial outcomes.

    At one end of the spectrum, companies that pursue direct facility investment gain maximum control over processes, intellectual property, and long-term margins. A greenfield plant at Tuas Biomedical Park or Biopolis can span from cell and gene therapy–scale builds in the US$80–155 million range to large biologics expansions around S$300 million, and for complex modalities can reach US$1.5 billion. Traditional greenfields typically take three to five years from concept to qualified operations, while modular or retrofit projects can compress timelines to ~12–18 months. The payoff is ownership of quality systems and the ability to qualify facilities for FDA or EMA oversight, which suits multinationals or well-capitalized biotechs planning multiple therapies with sustained demand.

    For businesses not ready to commit that level of capital, joint ventures offer a more measured path. Partnering with institutions such as ACTRIS or regional hospital networks allows investors to tap existing infrastructure while sharing compliance and financial risk. This provides faster market entry with lower upfront cost, though at the expense of shared decision-making and the need to structure agreements carefully to protect proprietary technology. Singapore’s strong IP protections and contract law help mitigate these risks, but executives must still decide how much influence they are willing to concede.

    Outsourcing to CDMOs is the fastest and least capital-intensive option. A company can initiate production in Singapore within months by contracting with an established operator, paying primarily variable costs tied to volumes. These costs can be offset by the Enterprise Innovation Scheme, which grants 400% tax deductions on the first S$400,000 of qualifying R&D or training per year of assessment and allows an optional cash payout on up to S$100,000 of qualifying spend. This model is well suited to firms with a narrow pipeline or limited initial demand, though dependence on CDMOs can constrain flexibility if capacity tightens, and margins are naturally thinner than in direct ownership models.

    Whichever route is chosen, regulatory timing is pivotal. Class 1 cell, tissue, and gene therapy products (CTGTPs) proceed by notification, with outcomes typically issued in ~14 working days. Class 2 products require full registration, scheduled as 50 working days for screening plus 180 (abridged) or 270 (full) working days for evaluation, excluding applicant stop-clocks. In practice, this means a process of roughly 9–15 months for an unpaused review. Early engagement with the Health Sciences Authority to confirm classification and evaluation route is therefore essential.

    Incentive alignment should also be considered carefully. Large-scale facilities are best matched to the Development and Expansion Incentive or the Pioneer Certificate Incentive, which can reduce corporate tax on qualifying income to 5–15 percent for an initial period of up to 10 years. Pilot-scale or outsourced models, by contrast, derive greater value from the Enterprise Innovation Scheme’s enhanced deductions and cash-conversion features. Aligning the right incentive framework with the chosen pathway improves returns and strengthens internal investment cases.

    Ultimately, the decision depends on strategic intent. Investors seeking a durable Asian manufacturing base will find direct investment offers the greatest control, while those testing markets may prefer the speed and flexibility of a joint venture or CDMO outsourcing. The critical point is that Singapore makes all three pathways viable within one jurisdiction, allowing companies to calibrate their commitment in line with commercial traction.

    ASEAN gateway advantage

    Singapore’s domestic market may be small, but its role as a springboard into ASEAN gives it disproportionate importance. With ASEAN’s population of 740 million and projected healthcare spend of USD 740 billion by 2025, investors manufacturing in Singapore can serve Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines without encountering their regulatory fragmentation or infrastructure gaps. Products made in Singapore benefit from HSA’s international recognition, and Changi’s cold-chain logistics provide secure export pathways. Combined with robust IP protections and predictable contract enforcement, this makes Singapore the safest and most reliable hub for advanced therapies in Southeast Asia.

    Building the first-year plan

    Investors entering Singapore should approach the first year as a staged process that aligns regulatory milestones with operational build-out. The initial step is engagement with the Health Sciences Authority to confirm whether the therapy falls into Class 1 or Class 2 and to map the corresponding licensing path. While this review is underway, interim compliant capacity can be secured through ACTRIS suites or established CDMOs, ensuring that product development and early trials are not delayed.

