Research presented by Taipei American School student Jeffrey Zi Kang Huang at ESHRE 2026 through an international collaboration among Taiwan IVF Group, Ton Yen General Hospital, and Stanford University.

LONDON, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — An international study examining the relationship between ambient air pollution and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes has found that higher exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is consistently associated with lower clinical pregnancy and live-birth rates across Europe, North America, and East Asia.

The research, conducted by Taiwan IVF Group and Ton Yen General Hospital in collaboration with Professor Barry Behr of Stanford University, was presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE 2026) in London.

The research was presented by Jeffrey Zi Kang Huang, a research intern from Taipei American School (TAS), whose work was selected for presentation at one of the world’s premier scientific meetings in reproductive medicine. Jeffrey joined leading clinicians and scientists from around the world to share research exploring the impact of environmental air pollution on fertility treatment outcomes.

The study, “Ambient Air Pollution (PM2.5) and ART Outcomes in Europe: A Cross-Continental Comparison with North America and East Asia,” integrated publicly available ART registry data from 2010–2022 with environmental datasets from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Environment Agency (EEA), and NASA to evaluate the association between PM2.5 exposure and ART outcomes.

The analysis found that regions with higher PM2.5 exposure consistently demonstrated lower ART success rates. Compared with regions experiencing lower pollution levels, clinical pregnancy rates were reduced by approximately 5–12%, while live-birth rates declined by approximately 4–10%, with similar trends observed across all three geographic regions.

Artificial intelligence-assisted analytical methods were used to integrate multiple international datasets and identify cross-regional patterns, highlighting the growing role of AI in biomedical and environmental health research.

“Participating in this research allowed me to see how artificial intelligence and large-scale data analysis can uncover meaningful patterns in reproductive medicine and environmental health. Presenting our research at ESHRE has been an inspiring experience and strengthened my aspiration to pursue a career in medicine and biomedical research,” Jeffrey said.

Barry Behr, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and an internationally recognized expert in reproductive biology and embryology, emphasized the importance of providing talented young students with opportunities to participate in international collaborative research. He noted that early exposure to scientific inquiry and multidisciplinary collaboration helps cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists and biomedical innovators.

The findings contribute to growing evidence that environmental air quality may be an important and potentially modifiable factor influencing reproductive health and fertility treatment outcomes, while demonstrating the value of international collaboration in advancing reproductive medicine.

About Taiwan IVF Group

Taiwan IVF Group is one of Taiwan’s leading reproductive medicine provider, dedicated to advancing fertility care through clinical excellence, scientific innovation, international collaboration, and translational research. Through partnerships with leading academic institutions worldwide, including Stanford University, Taiwan IVF Group promotes scientific discovery and translates research into improved reproductive healthcare.

For more information, visit https://www.taiwanivfgroup.com/
Email: info@taiwanivfgroup.com
+886-3-658-9090

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SOURCE Ton-Yen General Hospital

Agency partner Epitaph Group and McCann Canada take home two Gold and one Silver at Cannes Lions 2026, on a campaign with Kids Help Phone, which was partly powered by Silverpush’s AI-driven contextual intelligence.

NEW DELHI, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Silverpush, the contextual intelligence company, is celebrating a landmark set of wins at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026, advertising’s most prestigious global stage, for its agency partner Epitaph Group Inc. and their partner McCann, on work for Kids Help Phone, one of Canada’s most iconic charities.

The awards, all in the Media Lions category, were:

Gold, Use of Data and AnalyticsGold, Data IntegrationSilver, Audience Insights

Silverpush is proud to have been part of this unique campaign, which started off as a request from Epitaph Agency to truly redefine how context can be used and how it can be applied to specific causes for good. By applying Silverpush Contextual Intelligence to identify and reach young people consuming content traditionally deemed unsuitable or brand-unsafe, Epitaph was able to reach audiences not to sell them something, but to connect them with help when they might need it most.

