On October 20 2020 Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151) a global specialty pharmaceutical company, reported the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation and the Lymphoma Research Foundation as the first recipients of grants to support the education of African-American patients about cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) and address racial disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes (Press release, Kyowa Kirin, OCT 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234568705]). Studies show African American patients are more likely to present with higher stage CTCL and at an earlier age.1 Kyowa Kirin has designed a general grant program to help identify programs that can raise awareness and encourage earlier diagnosis and treatment. The grant program continues with new funding being made available to support additional projects that can help improve outreach, diminish disparities and improve outcomes.

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Kyowa Kirin Issues a Renewed Call for Submissions, with the Grant Program Extended to 2021

With its grant, the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation is establishing an inclusion and diversity task force to develop a needs-assessment survey. Findings will be used to develop effective tactics and programs to engage and support the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community. "This funding gives us a chance to focus on African-American patients, in particular, who often go undiagnosed or diagnosed at a more advanced stage of the disease. By engaging and learning from this community, we can find innovative ways to improve communication and new approaches that connect with these patients," says Susan Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation. "This would be a significant step toward empowering individuals and improving outcomes. It means a lot that Kyowa Kirin is supporting that work."

Additionally, the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) will utilize grant funds to host a CTCL Facebook Live event in February 2021 in conjunction with World Rare Disease Day and African American History month. The event will aim to empower African American patients, family members, caregivers, and loved ones coping with a CTCL diagnosis with information on CTCL, treatment options, and clinical trials. "The Lymphoma Research Foundation sees the need for targeted educational programs to address knowledge gaps in underserved patient populations. Especially as the pandemic continues, we need to find new ways of engaging patient communities with helpful resources and information. Kyowa Kirin’s support helps us to better reach and serve African American CTCL patients," says Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, LRF.

"Health disparities have grown even more pronounced during the pandemic. We feel the need to take action by finding and supporting partners who can conduct effective outreach to African American communities, with credible information," says Deborah Braccia, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Kyowa Kirin North America. "By continuing to fund this grant program, we hope to engage more organizations in our efforts to overcome barriers to CTCL diagnosis and treatment."

In a continuation of the grant program, Kyowa Kirin is seeking project proposals that can help to close gaps in awareness and understanding of CTCL among African-American communities, informing patients about prevalence and epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and care pathways. Applications for funds are due by December 10, 2020.

Kyowa Kirin encourages proposals from the following individuals or organizations who are focused on a mission related to patient education and/or healthcare improvement: Patient advocacy organizations or non-profit foundations; organizations dedicated to African-American empowerment and/or healthcare; public health/social work/nursing/pharmacy schools or students within these schools; healthcare institutions (both large and small); and other entities with a mission related to patient education and/or healthcare improvement.

Kyowa Kirin will make $100,000 available in funds to support these initiatives starting in 2021. Individual projects requesting up to $35,000 will be considered.

Proposals and questions should be submitted to the North America Grant Review Committee mailbox at [email protected] by December 10, 2020.

On October 20, 2020 Nature Technology Corporation, a leading developer and provider of non-viral vectors, technologies and services for advancing gene and cell therapy and immunotherapy, reported that Deborah Moorad-Watts, formerly Chief Business Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Company (Press release, Nature Technology, OCT 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234568704]).

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Commenting on today’s announcement, Ms. Moorad-Watts stated, "I am honored to accept the role of Chief Executive Officer and look forward to helping guide NTC in its mission to improve the effectiveness, safety, availability and economy of gene-based medicines. NTC has a proud history of innovating and redefining the promise and potential of nucleic acids-based drugs, manufacturing, and I’m proud to continue and expand on that legacy."

Former CEO and now President and Executive Chairman of the Board, Clague P. Hodgson, PhD, said, "As a founder of the company, I believe that Deborah’s experience, knowledge and dedication will help NTC continue to grow and lead in a field that is making such an important difference in the lives of the patients we all ultimately serve. We are pleased to have her in this new role."

Ms. Moorad-Watts has extensive experience managing diverse business portfolios and strategic efforts for further advancing technologies leading to licensure and/or M&A activities. Her areas of expertise include global sales & marketing, clinical manufacturing, gene and cell therapy, mergers and acquisitions, GMP business development, R&D, contract negotiation, KOL engagement, licensing, and more.

