Technology

Airway-On-A-Chip Could Speed Up Future Drug and Therapy Development

Published

1 year ago

November 15, 2024

New paper demonstrates the most advanced example of organ-on-chip technology, designed to accelerate the development of medical countermeasures, including drugs and therapies.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Developing a new drug is incredibly complex, but a new breakthrough could help scientists accelerate the process. Researchers at Draper have created a more accurate model of the human airway in a microfluidic device, providing a better platform to study how airway tissue cells respond to pathogens and drug therapies.

Most pharmaceutical screening methods depend on petri dishes in a lab or in animal models, but these environments aren’t always the best analog of how things work in live humans. As such, many drugs and treatments that seem promising in animals often fail when they reach human trials.

In recent years, scientists have developed a way to model organs and other body tissues on microfluidic chips, which provide a much closer comparison. These miniature human tissues

have so far included the liver, kidney, vasculature, tumor, colon and lung, and now Draper researchers have added new findings for the human airway with powerful implications for future application to high priority pathogen research.

The researchers cultured human primary bronchial epithelial cells under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions inside a microphysiological system, or MPS, which is designed to mimic human physiology by precisely controlling an environment for cells. Originally, the team was investigating what happens to those cells when they were infected with SARS-CoV-2, but when the researchers fed a flow of therapies in, they discovered something unexpected.

The treated airway tissues showed that two seemingly promising therapies had failed to rein in the viral infection. Those therapies had worked well enough in preclinical studies to send them to human clinical trials, but they eventually failed when tested in humans. In other words, Draper’s airway tissue model accurately predicted the lack of efficacy of two therapies that other pre-clinical methods had failed to reveal.

On further examination, the team detected the airway infection did respond to three antiviral drugs that had succeeded in clinical trials and were now FDA-approved. In all five total cases, the antivirals performed as expected in comparison to clinical outcomes. Importantly, these outcomes were more accurate than those obtained from in vitro tissue models using MPS platforms other than Draper’s PREDICT96-ALI.

“This is the first report of comprehensive and accurate screening of therapeutic candidates for COVID-19 in an organ-on-chip,” said Christine Fisher, Group Leader of Microbiology and Immunology at Draper. “PREDICT96-ALI can increase clinical success, and that represents a new and major milestone in the effort to use human primary cell-based preclinical models to expedite countermeasure development for emerging infectious disease threats and, more broadly, in the drug development pipeline.”

MPS are promising for evaluating drugs before they go to clinical trials, according to Ashley Gard, Group Leader of Cellular and Tissue Engineering and Principal Biomedical Engineer at Draper. But a major limiting factor is the lack of preclinical models capable of providing data predictive of human clinical responses, she added. Writing in Advanced Biology, the researchers say, “There still exists a tremendous unmet need for predictive MPS airway models to fill a critical gap in preclinical therapeutic screening for COVID-19 and other emerging respiratory infections.”

Special care was taken to keep the airway tissue models thriving in the microenvironment of PREDICT96-ALI. The tissues “lived” in a culture media, bathed in a dynamic fluid flow and given nutrients and oxygen. They were tested in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) high-containment laboratory, which allowed researchers to evaluate the full viral life cycle of SARS-CoV-2, a critical step in assessing compounds. The paper builds on research published in the journal Cells in 2023.

The research paper concludes: “PREDICT96-ALI is a model of the human broncho-tracheal lung tissue capable of assessing the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics with sufficient throughput to test multiple compounds at multiple concentrations in a single plate.” As such, it can be a vital tool for drug discovery.

PREDICT96-ALI is part of an integrated portfolio of technologies and resources at Draper intended to support the drug discovery and national security mission. Some of these capabilities include biothreat detection technologies developed for IARPA’s Finding Engineering-Linked Indicators (FELIX), DARPA’s Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies (DIGET) and BARDA’s Project NextGen: Next Generation Medical Countermeasures.

Authors include Landys Lopez Quezada, Felix Mba Medie, Rebeccah J. Luu, Robert B. Gaibler, Elizabeth P. Gabriel, Logan D. Rubio, Thomas J. Mulhern, Elizabeth E. Marr, Jeffrey T. Borenstein, Christine R. Fisher and Ashley L. Gard.