    Parallel preparation should focus on activating incentives. The Enterprise Innovation Scheme supports early-stage hiring, training, and R&D costs, providing both tax offsets and cash conversion options that ease the initial cash flow burden. For companies planning larger facilities, applications for the Development and Expansion Incentive or the Pioneer Certificate Incentive can be timed to coincide with construction and technology transfer. By sequencing these steps, boards can achieve regulatory progress, early market presence, and fiscal efficiency within the same twelve-month window.

    About Us

    ASEAN Briefing is one of five regional publications under the Asia Briefing brand. It is supported by Dezan Shira & Associates, a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm that assists foreign investors throughout Asia, including through offices in Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang in Vietnam; besides our practices in China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Italy, Germany, and USA. We also have partner firms in Malaysia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia.

    Please contact us at asean@dezshira.com or visit our website at www.dezshira.com and for a complimentary subscription to ASEAN Briefing’s content products, please click here.

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  • Study identifies which pollutants trigger the most asthma attacks – AirQualityNews

    Study identifies which pollutants trigger the most asthma attacks – AirQualityNews

    Researchers have identified the specific components of PM2.5 most strongly linked to asthma hospitalisations, finding that nickel, vanadium and sulfate particles are among the most dangerous compounds in the PM2.5 mixture, alongside nitrate, bromine and ammonium.

    Together, these pollutants were found to drive a significant portion of hospitalisations among asthma patients exposed to long-term air pollution.

    Senior author Joel Schwartz, professor of environmental epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said: ‘We know that PM2.5 increases the risk of asthma attacks and hospitalisations, but those particles are made of many compounds and we haven’t known which are most harmful. Our study teases out which specific compounds in the PM2.5 mixture necessitate the strongest control efforts in order to improve asthma outcomes.’

    The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, analysed 469,005 asthma hospitalisations recorded in 11 U.S. states between 2002 and 2016.

    Using machine learning models, the team estimated annual levels of 15 compounds that make up PM2.5, including metals and organic components, at ‘zip code’ level. They then applied a statistical method to measure how each compound contributed to asthma hospitalisations.

    They found that for each decile increase in the pollutant mixture, asthma hospitalisations rose 10.6% among children and 8% among adults aged 19 to 64, with nickel, vanadium and sulfate consistently emerging as the strongest contributors.

    Schwartz said the results point directly to pollution sources that could be regulated more effectively: ‘If we want to reduce asthma hospitalisations, these are the sources that need to be better controlled – which we know how to do.

    ‘Nickel and vanadium, for example, are produced from burning fuel oil, such as heating oil and heavier oils used by larger buildings. Sulfates come from coal burning. We can put scrubbers on coal combustion plants or replace coal with less polluting fuels, and we can remove metal contaminants from fuel oil.’

    While the study focused on long-term exposure, the authors noted that more research is needed to understand how short-term spikes in specific PM2.5 components affect asthma.

    The full research can be accessed here.

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  • Gandapur says Imran must resolve matters with establishment himself

    Gandapur says Imran must resolve matters with establishment himself

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that issues between former prime minister Imran Khan and the establishment can only be resolved by Khan himself.

    Speaking to the media in Peshawar, Gandapur said he held no authority in this regard and identified two key hurdles to Khan’s release. “The first is the absence of rule of law. If the law functions, Khan can be released immediately,” he remarked.

    He added that the second obstacle is the ongoing standoff with the establishment. “This matter can only be resolved by Khan himself; I have no authority in this matter,” he clarified.

    The chief minister reiterated that Imran Khan was “fighting the nation’s battle” and that the PTI stood firmly with its ideology. He vowed the party would continue its struggle until its objectives were achieved.


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  • SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips for sampling and transportation of monkeypox virus, varicella zoster virus and herpes simplex 1 and 2 viruses | Virology Journal

    SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips for sampling and transportation of monkeypox virus, varicella zoster virus and herpes simplex 1 and 2 viruses | Virology Journal

    Preparation of SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips

    Paper strips were prepared as previously described [4]. Briefly, Whatman grade 17 Chr pure cellulose chromatography paper with a thickness of 0.92 mm, a high absorbency of 870 g water/m2 and a linear flow rate of 190 mm/30 min was used (Cytiva Whatman, Kent, UK). The chromatography paper was cut into strips of 80 mm x 4 mm, while wearing disposable gloves to prevent contamination. The strips were immersed for 2 min in a solution containing 2% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 10 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and 60 mM Tris–HCl [tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane hydrochloride]. Following immersion, the strips were air-dried overnight at room temperature (20–25 °C).

