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Draper Awarded $3 Million from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health to Advance the Well-being of Pregnant Women by Leveraging its Innovative Organ-on-chip Capabilities

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Draper has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health as an awardee of the Sprint for Women’s Health, a funding opportunity to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations, and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Draper has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an awardee of the Sprint for Women’s Health, a funding opportunity to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations, and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. Draper will receive $3 million in funding over two years through the Sprint for Women’s Health spark track for early-stage research efforts.

The goal of Draper’s program is to address the challenge of drug safety during pregnancy without needing to test on pregnant women.

Over 200 million pregnancies occur each year worldwide. Many pregnant women have medical conditions such as depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, or infections for which medication would be desired. However, more than 90% of FDA-approved drugs are currently contraindicated for pregnancy, mostly because there are insufficient data to make conclusions about safety for the developing fetus.

The goal of Draper’s program is to address the challenge of drug safety during pregnancy without needing to test on pregnant women. The Draper team, led by Principal Investigators Dr. Corin Williams and Dr. Hesham Azizgolshani, will use the ARPA-H award to develop a bioengineered model of human pregnancy. Specifically, Draper plans to create interacting tissue models of the placenta, the unique organ that protects and nourishes the fetus, and a developing heart model comprised of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to represent a sensitive developing organ. Draper’s advanced capabilities in microphysiological systems will allow testing of pregnancy-relevant medications in dozens of miniature human pregnancy models at a time and determine if they are safe.

“Healthy pregnancies affect all human life, so we believe that many people will care about the outcome of our program,” said Corin Williams, Biomedical Engineer and Principal Investigator. “Our vision is to use our developed technology to test medications in the lab so that we don’t have to test on pregnant women, to provide safer options for these patients.”

“Draper’s 90-year legacy of providing solutions for our nation is something we are proud of,” said John Julias, acting vice president for Biotechnology Systems at Draper. “Having an opportunity to create long-lasting healthcare solutions for women is paramount, and we look forward to making an impact.”

ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health attracted a record number of submissions across six topics in women’s health. The initiative, announced by First Lady Jill Biden in February, marks the first major deliverable from the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.

The ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health is conducted in collaboration with the Investor Catalyst Hub of ARPANET-H, the agency’s nationwide health innovation network that connects people, innovators, and institutions to accelerate better health outcomes for everyone.

Over the next two years, Draper will work closely with ARPA-H and the Investor Catalyst Hub to advance their solution.

About Draper

As a nonprofit engineering innovation company, Draper serves the nation’s interests and security needs; advances technologies at the intersection of government, academia and industry; cultivates the next generation of innovators; and solves the most complex challenges. Multidisciplinary teams drawn from a broad and deep talent pool of 1,600 engineers and scientists collaborate to develop first-of-a-kind solutions. Draper’s unbiased approach enables the company to focus on their customers’ needs and to deliver new capabilities to them. Learn more at draper.com.

Media Contact

Scott Deitz, Draper, 1 336-908-7759, scott@sevenletter.com, Draper.com

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One Country, Countless Journeys: Wego and the German National Tourist Office GCC (GNTO GCC) Inspire MENA Travellers to Discover Germany

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DUBAI, UAE, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wego, the number 1 travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has announced a strategic partnership with the German National Tourist Office GCC (GNTO GCC) to bring Germany’s distinctive character closer to travelers across the region, presenting a country where historic landmarks, regional traditions, creative cities, and striking natural scenery form part of the same journey.

Germany’s appeal lies in the contrasts travelers encounter from one destination to the next. A visit may begin among Berlin’s museums, contemporary neighborhoods, and architectural landmarks before continuing to Bavaria’s traditional towns and Alpine scenery. Elsewhere, Hamburg’s waterfront atmosphere, Cologne’s historic character, and Heidelberg’s picturesque setting reveal entirely different sides of the country.

The campaign which runs under the slogan ‘Germany – Simply inspiring’ will invite travelers to experience Germany through routes and journeys rather than individual attractions. Visitors can follow the Rhine past vineyards, riverside communities, and hilltop castles, travel through the wooded landscapes of the Black Forest, or explore historic towns where local traditions remain part of everyday life. Museums, design, music, architecture, and regional cuisine add further depth to each itinerary, connecting Germany’s past with its evolving cultural identity.

Speaking about the collaboration, Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer at Wego, said: “Travellers from the MENA region are increasingly looking for destinations that offer depth, variety, and the opportunity to enjoy different experiences within a single trip. Germany stands out by bringing together vibrant cities, rich cultural heritage, scenic landscapes, and distinctive regional experiences, making it an ideal destination for every type of traveller. Through our partnership with the German National Tourist Office GCC (GNTO GCC), we look forward to inspiring more travellers to discover Germany beyond its iconic landmarks and experience the diversity that makes every journey unique.”

Outdoor experiences will also play an important role in the campaign. From hiking and cycling to lake retreats, mountain escapes, and countryside journeys, Germany gives travelers the opportunity to move easily between urban exploration and nature. Its connected cities and regions allow visitors to create varied itineraries that may combine culture, relaxation, family experiences, shopping, and scenic discovery within one trip.

Yamina Sofo, Director of sales and marketing at the German National Tourist Office GCC (GNTO GCC), said: “Germany’s identity is shaped by the connection between heritage and modern life. Visitors can encounter centuries of history, vibrant cultural scenes, distinctive regional traditions, and varied natural landscapes as they travel across the country. Working with Wego gives us an opportunity to share these stories with more travelers from the GCC region and encourage them to experience Germany from different perspectives.”