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, https://www.draper.com/

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Technology

Eddid Financial Honored with “Professional Services Award in RWA” by HKCT Highlighting its Leading Edge in Web3 and Digital Assets

Published

54 minutes ago

May 4, 2026

HONG KONG, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eddid Financial (the “Group”) has won the “Professional Services Award in RWA” at the HKCT Business Awards, hosted by the Hong Kong Commercial Times. The award recognizes the Group’s exceptional professional service capabilities and innovative achievements in the Real-World Assets Tokenisation (“RWA”) sector. This prestigious honor serves as a strong industry endorsement of the Group’s dedicated efforts in the RWA space, affirming its leadership in bridging traditional and digital finance while injecting significant momentum into Hong Kong’s digital asset market.

The HKCT Business Awards evaluates candidates based on four core criteria: corporate achievements, market competitiveness, brand philosophy, and professional standing. As one of the most credible and influential business awards in Hong Kong, it aims to recognize outstanding enterprises across various sectors for their performance over the past year, encouraging companies to continuously enhance their core competitiveness and pioneer innovative economic directions. During this year’s selection process, the judging panel conducted a comprehensive assessment of Eddid Financial’s compliance infrastructure, innovative services, and industry contributions within the RWA sector, highly commending the Group’s professional strength and forward-looking vision in asset tokenisation.

Compliance-Driven: Building a Full-Chain Service Ecosystem

As a licensed pioneer in Hong Kong’s RWA landscape, Eddid Financial has consistently relied on compliance as its foundation and innovation as its driving force. Having deeply cultivated the digital asset space for years, the Group has established a full-chain professional service ecosystem that encompasses asset screening, product design, compliance auditing, and distribution operations. Eddid Securities and Futures, a subsidiary of the Group, became one of the first brokerages in Hong Kong to upgrade its licenses in September 2023. It subsequently secured further upgrades for its Type 1 and Type 9 regulated activity licenses, making it one of the few institutions authorized to distribute tokenised securities and RWA products. This regulatory milestone has laid a solid, compliant foundation for the Group’s RWA business operations.

Successful Launch of Landmark Precious Metal RWA Projects

In terms of practical application, Eddid Financial has actively spearheaded the launch of several landmark RWA projects, setting a new benchmark for the industry. Notably, the Group partnered with Timeless Resources Holdings Limited (8028.HK) and HashKey Chain to introduce Hong Kong’s first silver RWA project. By leveraging blockchain technology to tokenise physical silver assets, each digital coin is backed 1:1 by one ounce of physical silver, strictly held by an independent trustee. This initiative not only lowers the barrier to entry for precious metal investments but also enhances asset liquidity. The project’s product design and issuance framework received a “no further comment” reply from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), demonstrating the highest standard of compliance.

Concurrently, the Group has collaborated with CAC Fintech to advance China’s first agricultural RWA project. By converting agricultural products, land management rights, and future agricultural revenue rights into on-chain digital certificates, this project addresses critical pain points such as poor liquidity and low financing efficiency in agricultural assets. Furthermore, it supports the national rural revitalization strategy and explores novel pathways for the innovative integration of agricultural assets with financial markets.

Leading the Upgrade of the Regional RWA Industry

Beyond launching landmark projects, Eddid Financial continues to drive the ecosystem construction and market development of the RWA sector. The Group’s research department published the “Core Guide to RWA: From Basic Theory to Global Practice,” sharing its leading experience in asset tokenisation to help establish industry standards. Simultaneously, the Group has built a tripartite development model encompassing “Technology + Compliance + Ecosystem”. Internally, it has assembled a dedicated fintech team to advance underlying technologies; externally, it connects core stakeholders, including asset holders, investors, and licensed exchanges, to form a comprehensive RWA service ecosystem that provides clients with all-encompassing, one-stop professional services.

Looking ahead, Eddid Financial will continue to leverage its comprehensive licensing advantages, expert service teams, and robust technical support to drive the digital transformation of a diverse range of real-world assets. The Group is committed to delivering highly flexible, efficient, and compliant RWA services to its clients while actively supporting the standardized and international development of Hong Kong’s digital asset market, thereby cementing Hong Kong’s status as a premier global digital finance hub.

