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EQT Foundation commits more than €1 million to help unlock new ways of delivering medicines to the brain

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11 research projects working to improve how therapeutics reach the brain and central nervous system are supported through the latest EQT Foundation Science GrantResearchers are pursuing multiple routes through and around the blood-brain barrier, including engineered biological carriers, molecular shuttles, gene therapy vectors, nanoparticles and AI-designed delivery technologiesThe program targets a fundamental challenge in CNS medicine that limits the development of treatments for neurological, neurodegenerative, oncological and rare genetic diseases

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — EQT Foundation has committed more than EUR 1 million to 11 research projects aiming to develop new ways to overcome that challenge, supporting technologies that could make a wider range of medicines viable for diseases of the central nervous system.

The projects, based at 10 research institutions across the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and Canada, approach brain delivery from very different scientific directions. Some are engineering the body’s own transport mechanisms to carry therapeutic cargo. Others are designing new molecular shuttles, viral vectors and nanoparticles, or exploring less conventional routes into the central nervous system. Several of the projects are already applying these technologies to specific diseases, including brain cancer, ALS and rare genetic disorders.

The common challenge is the blood-brain barrier: a highly selective biological interface that protects the brain from potentially harmful substances circulating in the bloodstream, but at the same time makes many otherwise promising medicines difficult to deliver. This has implications well beyond any single disease. New delivery technologies could enable emerging modalities such as gene editing, RNA medicines, antibodies and other large-molecule therapeutics to reach targets in the brain that are currently inaccessible.

Cilia Holmes Indahl, Head of EQT Foundation, said: “I believe that science can now design increasingly sophisticated medicines. For the brain, the question is whether they can get to where they need to go, which makes delivery the problem underneath all the others. This group is trying a remarkably wide set of answers, from borrowing pathways the body already has to building entirely new ones. If any of them work, they could potentially work for many diseases at once. That is exactly the kind of early, step-change science we want to back.”

The researchers receiving funding are developing technologies that span both established and emerging approaches to CNS delivery:

Elga de Vries, Amsterdam UMC (Netherlands): Developing extracellular vesicles — naturally occurring particles used by cells to transport biological material — as carriers capable of bringing therapeutic cargo across the blood-brain barrier.           Sophia Shi, Harvard University (United States): Developing “GlycoShuttles”, a new approach that seeks to use glycans on the surface of brain blood vessels as an entry mechanism for therapeutics and improve their distribution within the brain.           Maarten Dewilde and Els Henckaerts, KU Leuven (Belgium): Creating a modular VHH-based adaptor designed to redirect AAV gene therapies toward alternative transport receptors at the blood-brain barrier, potentially expanding the options for systemic gene delivery to the brain.           Ana Raquel Pato Santa Maria, Wyss Institute at Harvard University (United States): Developing dual-target brain shuttles intended to improve both the transport and retention of antibody and oligonucleotide therapeutics in the central nervous system.           Praveen Raju, University of California San Diego (United States): Developing a targeted nanomedicine approach that aims to transport drugs into the brain specifically where disease has altered the blood-brain barrier, with an initial application in pediatric brain tumors.           Jeroen Pasterkamp, University Medical Center Utrecht (Netherlands): Investigating engineered extracellular vesicles as carriers for gene-editing tools targeting motor neurons, initially focusing on a genetic form of juvenile ALS.           Niek van Til, Amsterdam UMC (Netherlands): Developing an approach with the aim to enable therapeutic intracellular proteins to move across the blood-brain barrier through transcytosis, with an initial application in neurometabolic disease.           Saman Fatima, Seattle Children’s Hospital / University of Washington (United States): Using artificial intelligence to design compact macrocyclic peptides that could act as reusable shuttles for carrying different therapeutic payloads into the brain.           Umar Iqbal, National Research Council Canada (Canada): Developing lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery to the central nervous system, combining blood-brain barrier targeting with receptor-mediated transport.           Servio Ramirez, University of Florida (United States): Developing next-generation AAV vectors designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and selectively deliver therapeutic genes to microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells. The platform is being developed initially for CSF1R-related disorders, a group of rare and devastating neurodegenerative diseases, with the potential to be adapted to other disorders involving microglial dysfunction.           Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke, VIB and Ghent University (Belgium): Examining whether the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier could provide an alternative route into the central nervous system, and how its effectiveness compares with delivery directly across the blood-brain barrier.

