Technology

Liver Cancer: A Promising Avenue for More Effective Immunotherapies

Published

2 years ago

February 14, 2024

Research team identifies biomarker that may explain treatment failure in some people

LAVAL, QC, Feb. 14, 2024 /CNW/ – A research team of Canadian and French scientists, led by INRS professor Maya Saleh, has been investigating immunotherapy resistance in certain patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with steatotic liver disease. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with known risk factors such as chronic hepatitis B or C infection, alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction. It is the most common type of liver cancer. Despite major advances in immunotherapy, this cancer is often fatal: around 75% of patients with advanced HCC fail to respond to this type of treatment, for reasons that had yet to be clarified.

This encouraged the research team to explore the link between metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver, and therapeutic resistance to immunotherapy in HCC patients.

“We have identified an immune biomarker for HCC associated with stetatotic liver disease, which will allow us to develop new immunotherapies,” explains Professor Maya Saleh, an international specialist in immuno-oncology. “We could envisage immunotherapies that restore an effective immune response against HCC by attenuating the damaging liver inflammation.”

Discovery of a potential therapeutic target

HCC remains a major public health concern; in North America, its incidence has doubled in the past three decades. Prior to the approval of immunotherapy, the treatment options for advanced HCC were limited and ineffective. As an example, sorafenib improves mean overall survival by just 3 months and is associated with significant side effects.

Immunotherapies, when administered in combinations, increase the average survival of HCC patients by 17 months on average.

Thanks to the use of “omics” technologies, which allow large quantities of biological data to be analyzed in a short timeframe, the team developed an immune map of the tumour and adjacent non-tumoral liver in 10 patients. These initial immune maps led them to study databases of hundreds of patients in order to validate the immune profiles related to risk factors and associated with disease severity.

These initial results indicate that the chronic inflammation from steatotic liver disease makes the liver cancer environment unique, with an expansion of immunosuppressive cells that paralyse the immunological attack of the tumour.

The research team has demonstrated that the immunosuppressive cells express an inflammatory receptor, named TREM1, which makes them more dangerous. They therefore highlighted TREM1 as a potential therapeutic target in HCC associated with steatotic liver disease.

Interesting implications for immunotherapy research

By identifying this biomarker, which could explain treatment failure in people with HCC, the team has paved the way for a new approach to classifying patients. This would allow them to determine who would be more likely to respond to immunotherapy before treatment even begins.

Such a scientific breakthrough would ease the psychological burden for patients who don’t respond to immunotherapy. Important physical impacts, including side effects, could also be prevented.

“This is a promising avenue for the next few years. We will continue the analysis by characterizing the immune component of tumours in a larger cohort of patients, including comprehensive imaging of tumour cell composition and the use of artificial intelligence to link immune profiles to response to therapy. This could have a significant impact on the field,” concludes Professor Saleh.

About the study

This paper was co-authored by Julie Giraud, Domitille Chalopin, Eloïse Ramel, Thomas Boyer, Atika Zouine, Marie-Alix Derieppe, Nicolas Larmonier, Olivier Adotevi, Brigitte Le Bail, Jean-Frédéric Blanc, Christophe Laurent, Laurence Chiche, Marc Derive, Macha Nikolski, and Maya Saleh.

Entitled “THBS1+ myeloid cells expand in SLD hepatocellular carcinoma and contribute to immunosuppression and unfavorable prognosis through TREM1,” it was published in Cell Reports Vol 43, Issue 2. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.11377.

This research was funded to Dr. Saleh by the Fondation ARC, IDEX Bordeaux, ITMO Cancer, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France, and SIRIC BRIO.

About INRS

INRS is an academic institution dedicated exclusively to graduate research and training. Since its creation in 1969, it has actively contributed to Quebec’s economic, social, and cultural development. INRS ranks first in Quebec and Canada in research intensity. It is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres located in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, and Varennes, which focus their efforts on strategic sectors: water, earth, and environment (Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre); energy, materials, and telecommunications (Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre); urbanization, culture, and society (Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre); and health and biotechnology (Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Centre). The INRS community includes over 1,500 students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty and staff members.

SOURCE Institut National de la recherche scientifique (INRS)

Technology

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION APPOINTS DAVID S. SCHULZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Published

9 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

LANCASTER, Pa., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) (“Fulton”) today announced the appointment of David S. Schulz as a member of its board of directors (the “Board”) for a term commencing September 14, 2026 and expiring at Fulton’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave to Fulton’s board of directors,” said Curt Myers, Fulton Chairman, CEO, and President. “Dave brings extensive financial leadership experience gained through more than a decade of service with publicly traded companies. His expertise in finance, strategic planning, risk, and mergers and acquisitions will provide valuable perspective as we continue to execute our growth strategy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers and communities.”

With the addition of Schulz, Fulton’s Board will have 11 members, and he will serve on the Audit and Risk committees. Schulz has also been appointed to the board of directors of Fulton’s banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A.

Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco International, Inc. (“Wesco”) from 2016 to June 2020, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco from June 2020 to February 2026 and as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO of Wesco from February 2026 until his retirement on May 31, 2026.