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SOURCE Eddid Financial

Technology

Elevate Appoints Wade Clark as Chief Growth Officer

Published

54 minutes ago

May 4, 2026

Industry veteran to lead organic growth strategy across Elevate’s national platform

LOS ANGELES, May 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elevate, a national operator-led accounting and advisory platform, today announced the appointment of Wade Clark as Chief Growth Officer. Clark brings more than 30 years of experience building and leading sales organizations at top U.S. accounting and consulting firms, including Moss Adams (now Baker Tilly), BKD (now Forvis Mazars), Carr Riggs & Ingram, BDO USA, and Ernst & Young.

In this role, Clark will lead organic growth across Elevate’s partner firms, building a unified, data-driven growth function that complements the platform’s active M&A strategy and deepens advisory relationships firmwide.

Most recently, Clark spent nine years at Moss Adams, where he built and scaled the sales coaching function supporting 1,000+ partners, directors, and senior managers across 45 practices in a $1.3 billion firm. Earlier, as Chief Growth Officer at Carr Riggs & Ingram, he built the firm’s first growth function and helped drive revenue from $70 million to $100 million in three years. At BKD, he played a central role in the firm’s expansion from $190 million to $400 million, primarily through organic growth. He is the author of Meaningful Success in Business as well as Simplifying Complex Sales, reviewed by Accounting Today as one of the best books on selling professional services.

“Wade has built and led growth organizations at scale, and he knows what it takes to drive consistent, measurable results across a distributed partnership,” said Sanjay Agarwal, CEO and Founder of Elevate. “As we continue to execute on both M&A and organic growth, Wade’s ability to bring structure, accountability, and rigor to revenue generation will be a meaningful differentiator for our partner firms and their clients.”

“What attracted me to Elevate is the clarity of vision and the commitment to building a true operating platform — not just a collection of firms,” said Clark. “The opportunity to architect a scalable growth engine across a national footprint, alongside partner firms who are already leaders in their markets, is incredibly compelling.”

Clark is based in Houston, Texas, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas A&M University.

About Elevate

Elevate is a national accounting and advisory platform built by operators. The firm partners with leading CPA firms to provide the technology, infrastructure, and strategic support needed to drive sustainable growth, enhance client service, and unlock long-term value. Elevate’s operator-led model preserves firm autonomy while delivering the scale, talent, and technology of a unified platform.

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SOURCE Elevate LLC

Technology

Meiyume (Group) LTD Achieves EcoVadis Gold Rating for 2026, Reinforcing Commitment to Sustainable Beauty

Published

2 hours ago

May 4, 2026

HONG KONG, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Meiyume (Group) LTD has achieved the EcoVadis Gold rating for 2026, with the company being in the 96th percentile globally and among the top-performing companies for sustainability.

EcoVadis evaluates companies across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The Gold rating reflects Meiyume’s strong performance and continued commitment to embedding sustainability across its supply chain.

A supplier’s commitment to sustainability is increasingly important to brands, as they work to meet rising regulatory requirements and evolving consumer expectations for transparency and responsible practices. In this landscape, choosing the right partners is essential. Partners like Meiyume play a key role in enabling more responsible, future-ready solutions while helping to strengthen sustainability standards across the supply chain.

A Holistic Sustainability Strategy: Meiyume’s 5Ps Framework

Meiyume’s sustainability approach is guided by its 5Ps framework: Product, Process, Places, People, and Principle, ensuring a comprehensive integration across the business:

Product – Advancing sustainable innovation in formulations and packaging

Process – Strengthening responsible sourcing and supply chain practices

Places – Enhancing operational efficiency and environmental performance

People – Fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace

Principle – Upholding strong governance and compliance standards

Sustainability as an Ongoing Journey

While the EcoVadis Gold rating marks an important milestone, Meiyume views sustainability as an ongoing journey. The company remains committed to strengthening its sustainability performance and supporting beauty and personal care brands in achieving their sustainability goals.

About Meiyume:

Formerly LF Beauty, Meiyume offers end-to-end beauty solutions—packaging, ODM, OEM —grounded in sustainability and insights. Powered by it’s Beauty Intelligence Platform and a global sourcing network, Meiyume brings visions to life with agility, intelligence, and responsibility.

https://meiyume.com/
2/F HK Spinners Industrial Building, Phases I & II, 800 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

SOURCE Meiyume