The grants are intended to provide researchers with early, flexible capital with the aim to generate the evidence needed to help advance promising concepts toward further translational development.

The initiative sits within EQT Foundation’s Science program, which backs entrepreneurial researchers developing early-stage climate and health technologies with the potential for significant impact. Alongside grant funding, researchers can access commercialization expertise and EQT’s global network of scientific, industry and entrepreneurial experts as they work to move their discoveries beyond the laboratory. 

Contact
EQT Press Office, 
press@eqtpartners.com 

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New Treasure Hunt Series Offers $1 Million Grand Prize

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SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Krypto Chase today announced the launch of an ambitious nationwide treasure hunt competition that will span all 50 states, beginning with Utah. The series will award a $5,000 prize in each qualifying hunt before culminating in a national championship where one finalist will win a $1,000,000 grand prize.

The first qualifying event will take place along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Participants will solve a series of cryptic clues that lead them to real-world locations using the Skavengerz mobile app. The first competitor to successfully complete the hunt will receive the $5,000 prize, payable in either Bitcoin or cash, and advance to the Krypto Chase National Championship with a chance to win the $1,000,000 prize.

“Our vision is to create an experience that challenges people to think, explore, and discover new places and new adventures while competing for meaningful prizes,” said Jeremy Lyman, founder of Krypto Chase. “Whether you’re an experienced puzzle solver, an outdoor adventurer, or someone looking for an unforgettable weekend experience, Krypto Chase offers a unique opportunity to compete for life-changing prizes.”

Unlike traditional treasure hunts that rely on printed clues or social media posts, Krypto Chase combines cryptography, GPS technology, and real-world exploration to create an interactive, competitive adventure. Throughout each hunt, participants will receive clues, navigate to hidden locations, and verify their progress through GPS technology built into the Skavengerz platform.

The competition is powered by Skavengerz, a location-based adventure platform that enables organizations to create interactive real-world experiences using GPS, QR codes, trivia, and digital checkpoints.

“We built Skavengerz to inspire people to get off the couch and explore the real world,” said Nate Alder, CEO of Skavengerz. “Partnering with Krypto Chase demonstrates how our technology can transform treasure hunting into an exciting, large-scale experience that combines adventure, technology, and friendly competition.”

The date of the Utah qualifier will be announced after the first 200 participants have registered. Hunts are expected to begin on a Friday morning, with clues released through the Skavengerz app, and conclude no later than Sunday evening when the winner is confirmed. Registration for each qualifier hunt is limited to 5,000 participants.

Additional competitions in other states will be announced as registration milestones are reached.

Although participation in the Skavengerz app is free, competitors in the Krypto Chase treasure hunt who wish to qualify for the $5,000 prize and the $1 million national championship must purchase an official Krypto Chase ticket at www.kryptochase.com.

Registration is now open at www.kryptochase.com.

About Krypto Chase

Krypto Chase organizes real-world treasure hunting competitions that combine puzzle solving, navigation, cryptography, and technology into immersive outdoor adventures. Beginning with 50+ qualifying events and culminating in a national championship, Krypto Chase offers participants the opportunity to compete for significant prizes while exploring remarkable locations across the United States.