“We came to Silverpush with the initial idea to reverse the algorithm on YouTube, so we could target content that was deemed brand unsafe,” says Scott Stewart, Executive Vice President at Epitaph Group. “This campaign is proof that smart-tech can be used for good and we value Silverpush’s partnership in our journey to winning at Cannes Lions.”

Supporting Epitaph and McCann’s vision, Silverpush helped build a completely custom contextual universe around mental health discourse, emotional distress, and other sensitive signals. By combining its AI with human review, the team reached content and audiences normally considered inappropriate for brand campaigns, in this case helping vulnerable young people in their moments of need.

The scale of the achievement was underlined at the festival itself. As Media Lions president Sindhuja Rai, chief client officer at WPP Media APMEA, observed: “If Cannes didn’t have the criteria that a charity cannot go for a Grand Prix, we might have had a different Grand Prix.”

About Silverpush

Silverpush is a contextual intelligence company that helps brands reach the right audiences in the right moments without relying on personal identifiers. Powered by its AI-driven Contextual Intelligence Engine, it analyses signals at the content level to deliver contextually relevant, brand-suitable advertising across YouTube, CTV, TikTok and the open web. Silverpush operates as SilverEdge Technologies Pvt Ltd

Media Contact:
Aastha Sharma
Head of Marketing- APAC
aastha.sharma@silverpush.co 

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3008217/Silverpush_Logo.jpg

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CHANDIGARH, India, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the Government of India moves to strengthen examination integrity through the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, and a high-powered examination reform task force led by Shri Nandan Nilekani, EduBlock Pro has offered its deployable platform for evaluation and potential national deployment.

The proposed legislation introduces stronger punishments, time-bound investigations, and fast-track trials. These measures strengthen accountability after malpractice is discovered. Examination reform also requires infrastructure that brings visibility, control, and accountability across the question paper lifecycle. 

“A law can punish a paper leak. A dependable examination system must also make every access visible, verifiable, and attributable,” said Vikram R. Singh, Founder and CEO of Antier Solutions.

EduBlock Pro is an end-to-end examination integrity platform designed to secure question-paper creation, approval, access, last-mile printing, opening, and audit.

Every authorised action is cryptographically recorded to create a permanent, tamper-evident chain of custody.  For paper-based examinations, question papers can be printed securely at the examination centre on the day of the examination instead of being printed, stored, and transported in advance. 

The platform can also link examination workflows to authorised identities and candidate biometrics, making premature or unauthorised access detectable and traceable.

This approach does not argue against Computer-Based Testing. It provides a common trust and audit layer that supports paper-based, computer-based, and hybrid examinations. The Supreme Court has itself highlighted the need to examine cybersecurity, encrypted transmission, secure storage, and data protection before any nationwide transition to CBT.

EduBlock Pro is designed to strengthen examination integrity regardless of the examination format. It is created to support the transparency, accountability, and traceability objectives of the Public Examinations Act, 2024, and the reforms now being considered.

The platform received the STPI Award for “Innovative Idea of the Year” at TiECON Chandigarh 2026. It is recognised as a startup by DPIIT and has been approved for a ₹20 lakh grant under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, with disbursement under process.

“We are not asking the government to accept another presentation. We are offering a 30-minute demonstration on a live examination workflow. Government must lead this national reform, and industry must place deployable systems at its disposal,” Singh added.

EduBlock Pro has proposed a controlled pilot involving an examination authority, independent technology experts, and security auditors. The objective is to demonstrate how technology can strengthen examination integrity through greater visibility, accountability, and traceability across the complete examination process. 

About EduBlock Pro

EduBlock Pro is a blockchain-based examination integrity platform developed by Antier, a bootstrapped enterprise blockchain company with more than 600 technology specialists. The platform enables secure question paper management, controlled access, verifiable audit trails, and examination governance across paper-based, computer-based, and hybrid examinations. Antier is incubated at STPI Neuron, the Software Technology Parks of India Centre of Entrepreneurship in emerging technologies.

Media Contact:

Email: info@edublockpro.com | info@antiersolutions.com 

Website: https://edublockpro.com/

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