The partnership will bring Germany’s regions and travel experiences to GCC audiences through editorial content, destination features, and practical trip-planning inspiration. By highlighting the country through its contrasts, local stories, and connected journeys, Wego and the German National Tourist Office GCC (GNTO GCC) aim to encourage travelers to see Germany not as a single experience, but as a destination that reveals something different at every stop.

About Wego

Wego is the number one travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Combining a dynamic travel marketplace with on-platform bookings, Wego enables travelers to easily search, compare, and book flights and hotels across hundreds of airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies. Beyond its B2C marketplace, Wego also operates WegoPro, a next-generation business travel platform, and WegoBeds, a MENA-focused bedbank. The company is dual-headquartered in Singapore and Dubai with offices in Bangalore and Mumbai.

For more information, visit www.wego.com

About the GNTB

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. As the central organisation for promoting inbound tourism to Germany, the GNTB works closely with the German travel industry and private-sector partners and trade associations to develop strategies and marketing campaigns that promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a travel destination and encourage tourists to visit the country. The aim is to unlock future commercial potential and thus add value to the German economy by attracting international visitors to Germany.

The GNTB’s primary strategic areas of action are:

Targeted market research and detailed analysis of global travel trends and market-specific customer demandSupporting the German travel industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, by sharing expertise and connecting German providers with the international travel trade.Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile with a focus on digital transformation.

The ‘Germany. Simply inspiring’ brand profile represents a high-quality and service-oriented, travel destination in the market.

From its head office in Frankfurt, the GNTB manages 22 foreign representative offices in established and in high-potential source markets.

Follow GNTO’s accounts on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/germanytourismar/
https://www.facebook.com/germanytourismar/

 

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Jonah Launches its New Blog Builder Product Designed to Amplify GEO Strategies in Multifamily.

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WESTLAKE, Texas, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jonah, the leading provider of premium, fully integrated websites for the multifamily industry, launches its new Blog Builder product, a comprehensive blogging environment designed to amplify GEO strategies in multifamily.

Jonah, in response to the evolving AI generative results landscape and through their observation of the success of blog content for GEO enhancements, developed its Blog Builder product.

AI-generated results often surface highly specific content that directly answers the user’s search query. Because of their unique ability to present relevant and timely content that users are searching for, blogs are an ideal format for this content and are sourced more often in these generated results.

Jonah’s Blog Builder product was created to turn their client’s custom content into a GEO strategy. It is intended to be best understood by AI search engines, simple for clients to operate, and engaging for the prospective renter.

Blog Builder by Jonah is structured with standard Schema.org blog architecture in its backend to ensure the client’s content has the best opportunities to be read, understood, and surfaced by AI search engines. This gives clients the assurance that AI can understand their specific content automatically.

The blogging environment in itself is a highly tailored solution featuring categories and unlimited tagging with dedicated subpages for each, delivering additional searchable sources from one piece of content. These features, in addition to the schema, were developed to create a deeper environment for hosting this blog content, driving more surfacing power with less effort for the client.

The pagination, publishing details, and search features give the end user an engaging experience and the client full control over their content. The Blog Builder pulls from the property website’s distinct branding, bringing cohesion to the entire environment.

Multifamily clients can create unlimited posts with tailored tags, categories, and details in this comprehensive blogging environment, turning their custom content into GEO strategy, all with the power of Jonah’s Blog Builder.

About Jonah
Jonah builds beautiful, powerful, fully integrated websites exclusively for multifamily. Our industry-leading technology is designed to make your job easier and your properties more profitable. With the best shopping experience in multifamily, Jonah helps your portfolio generate more leads and drive more leases. Learn more about our property websites.

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China Southern Power Grid Showcases AI Innovations at World AI Conference

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SHANGHAI, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — China Southern Power Grid (CSG) showcased its latest AI-powered power systems and technologies integrating electricity, carbon and computing at the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.

Among the highlights was MegaWatt Yunrui, an AI-native distribution network planning agent developed by CSG. In a live demonstration, the system automatically generated a comprehensive distribution network planning report — including risk assessment and grid topology recommendations — in just 10 minutes. The solution was named one of the conference’s Top 10 Signature Exhibits, becoming the only project from a central state-owned enterprise to receive the distinction.

This year, coordination between computing infrastructure and power systems was included in China’s Government Work Report for the first time. As CSG works toward becoming a global leader in electricity, carbon and computing coordination, the company has focused on building a fully proprietary end-to-end technology stack encompassing power-sector foundation models, intelligent robots and digital infrastructure. Among the exhibits were several technologies that the company described as domestic firsts and internationally advanced.

“We have integrated three systems that traditionally operated independently — electricity, carbon and computing — to establish China’s first industry-level electricity-carbon-computing coordination platform,” the company said. Built on the digital power grid, CSG has created a technology architecture spanning computing infrastructure, power-sector foundation models, AI agents and field devices. This end-to-end ecosystem supports the digital transformation of next-generation power grids through intelligent operations and coordinated capabilities across every layer.

At the core of the platform is MegaWatt Multimodal 2.0, a foundation model purpose-built for the power sector. At the application layer, MegaWatt Yunrui serves as an AI-native distribution network planning agent developed to support national energy security and the buildout of next-generation power systems. The company also introduced a range of digital infrastructure innovations, including PowerAtomOS, a proprietary unified operating system for power-sector IoT devices. Designed to provide centralized connectivity and management for hundreds of millions of connected devices, PowerAtomOS supports critical power equipment across virtually every operational scenario within CSG’s service area.

CSG said its strategy extends beyond deploying AI applications to building the technological foundation for the next generation of intelligent power systems.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-southern-power-grid-showcases-ai-innovations-at-world-ai-conference-302831636.html

SOURCE China Southern Power Grid

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