    Cells

    Human embryonic lung cells (HEL-299, CCL-137 ATCC) were grown in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM, Thermo Fisher Scientific) supplemented with 10% foetal calf serum (FCS), 2 mM l-glutamine, 0.1 mM non-essential amino acids, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, and 10 mM HEPES, at 37 °C in a 5% CO2 humidified atmosphere.

    Viruses

    The following viral strains were used: MPXV (GenBank accession number ON622712.1), successfully isolated from genital lesion swabs from a Belgian patient, HSV-1 (Kos strain, ATCC VR-1493), HSV-2 (G strain, ATCC VR-3393), and VZV (Oka strain, ATCC VR-1832). Viral stocks were prepared and titrated in HEL cells: MPXV (2.5 × 107 PFU/mL), HSV-1 (2 × 106 PFU/mL), HSV-2 (3 × 105 PFU/mL), and VZV (4.5 × 104 PFU/mL).

    All MPXV-related work was conducted in the high-containment BSL3 facilities of the KU Leuven Rega Institute under the official permit with reference number AMV/02062020/S88219.2020/0221, and according to the institutional guidelines. VZV and HSV work was conducted in BSL2 facilities at the Rega Institute following biosafety guidelines.

    Sample dilutions, loading on the chromatography paper strips and incubation

    All viral stocks (MPXV, VZV, HSV-1 and HSV-2) were serially diluted 1:100, 1:1.000, 1:10.000 and 1:100.000. The SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips were immersed for approximately 1 min (until the paper was saturated) into the different dilutions of the vital stocks. The strips were allowed to air dry overnight at room temperature. After complete drying, each strip was kept in a separate 50 mL Eppendorf tube and stored under different temperature conditions, -20 °C, 4 °C, room temperature (22 °C), and 37 °C. Storage durations included 1, 7, 14, 60, and 120 days. Negative controls for SDS-EDTA strips (without application of virus) were used for MPXV in each time point.

    Viral inactivation tests

    To assess potential viral survival on SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips, viral clearance studies were conducted using cell-based infectivity assays.

    A 1:10 dilution of each virus (MXPV, VZV, HSV-1, and HSV-2) was applied to both SDS-EDTA-treated and untreated chromatography paper strips. The strips were then placed in sterile tubes containing 3 mL Universal Transport Medium (UTM), vigorously mixed and filtered through a 0.45 μm membrane. Subsequently, 0.1 mL of this UTM filtrate was inoculated onto HEL cells (for MPXV and VZV) or E1SM cells (for HSV-1 and HSV-2). Cell cultures were monitored daily for cytopathic effects over a 14-day period. Viral titers were quantified via serial 10-fold dilutions of the samples in 96-well microtiter plates pre-seeded with HEL or E1SM cells.

    Viral DNA extraction

    After each storage time interval at the different temperatures, the DNA extraction was performed on the virus-laden strips. The SDS-EDTA strips were cut in half and put into an Eppendorf tube with 1000 µl of RNA-free water. After a 10-minute incubation, the SDS-EDTA strips were squeezed thoroughly with the pipette tip to release absorbed viral material. A 400 µL aliquot of the resulting supernatant was used for viral nucleic acid extraction using the MagMAX™ Viral/Pathogen Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit, automated on a on Kingfisher Flex-96 purification system (ThermoFisher Scientific, Europe). Negative controls for DNA extraction step were used for virus at each time point.

    Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)

    Primer and probe sequences are provided in Supplementary Data (Table 1). MPXV primers and probe [7] and HSV-1/HSV-2 primers and probes [8] were published previously. qPCR amplification was conducted on a QuantStudio 7 Flex Real Time PCR system (Applied Biosystems, ThermoFisher). To amplify the targets of interest, a mix for each virus was made using 5 µL TaqMan™ Fast Virus 1-step Master Mix (Applied Biosystems) with 1 µL of each forward and reverse primers (stock concentration 20 µM) and 0.5 µL probe (stock concentration 10 µM). Supplemented with 7.5 µL RNase free water to a total of 15 µL. A total of 5 µL viral DNA was added to the reaction mixes. Thermal cycling conditions were 20 s at 95 °C, followed by 45 cycles of 3 s at 95 °C and 30 s at 60 °C. Analysis was done using QuantStudio Real-Time PCR software (Applied Biosystems, ThermoFisher).

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  • Is Lancia preparing to return to the WRC?

    Is Lancia preparing to return to the WRC?

    Vision and images are circulating online of what appears to be a new Lancia rally car in development.

    The Italian car maker, a winner of a record 10 WRC constructors’ titles (1974-1976, 1983, 1987-1992), has returned to competitive rallying this year with tis all-new two-wheel drive Ypsilon Rally4 car, which has been competing in the European Rally Championship alongside a new one-make Lancia Rally Trophy.

    In recent days, images and videos have leaked online that appear to show a Ypsilon rally car in testing, built to Rally2 specification.

    The Ypsilon’s first steps were apparently taken in France and were immortalised in a short video showing the car returning to the tent after a run on asphalt.

    According to our sources, the journey of this Rally2 began many months ago. The car is still in its infancy and it’s impossible to guarantee the date when the new Ypsilon will be homologated and available on the racing market.

     

    Autosport understands that Lancia has been considering its options for future rally programme for some time. At last weekend’s Rally Paraguay, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed that the marque is among the brands it is talking to about joining the WRC when it welcomes its new technical rules in 2027.

    Under the new regulations, WRC27 cars will be built to a cost cap and, delivering approximately 300 horsepower while utilising a space frame chassis and Rally2 componentry. From 2027, current Rally2 machinery will compete alongside WRC27 cars under one umbrella that will forge the top class of the WRC.   

    A step up to the Rally2 class could be achieved without starting from scratch given the Stellantis Group, which owns Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Lancia, Opel and Peugeot, is currently represented in the WRC at WRC2 level through Citroen with the C3 Rally2.

    Speaking to Autosport’s sister title Motorsport.com Italy last year, Lancia’s sporting director Eugenio Franzetti admitted to being an admirer of the Rally2 class.

    “The Rally2 is a very interesting car because it’s fast, it lets you win [national] championships, obviously the European championship, which allows you to go very fast also in WRC,” said Eugenio Franzetti.

    “Today, with few Rally1s [in WRC], if you have a Rally2 you can also get into the top 10, even get close to the top five and you have crazy visibility. And then it’s a commercial product, it’s a product that you sell and whoever buys it is happy, it [the car] runs well, has an acceptable cost per kilometre and so on. The Rally2 was an extremely clever specification.”

    Autosport has contacted Lancia for comment.

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  • Can saliva and tears replace blood tests for vitamin D and glucose?

    Can saliva and tears replace blood tests for vitamin D and glucose?

    In a small but revealing study, scientists discovered that tears strongly mirror blood glucose and saliva may reflect vitamin D status. This could lead to less invasive ways to monitor chronic health.

    Study: Tears and Saliva as Biological Matrices for Vitamin D and Glucose Assessment: A Pilot Study. Image credit: Shotmedia/Shutterstock.com

    A new study published in the journal Physiologia explores the feasibility of saliva and tears as alternative biological fluids for measuring vitamin D and glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    Background

    Vitamin D, or calciferol, is an essential fat-soluble micronutrient with two main representatives: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. It can be ingested through diet or synthesized in the human skin using high-energy ultraviolet radiation from the sun. 

    Vitamin D is essential for intestinal calcium absorption and maintaining calcium and phosphate levels in the blood to facilitate bone growth and mineralization. It also plays crucial roles in reducing inflammation, promoting immune functions, and is linked to glucose metabolism.

    Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a range of health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and microbial infections. However, in most cases, vitamin D levels are primarily measured in blood samples, not other biological fluids.

