The debate over whether and how broadly to approve additional “booster” doses of COVID-19  vaccines is expected to play out this month. This much is certain: The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will discuss whether to recommend booster doses for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (COMIRNATY®, BNT162b2) meets on September 17.

After that, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen. The FDA typically follows the recommendations of its advisory panels—as it did last December when it granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer and BioNTech, followed a week later by an EUA for Moderna (mRNA-1273, marketed in Europe as Spikevax®), and in February by an EUA for Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos)’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

Strategic human capital is a firm’s most valuable resource. Established research leans towards the theory that strategic human capital (employees with valuable, non-substitutable knowledge, skills and abilities) can provide firms with a sustainable competitive advantage. As a result, firms are led to believe that, to achieve a competitive advantage, they need to attract and hold onto strategic human capital (valuable employees).

When you’re in the mood for a pep talk, who better to turn to than a well-networked, optimistic mentor who is naturally in your corner? That friendly shoulder is the role that “Masters of Scale” wants to play.

Inspired by LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman’s hit podcast, the new book, co-authored by Hoffman along with podcast executive producers June Cohen and Deron Triff, came out this week. Riddled with anecdotes and actionable takeaways, the book’s strength is wholly related to the sheer diversity of entrepreneurs that are represented in the text.

Image: Reid Hoffman - Wikipedia

The world has changed and also the ambitions of the youth. These days youth is not looking for secure jobs, but they are looking for financial freedom. The youth can achieve it. They have the potential to establish an empire. But a job cannot get them everything. That is why every ambitious person wants to be an entrepreneur in this world. 

As US health systems prioritize financial recovery and innovation in the wake of the pandemic, the pressure is on to re-evaluate their infrastructure and emerging technology investments, and to ensure their efforts not only support the future of healthcare delivery, but also provide services more efficiently and cost-effectively.

MarketStudyReport.com adds Global Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) Market research focusing on the major drivers and restraints for the key players. It also provides analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.

The research report on Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) market has been methodically put together to offer a detailed account of the factors influencing the industry dynamics in the coming years. The research literature classifies this domain into various segments and individually investigates them to unveil the most profitable revenue prospects.

Image: https://www.altcoinbeacon.com

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has revealed a prototype of the self-driving, fully electric ID Buzz AD (autonomous driving). Developed in conjunction with Argo AI, series versions of the EV are expected to begin operations in 2025, with MOIA to be the first company to utilize the AV.

Argo AI, which is headquartered in Munich, is to develop the self-driving system (SDS) for the ID. Buzz AD, including all the maps required, hardware, software and cloud-support infrastructure that powers the vehicle.

Image: https://www.automotivetestingtechnologyinternational.com

Last month, Auburn Engineering’s world-renowned autonomous vehicle research program literally lapped the competition — and made history in the process.

Comprised of students in Auburn’s GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Lab (GAVLAB), Autonomous Tiger Racing (ATR) was the first to run the Dallara AV-21 autonomous race car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in preparation for the first-ever Indy Autonomous Challenge on October 23rd.  

Image: Autonomous Tiger Racing team members (from left to right) Brendan Schretter, Elizabeth Keefer, Will Bryan and Stephanie Meyer pose with their autonomous vehicle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team will compete in the first-ever Indy Autonomous Challenge on Oct. 23, 2021.

The price of a single Bitcoin has seen a massive increase since the cryptocurrency was first introduced in 2008 — with big ups and downs along the way. It climbed to an all-time high of around $60,000 in April, and has continued fluctuating since.

Despite the volatility, Bitcoin continues to draw interest from investors for its long-term record of building and maintaining value. But unlike a stock, which has value because it represents part ownership of a company, or even a bond, which represents the value of a debt you’ll be repaid upon maturity, it can be harder to pinpoint the value created by a decentralized, digital currency with such a short history.

BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GANX) (“Gain”, or the “Company”), a biotechnology company focused on identifying and optimizing allosteric binding sites never before targeted in neurodegenerative diseases and lysosomal storage disorders, today announced topline data from the Company’s study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). The study, evaluating two lead Structurally Targeted Allosteric Regulators (STARs) compounds – GT-02287 and GT-02329 – for the treatment of Gaucher and GBA1 Parkinson’s Disease, demonstrated positive effects on all tested phenotypes.

Ricardo Feldman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, stated, "Our laboratory is using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from patients with GD and GBA-associated Parkinson’s disease to test the efficacy of the two lead STAR chaperones developed by Gain Therapeutics. Our studies in iPSC-derived cortical and dopaminergic neurons from neuronopathic Gaucher Disease patients show that these compounds increase the levels of GCase protein, its transport to the lysosome, and its enzymatic activity. In dopaminergic neurons, the two lead STAR chaperones also decrease the levels of α-synuclein-p129, demonstrating their potential to treat GBA1-associated Parkinson’s Disease.”