She has led product commercialization efforts from concept through launch, for both start-ups and fortune 500 companies. She has also managed intellectual property and licensing strategy with pharmaceutical and medical device companies across the world, including the launch and management of an investigational drug for glioblastoma.

On October 20, 2020 Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) reported that it will release third quarter financial results after the market closes on October 27, 2020 (Press release, Aflac, OCT 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234568702]). At that time, earnings materials, including the third quarter 2020 earnings release and Financial Analysts Briefing supplement, will be available on the company’s Investor Relations website, investors.aflac.com.

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In conjunction with the earnings release, Aflac Incorporated will webcast a conference call scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. During the webcast, Aflac Incorporated Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel P. Amos, President and Chief Operating Officer of Aflac Incorporated Frederick J. Crawford and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aflac Incorporated Max K. Brodén will discuss the company’s third quarter results and outlook, including with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Other members of executive management from the U.S. and Japan will also be available to answer questions during the webcast. To listen to the third quarter conference call, please register at investors.aflac.com five to seven minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

On October 20, 2020 Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (the "Company"), a target discovery and gene-editing company utilizing artificial intelligence and a proprietary neural network platform with a therapeutic focus on immuno-oncology, reported the closing of its initial public offering of 1,250,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $12.00 per share, for gross proceeds of $15,000,000, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses (Press release, Kiromic, OCT 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234568701]). In addition, the Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 187,500 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, to cover over-allotments.

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The shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on October 16, 2020 under the ticker symbol "KRBP."

ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, Inc. acted as sole book-running manager for the offering. Paulson Investment Company, LLC acted as co-manager for the offering.

A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-238153) relating to the shares was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and became effective on October 15, 2020. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, Inc., 17 State Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York 10004, by telephone at (877) 436-3673, by email at [email protected].

On October 20, 2020 InterVenn, a San Francisco based biotechnology company innovating precision medicine and diagnostic products using next-generation mass spectrometry coupled to a proprietary artificial Intelligence/machine learning-based data processing engine, reported a collaboration with Agilent Technologies, a leading provider of bio-analytical and scientific instrumentation (Press release, InterVenn Biosciences, OCT 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234568700]). The signing of the collaboration took place on 7 September 2020, with Mr. Fadzhairi Jabar, InterVenn Malaysia’s General Manager, and Mr. Soh Lam Seng, Agilent’s Malaysia Country Manager, Laboratory Solutions Sales. Also present at the signing ceremony were En. Muhamad Husni, the Acting Head of TPM Nexus Sdn Bhd (a subsidiary of Technology Park Malaysia Corporation) and Mr. Robin Philp, Southeast Asia Academia and Collaborations Manager, Laboratory Solution Sales, Agilent.

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This strategic partnership gathers the strength of both parties to develop cutting edge precision diagnostic tools by investigating targeted glycoproteomic biomarkers for diseases such as cancer. The focus of this collaboration will be on diseases common in Southeast Asia, and the premises for this development work will be at InterVenn Malaysia’s laboratory located at Technology Park Malaysia in KL.

"We are very pleased to welcome Agilent as a strategic partner to our research and development effort. This partnership goes a long way toward realizing InterVenn’s long-held vision to establish a Center of Excellence of Glycoproteomics for Southeast Asia at its premises ain Kuala Lumpur that will not only allow InterVenn to accelerate its collaborative work with leading academics in Malaysia and the region, but will also serve as a training and demonstration center for aspiring scientists and start-up companies in Southeast Asia. Perhaps most importantly, this new laboratory will be the first of its kind offering diagnostic tools based on the science of glycoproteomics for the healthcare needs of the more than 650 million citizens of the region. The collaboration will, without doubt, place both partners on the leading edge of both innovation and public service," said Aldo Carrascoso, CEO of InterVenn.

"Agilent is very excited to become a strategic partner with InterVenn in the establishment of a Centre of Excellence of Glycoproteomics. The opportunity to engage in the area of clinical measurement and especially for diseases such as cancer is of great importance and of societal benefit. The forward looking vision to extend the collaboration with academic institutions is also one that is shared by Agilent in its capacity to work with seats of learning and education. Agilent wholeheartedly embraces this opportunity and looks forward to a successful outcome," said Robin Philp, Academia and Collaborations Manager at Agilent.