    In the current study, researchers explored the feasibility of using other biological fluids, including saliva and tears, to assess vitamin D and glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    Study design

    The study population included six adult patients with type 2 diabetes and eight healthy adults. Three diabetic patients were taking vitamin D supplements, while none of the healthy volunteers were.

    After a minimum of three hours of fasting, blood, tears, and saliva samples were collected from the participants and analyzed using the electrochemiluminescence method to assess vitamin D and glucose levels.

    Key findings

    The biochemical assessment revealed similar vitamin D levels in blood samples collected from diabetic and healthy participants. A slightly higher blood vitamin D level in diabetic patients might be the effect of supplementation. However, no effect of supplementation was observed on vitamin D levels in saliva and tears samples.

    The correlation analysis between collected samples revealed that a higher blood vitamin D level is significantly associated with a lower salivary vitamin D level. A similar but non-significant negative correlation was observed between vitamin D levels in blood and tears.

    The study found a significantly positive association between blood and tears samples regarding glucose levels.

    Study significance

    The study suggests that saliva and tears indicate potential feasibility as alternative biological matrices for assessing vitamin D and glucose levels in diabetic patients and healthy adults.

    Existing evidence reports low vitamin D levels in blood and saliva samples collected from newly diagnosed diabetic patients. The current study reports a negative correlation between blood and salivary vitamin D levels in diabetic patients diagnosed with the disease for at least five years. These findings, therefore, suggest that salivary levels may reflect blood levels of vitamin D only in certain conditions.

    The study also finds a tendency toward a negative correlation between blood and tears vitamin D levels, with tears samples containing higher levels of this vitamin than blood samples in both diabetic and healthy adults. This observation indicates potential, but it has not yet been established as a reliable matrix for vitamin D detection.

    However, in contrast to the current study findings, previous studies involving healthy volunteers have shown a positive correlation between blood and tear levels of vitamin D. This difference in findings suggests that individuals’ health conditions may potentially influence vitamin D levels in different biological samples.   

    The study finds a significant positive correlation between blood and tear samples regarding glucose levels in diabetic patients. This suggests that tear sampling may serve as a potentially dependable, noninvasive alternative approach for glucose level monitoring in diabetic patients.

    Overall, the study highlights the potential feasibility of tear samples for glucose measurement and raises the possibility of saliva samples reflecting serum vitamin D under certain conditions. Still, it emphasizes that these findings are preliminary.

    However, researchers explain that it is vital to establish specific reference intervals for each biological fluid before clinical application, as differences in protein content, pH, enzymatic activity, and viscosity between these matrices are known to affect analyte distribution and assay performance.

    Since the study included a small number of participants, further large-scale studies are required to confirm the observed correlations and develop an accurate equation for estimating these biochemical parameters in these alternative matrices.

    Download your PDF copy now!

    Journal reference:

    • Pedro Henrique A. Reis. (2025). Tears and Saliva as Biological Matrices for Vitamin D and Glucose Assessment: A Pilot Study. Physiologia. https://doi.org/10.3390/physiologia5030028. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9488/5/3/28

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  • A Simple Spark That May Explain How Life Began

    A Simple Spark That May Explain How Life Began

    A breakthrough experiment shows how RNA and amino acids might have joined to spark the first steps toward life. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com

    Scientists have recreated a crucial step that may have set life in motion nearly four billion years ago.

    By showing how amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, could spontaneously link with RNA under early Earth conditions, researchers have revealed a potential missing link in biology’s origins.

    Origins of Life’s Building Blocks

    Researchers at UCL have discovered how two essential ingredients of life, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, may have naturally combined about four billion years ago at the dawn of life.

    Amino acids are the basic components of proteins, which act as the engines of life and drive nearly every biological function. However, proteins cannot copy themselves or generate instructions for their own production. Those instructions come from RNA, a molecule closely related to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

    Proteins, RNA, and the Blueprint of Life

    In findings published in Nature, the team successfully attached amino acids to RNA under conditions similar to those that might have existed on early Earth. Scientists have been attempting to accomplish this since the early 1970s without success until now.