Prior to joining Wesco, Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. and was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Vice President of Finance of the Armstrong Building Products division.

Before joining Armstrong World Industries in 2011, he held various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. He was also an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2025, Schulz joined the board of Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., and he was appointed as chair of the audit committee in 2026. He also serves on the company’s compensation and talent development committee.

ABOUT FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Fulton, a $34 billion Lancaster, Pa.-based financial holding company, has more than 3,400 employees and operates more than 215 financial centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A. Additional information on Fulton can be found at https://investor.fultonbank.com.

Contact: Steve Trapnell
717-291-2739

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SOURCE Fulton Financial Corporation

Technology

Octavio Marquez Elected to MSA Safety Board of Directors

Published

9 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of MSA Safety Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the development of advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions, today announced that Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors. His election was part of the MSA Board’s regular succession plans.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to add Octavio to the MSA Board,” said Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA chairman. “He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well.”

“Octavio’s perspectives will be an asset to me and our entire Executive Leadership Team,” said Steven C. Blanco, MSA president and CEO. “It is a pleasure to welcome Octavio to MSA, and I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Marquez joined Diebold Nixdorf in 2014 and has held senior leadership roles across the company’s Global Banking organization and its Americas region, including as executive vice president of Global Banking and senior vice president of the Americas. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Mr. Marquez held leadership positions at Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and NCR.

Diebold Nixdorf automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, its integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of customers every day. Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio, Diebold Nixdorf employs approximately 20,000 employees globally, supporting more than 100 countries.

Mr. Marquez holds a degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan, The Wharton School and The University of Texas at Austin.

About MSA Safety

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2025 revenues of $1.9 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, and employs a team of approximately 5,300 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSASafety.com.

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SOURCE MSA Safety

Technology

BlueFolder Field Service Software Launches New AI-Powered Features to Transform How Teams Work

Published

9 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

New AI capabilities instantly surface customer insights and transform technician notes into actionable summaries to help field service teams work faster, stay aligned, and deliver better service

AUBURN, Ala., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlueFolder field service software recently announced the launch of two powerful new AI features: AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization. Together, these capabilities are designed to eliminate the time-consuming, manual work of reviewing fragmented customer records and lengthy technician notes—giving field service teams instant clarity to respond faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver exceptional service.

BlueFolder expands it’s field service and work order management suite with two exciting new AI field service features.

Built directly into the BlueFolder platform, both features leverage artificial intelligence to automatically compile and summarize complex, unstructured data into clear, easy-to-read overviews. The result: technicians, dispatchers, and managers always have the context they need, right when they need it.

AI-Powered Customer Summaries

As field service organizations grow, customer information becomes increasingly scattered across emails, service request logs, and communication histories. BlueFolder’s AI Customer Summary feature addresses this challenge head-on by consolidating those interactions into a single, actionable snapshot.

Instead of manually digging through multiple records before a service call or customer interaction, teams can now access a real-time summary highlighting key concerns, past service activity, and recent updates. The feature goes beyond basic summarization and surfaces critical business insights such as equipment past due for maintenance, approaching warranty expirations, and proactive revenue opportunities, empowering teams to recommend follow-ups or upgrades directly from the customer record.

Built-in traceability links each summary back to its original source communications, so users can validate insights with confidence, ensuring both speed and accuracy in every customer interaction.

AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization

In many service organizations, technicians log updates across multiple visits, often resulting in long, fragmented notes that are difficult to review at a glance. BlueFolder’s AI Field Notes Summarization feature solves this by automatically condensing multiple technician entries into a structured summary that highlights key milestones, actions taken, and next steps.

Rather than scrolling through pages of updates, managers and dispatchers can immediately understand job status and determine what needs to happen next, improving alignment between field and office teams, accelerating decision-making, and reducing miscommunication. The feature is especially valuable for complex or multi-day jobs, where clear continuity and smooth technician handoffs are critical to delivering consistent service. It’s another featuring making BlueFolder’s work order management software capabilities stronger every day.

“History is one of the most powerful tools a service team has — the problem is it’s usually buried. BlueFolder’s new AI features fix that. Your team walks into every interaction already knowing the customer, knowing the equipment, and exactly where things stand. That changes the entire experience,” says John Shaw, VP, Technology, Service Operations.

AI as a Core Part of the BlueFolder Platform

The launch of these two features reflects BlueFolder’s broader commitment to embedding AI throughout its field service management software as an integrated layer of intelligence that makes every workflow smarter. Rather than requiring teams to change how they work, BlueFolder’s AI capabilities are designed to surface the right information at the right moment automatically, within the tools that technicians, dispatchers, and managers already use every day.

“AI is transforming what’s possible in field service, and BlueFolder is answering that call. These features are the result of deep platform expertise and a clear vision for where the industry is headed. We’re embedding intelligence throughout the platform because we know it makes our customers more competitive, more efficient, and better positioned to grow,” says Stephen Myslicki, Group President of Field Services.

Availability

Both AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization are available now to BlueFolder customers as optional, easy-to-enable features within the platform. They are part of BlueFolder’s growing suite of AI-driven capabilities designed to help field service organizations operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.

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SOURCE BlueFolder