Over the last couple of decades, I've had the pleasure of working on either side of the digital transformation industry. I've helped Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors develop, innovate and scale their platforms from young pre-revenue startups through enterprise acquisitions. I've also helped businesses of every size to implement technology to increase internal efficiency and external customer experience.

(Reuters) - Volkswagen AG said on Tuesday it planned to set up a venture capital fund, which would initially invest 300 million euros ($355.14 million) in decarbonization projects and start-ups.

"Decarbonization will make many things more affordable, not more expensive," Herbert Diess, chief executive officer of Volkswagen, said in a LinkedIn bit.ly/38NnhyZ post, adding that reducing carbon dioxide is possible without sacrificing the standard of living.

Image: Volkswagen AG CEO Dr. Herbert Diess speaks at a news conference in New York City, New York, U.S., July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar - https://www.reuters.com

Uber has become the latest major company to pull back on its reopening plans, as more firms push their returns out as far as next September in an effort to keep employees safe and mitigate whiplash from anticipated return dates and further delays. But that’s not stopping everyone — Wall Street is still “limping ahead” with plans to bring back more bank employees this week, while those who returned ages ago share their experiences with The Wall Street Journal.

MIT’s innovation and entrepreneurship community just got 50,000 square feet of new space to work with.

The Institute’s new InnovationHQ encompasses five floors in the recently renovated Suffolk Building, or E38, in the heart of Kendall Square. It serves as a hub for students at every stage of their entrepreneurial journeys, from undergraduates to PhDs, and includes space for alumni, faculty members, and staff.

Image: https://news.mit.edu

You likely won’t be surprised to hear that hiring has been heating up lately. You’ve read all of those articles about “The Great Resignation” wave sweeping across the country. You’ve seen countless “I’m hiring!” posts from your network on Twitter and LinkedIn. You’ve perhaps been tapped to join more interview loops yourself, as your company revs up its own recruiting machine.

This trend has (anecdotally) resulted in some unusual practices — think larger-than-usual referral fees, bigger-than-ever signing bonuses, or outsized counter-offers in an attempt to get current employees to stay put. The high-stakes nature and weighty choice behind every hiring decision is crashing into the sheer volume of interviews and competitive pressure to lure in the best candidates. In other words, in a hiring climate like this one, it’s tempting to take some shortcuts.

Disagreements on a team aren’t necessarily a bad thing. But you want to watch out for unhealthy conflicts that hijack precious time, trust, and energy. Often this type of animosity develops when there’s a “conflict entrepreneur” on your team — someone who inflames conflict for their own ends. The author suggests several actions you can take to identify these people and mitigate their negative impact, including resisting the urge to demonize them, spending more time with them, redirecting their energy when possible, and encouraging open disagreement and decency from everyone in the organization by establishing good-conflict practices.

Most entrepreneurs start their company with the highest of ideals, and wouldn’t dream of building one with a culture of indifference or downright unethical behavior. Yet all too many succumb to the pressures of survival, driven by demanding investors or a cutthroat competitive environment. How does a Founder recognize the warning signs, let alone know what to do about it?

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the International Council on Clean Transportation and other nonprofits and industry groups have awarded Chicago, San Diego and San Jose, California, each with a $100,000 grant to support local partners working to achieve 100% zero-emissions commercial vehicles in their cities by 2030, according to Amanda Eaken, NRDC’s director of transportation with the American Cities Climate Challenge.

Not so long ago, business leaders operated behind the scenes, and even long-time employees rarely heard from them or saw them in the news. Today, with the Internet and social media, if you aren’t visible in a positive way to everyone, including customers, your leadership efforts will be lost. To be a leader, you have to be willing to be a public figure, and display the right attributes.

Image: Steve Jobs and Tim Cook - Image via Twitter

Good day. Last week, we asked how looming crypto regulation is affecting investor calculus in the sector.

David Pakman, at venture-capital firm Venrock, said most crypto investors, himself included, expect more regulation from Western authorities. The majority of capital on the sidelines is waiting for regulatory clarity before being invested in crypto, he said. "Thus far, crypto has proven to be an amazingly resilient sector when faced with adverse regulatory pressure," Mr. Pakman said. "While I think there is a non-zero chance of a very negative regulatory event in the U.S., I think there is a much larger chance that we get sensible crypto regulation here, paving the way for more investment and progress in the space." How aggressive different governments will be in their respective regulatory approaches remains to be seen, he said.