    Professor Matthew Powner, senior author from UCL’s Department of Chemistry, explained: “Life relies on the ability to synthesize proteins – they are life’s key functional molecules. Understanding the origin of protein synthesis is fundamental to understanding where life came from.

    “Our study is a big step towards this goal, showing how RNA might have first come to control protein synthesis.

    Toward Understanding Protein Synthesis

    “Life today uses an immensely complex molecular machine, the ribosome, to synthesize proteins. This machine requires chemical instructions written in messenger RNA, which carries a gene’s sequence from a cell’s DNA to the ribosome. The ribosome then, like a factory assembly line, reads this RNA and links together amino acids, one by one, to create a protein.

    “We have achieved the first part of that complex process, using very simple chemistry in water at neutral pH to link amino acids to RNA. The chemistry is spontaneous, selective, and could have occurred on the early Earth.”

    Simple Chemistry with Big Implications

    Previous attempts to attach amino acids to RNA used highly reactive molecules, but these broke down in water and caused the amino acids to react with each other, rather than become linked to RNA.

    For the new study, the researchers took inspiration from biology, using a gentler method to convert life’s amino acids into a reactive form. This activation involved a thioester, a high-energy chemical compound important in many of life’s biochemical processes and that has already been theorized to play a role at the start of life.[1]

    Professor Powner said: “Our study unites two prominent origin of life theories – the ‘RNA world’, where self-replicating RNA is proposed to be fundamental, and the ‘thioester world’, in which thioesters are seen as the energy source for the earliest forms of life.”

    Bridging Competing Origin Theories

    To form these thioesters, the amino acids react with a sulfur-bearing compound called pantetheine. Last year, the same team published a paper demonstrating that pantetheine can be synthesized under early Earth-like conditions, suggesting it was likely to play a role in the origin of life.

    The next step, the researchers said, was to determine how RNA sequences could bind preferentially to specific amino acids, allowing RNA to begin coding instructions for protein synthesis—the origin of the genetic code.

    “There are numerous problems to overcome before we can fully elucidate the origin of life, but the most challenging and exciting remains the origins of protein synthesis,” said Professor Powner.

    Lead author Dr. Jyoti Singh, from UCL Chemistry, said: “Imagine the day that chemists might take simple, small molecules, consisting of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms, and from these LEGO pieces form molecules capable of self-replication. This would be a monumental step towards solving the question of life’s origin.

    “Our study brings us closer to that goal by demonstrating how two primordial chemical LEGO pieces (activated amino acids and RNA) could have built peptides,[2] short chains of amino acids that are essential to life.

    “What is particularly groundbreaking is that the activated amino acid used in this study is a thioester, a type of molecule made from Coenzyme A, a chemical found in all living cells. This discovery could potentially link metabolism, the genetic code, and protein building.”

    While the paper focuses solely on the chemistry, the research team said that the reactions they demonstrated could plausibly have taken place in pools or lakes of water on the early Earth (but not likely in the oceans, as the concentrations of the chemicals would likely be too diluted).

    The reactions are too small to see with a visible-light microscope and were tracked using a range of techniques that are used to probe the structure of molecules, including several types of magnetic resonance imaging (which shows how the atoms are arranged) and mass spectrometry (which shows the size of molecules).

    Notes

    1. The Nobel laureate Christian de Duve proposed that life began with a “thioester world” – a metabolism-first theory that envisages life was started by chemical reactions powered by the energy in thioesters.
    2. Peptides typically consist of two to 50 amino acids, while proteins are larger, often containing hundreds or even thousands of amino acids, and are folded into a 3D shape. As part of their study, the research team showed how, once the amino acids were loaded onto the RNA, they could be synthesized with other amino acids to form peptides.

    Reference: “Thioester-mediated RNA aminoacylation and peptidyl-RNA synthesis in water” by Jyoti Singh, Benjamin Thoma, Daniel Whitaker, Max Satterly Webley, Yuan Yao and Matthew W. Powner, 27 August 2025, Nature.
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09388-y

    The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Simons Foundation and the Royal Society.

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