University College London

• CYPRESS, Calif., Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Speedo, the world-renowned swimwear and accessories brand, and developer of pioneering Fastskin® LZR® Intent and LZR Valor swimsuits, announces an inspiring new partnership with American Paralympic Swimmer Ahalya Lettenberger.
• She also recently broke an American record in the 200 Breast at her mid-season meet for Rice University.
• Simon Brecken, Global Senior Vice President, Speedo, expressed his excitement about the collaboration: "We are thrilled to welcome Ahalya Lettenberger to the Speedo family.
• Ahalya Lettenberger also shared her enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "Joining Speedo is a dream come true.

• Capstan Therapeutics, Inc. (“Capstan”), a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing in vivo reprogramming of cells through mRNA delivery using targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNP), today announced the appointment of Ramin Farzaneh-Far, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and the promotion of Miguel Arcinas to Senior Vice President, Corporate Development.
• He previously led global clinical development programs at Akebia Therapeutics and Gilead Sciences.
• “I am pleased to announce Miguel’s promotion in recognition of his contributions to the organization.”
  Mr. Arcinas joined Capstan in 2021 as the company’s Vice President of Corporate Development.
• He has over 15 years of multi-disciplinary experience in biotech corporate strategy, business development, investor relations, and clinical operations.

• In England, the vacancy rate in the adult social care workforce for 2022-2023 was 9.9%.
• Experts underline that staffing and financing were problems in the care sector well before COVID arrived in March 2020.
• The pandemic exacerbated this crisis, despite the extra £2.1 billion in emergency government support, provided during the first year.
• Of the care workers we spoke to, 42% are in financial distress related to having worked in care homes during the pandemic.

Care workers in dire straits

• We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 43 care home staff, including workers and managers.
• We found that most of the £2.1 billion in government aid went to covering care homes’ loss of revenue resulting from decreasing occupancy.
• In the first two years of the pandemic, 1,290 care workers (including those working in domiciliary settings) died as a result of COVID-19.
• Of the care workers we surveyed, 80% reported working more hours during the pandemic, typically doing 12-hour shifts, as opposed to the seven to eight-hour norm.
• Taking on extra hours actually put some workers at a financial disadvantage because it reduced their eligibility for in-work benefits.

A defective funding model

• It highlighted the demise, since 2011, of two major providers, Southern Cross and Four Seasons, which housed 45,000 elderly people between them.
• Our findings confirm that the complex funding model on which the care home sector is based is unsustainable.
• For the most part, however, two things kept care homes afloat in the first year of the pandemic.
• Our [staff] turnover rate has gone up to about 33%, and we had it down at about 18% before the pandemic.
• Our [staff] turnover rate has gone up to about 33%, and we had it down at about 18% before the pandemic.

Marianna Fotaki receives funding from UK Research and Innovation COVID Scheme Derya Ozdemir Kaya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Finally, in an oral presentation pre-clinical and Phase I clinical data from AUTO8, a BCMA/CD19 co-targeting CAR T cell candidate, evaluated in patients with refractory multiple myeloma.
• “The FELIX study, with 127 patients, is one of the largest CAR T cell studies in adults with r/r B-ALL.
• A high proportion of patients responded, with many responses sustained, particularly in patients with low or intermediate disease-burden at lymphodepletion.
• Cellular kinetic data shows high expansion and long-term persistence of CAR T cells in most responders.