About Skavengerz

Skavengerz is a location-based adventure platform that helps destinations, tourism organizations, businesses, and event organizers create interactive real-world experiences through GPS challenges, scavenger hunts, trivia, QR codes, and gamified exploration. The platform encourages people to discover communities, attractions, and local businesses through engaging mobile adventures. App demo video click here

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For additional media updates click here

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SOURCE Krypto Chase

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World Micro Highlights Flexxon Long-Lifecycle, Radiation-Hardened Storage Solutions for Aerospace & Defense

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Supporting long-life programs with fixed-BOM storage solutions designed for demanding aerospace and space environments

ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — World Micro, a global distributor of electronic components and supply chain solutions, is highlighting its relationship with Flexxon and the company’s specialized storage portfolio designed to address a growing challenge across the aerospace and defense industry: maintaining reliable storage technology throughout programs that may remain in service for decades.

As major semiconductor manufacturers continue transitioning away from legacy NAND technologies, aerospace and defense manufacturers face a fundamentally different challenge than commercial electronics companies. Platforms with 10, 15 or 20-year lifecycles cannot simply redesign every time a storage component reaches end-of-life.

Through its relationship with Flexxon, World Micro can help customers address this challenge with storage solutions designed around long-term availability, fixed-BOM support and continued production of legacy formats. Aerospace and defense organizations evaluating NAND obsolescence, upcoming redesigns or long-term storage requirements are encouraged to engage World Micro early to explore available Flexxon solutions.

“For aerospace and defense customers, component availability isn’t simply a procurement issue—it can become a program continuity issue,” said Vladimir Prevot, VP of Supply Chain. “Our relationship with Flexxon gives us another way to help customers plan around obsolescence and support platforms with lifecycles that extend far beyond those of typical commercial electronics.”

Storage Designed for Long-Life Aerospace Programs

Flexxon’s approach to product longevity is particularly relevant to aerospace and defense applications, where qualification requirements, redesign costs and long program lifecycles make component changes significantly more complex.

Flexxon supports customers with fixed-BOM solutions extending beyond ten years and a commitment to maintaining products while customers continue to require them. This approach provides aerospace and defense manufacturers with an alternative to repeatedly redesigning systems around changing commercial NAND roadmaps.

World Micro works alongside customers to identify these requirements early, helping pair long-term component availability with broader strategies for obsolescence management, supply continuity and lifecycle planning.

Spotlight: Flexxon Radiation-Hardened Storage

One area of particular interest is Flexxon’s RAD-HARD NAND storage portfolio, engineered for aerospace and outer-space data applications where storage devices may be exposed to demanding environmental and radiation conditions. 

The portfolio includesFlexxon PCIe SSDs (HIX Series), eMMC (XTRA VII Series), and Memory Cards (FxAdv II Series). Depending on the product family, available capabilities include capacities up to 8TB, hardware power-loss protection, AES-256 and TCG OPAL data encryption, FIPS 140-2 certification, and extended operating-temperature support. 

Flexxon’s radiation testing addresses several conditions relevant to space applications, including Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Effects (SEE), neutron radiation and Total Non-Ionizing Dose (TNID), alongside temperature and vacuum testing. 

Potential applications identified by Flexxon include satellites, rovers, telescopes, defense and intelligence systems, weather sensors, communications infrastructure, GPS, IoT and 5G systems. 

Combining Specialized Technology with Supply Chain Support

For World Micro customers, the value extends beyond access to the technology itself. World Micro combines Flexxon’s specialized storage portfolio with supply-chain expertise supporting aerospace and defense manufacturers navigating component shortages, obsolescence, long-term availability and demanding program requirements.

Together, the companies provide customers with another option for addressing a question that is becoming increasingly important across long-life programs: How do you design today for technology that still needs to be available years—or decades—from now?

“Flexxon’s long-lifecycle philosophy aligns extremely well with the customers World Micro supports,” added d Dan Ellsworth, President & CEO. “When a platform has to remain operational for decades, continuity matters. We want to help customers identify technologies and supply strategies that can support the full lifecycle of their programs.”

Learn More

To learn more about Flexxon’s radiation-hardened storage solutions or discuss long-term storage requirements for an aerospace or defense program, contact World Micro at info@worldmicro.com.  

About World Micro

World Micro is a global distributor specializing in electronic components and supply chain solutions for military, aerospace, industrial, and high-reliability applications. With a focus on speed, service, and dependable fulfillment, World Micro supports customers worldwide with responsive sourcing, logistics expertise, and value-added distribution services.

About Flexxon

Flexxon is a global leader in industrial NAND flash storage devices and next-generation hardware-based cybersecurity solutions. Rooted in its deep expertise in memory and storage technologies, Flexxon’s memory business has long served specialized industries such as the medical, industrial, automotive, and aerospace sectors with highly reliable, high-performance storage solutions designed to withstand extreme environments.

Learn more at www.worldmicro.com.

For pricing and inquiries, please contact World Micro at:

Email: info@worldmicro.com

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SOURCE World Micro

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Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions Embeds Fullpath’s AI-Powered Customer Data Platform Directly into Mutual Clients’ CRM

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ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions, the industry’s number one CRM trusted by thousands of dealerships nationwide, today announced a milestone upgrade: All mutual Fullpath and VinSolutions clients will have an embedded Customer Data Platform (CDP) with AI insights built in, powered by Fullpath technology.

“Other CDPs are mostly focused on data ingestion, structuring and organization. With Fullpath’s CDP in VinSolutions, we put the power of that data directly in the hands of sales reps to personalize every interaction and close more deals,” said Paulo da Silva, VP of Digital Commerce, Cox Automotive. “What’s unique about Fullpath and VinSolutions is that the embedded CDP can also be upgraded seamlessly with Agentic AI capabilities to make that enriched data truly actionable.”

Dealers who run both VinSolutions and Fullpath already know the value of unified customer data. What’s new is where that intelligence now lives: directly inside the VinSolutions CRM record sales reps already use every day, not a separate screen to check. A marketing director can target shoppers who are in-market; a GM or GSM can see which deals are closest to closing; and the sales team walks into every conversation with AI-powered insights already on the record they’re viewing — no extra login, no separate tool.

The VinSolutions integration with Fullpath’s CDP provides three major value points for dealers:

One less system to log into: Their existing CDP instance is now accessible directly through VinSolutions.More customer context: The AI summary powered by Fullpath is surfaced in the customer profile, giving users additional insight at critical moments of engagement.Website activity in VinSolutions: Fullpath website data is now visible directly in the VinSolutions’s timeline.

“This release brings the industry’s most powerful first-party data and AI-powered customer intelligence directly into the CRM dealers use every day,” said Jessica Stafford, SVP of Consumer Solutions, Cox Automotive. “Capabilities that used to require a separate platform and a separate budget, are now built directly into the system they already know. Only Cox Automotive can deliver this supercharged value at scale.”

“Bringing Fullpath’s CDP intelligence directly into VinSolutions feels like watching two powerhouse digital platforms lock together,” said Don Erwin, Marketing and Communication Director for Mtn View Automotive Group, in Chattanooga, TN. “Suddenly, the customer profile isn’t just a CRM record — it becomes a living picture of that shopper’s journey, interests, activity and intent. This integration doesn’t simply pull back the curtain on the customer; it practically tears it away, giving our team a level of visibility we’ve never had inside the CRM before.” 

“The pace and depth of innovation that has defined Fullpath will accelerate now that we’re part of the Cox Automotive portfolio,” said Aharon Horwitz, CEO & Co-Founder, Fullpath. “Nobody else can pair our AI with data at this scale. That’s going to drive value for dealers — and for this industry — that no one else can touch. And this is just the first move. There’s a lot more coming from Cox and Fullpath together.”

The embedded CDP upgrade is being rolled out to all customers who have VinSolutions CRM and Fullpath through the end of the year. For more information, reach out to your Fullpath Customer Success Manager.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first- and third-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on four continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Cox Automotive has been included on Glassdoor’s Best Companies in Tech & AI 2026 and Best Place to Work in 2026 lists. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Cox Automotive

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