Tag: 3BL

“Our goal is to help give customers access to their own money and save for the future,” said Howard Hammond, head of Consumer Banking at Fifth Third in the Company’s 2022 Sustainability Report. “When a customer does not have the funds to cover a transaction or purchase, we don’t want to penalize them. We want to innovate to provide customers the ability to gain access to their money faster and avoid fees to cover a cash-flow shortfall.”

Fifth Third eliminated nonsufficient funds fees for all consumer accounts as of June 2022. Six months earlier, the Bank enacted several policy changes to reduce punitive fees, including protecting customers from overdraft fees on small dollar transactions. Fifth Third provides overdraft protection, an optional service that links to certain Fifth Third products and automatically transfers funds from one account to another to protect customers from incurring overdraft fees if one account has insufficient funds. While it is important to provide overdraft protection as a courtesy to customers, Fifth Third also works to provide additional solutions to prevent reliance on a more expensive overdraft solution.

“Our customers cannot predict or plan for every life event, so it is important that we make access to their money straightforward while limiting—or eliminating—fees,” said Hammond. “Options like Extra Time are ideal for customers to get their finances in order and avoid charges.”

This article originally appeared in the Fifth Third Bancorp 2022 Sustainability Report in its Innovative and Inclusive Products section. The report was published on June 30, 2023 on Fifth Third’s website at www.53.com/sr.

BOISE, Idaho, July 26, 2023 /3BL/ – Albertsons Companies [NYSE: ACI] today announced that it earned a 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), securing the designation as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

“We are incredibly proud to share that Albertsons Companies earned a score of 100 on the DEI, especially on this historic day that the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 33 years ago,” said Monique Lanaux, GVP, Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer. “As one of the largest retail employers in the country, we are honored by this recognition and pledge to put people first by caring for our associates’ well-being and investing in their personal and professional growth.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of Disability:IN, the global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business, and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). The report is the world’s largest and most comprehensive benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 to measure disability workplace inclusion policies and practices. Each participating company receives a score on a scale of zero to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion”. The 2023 DEI measured: Culture and Leadership; Enterprise-Wide Access; Employment Practices; Community Engagement; Supplier Diversity; and Non-U.S. Operations.

Since 2012, Albertsons Companies Foundation has donated more than $60 million to nonprofit organizations focused on supporting people with disabilities including the Special Olympics, Easter Seals, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Best Buddies. Support ranges from volunteer time, event participation and in-kind products, along with generous donations from customers at the register. Additionally, the company’s portfolio of grocery banners offers more than 500 products and nearly 200 brands from certified disability-owned business enterprises, including service-disabled veteran disability-owned business enterprises.

“Businesses have the power to drive the global advancement of disability inclusion, and we’re thrilled to see more companies than ever leverage the Disability Equality Index to measure their progress. We recognize these top-scoring companies as a ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ for their passion and efforts to lead the way in creating greater equity for people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN.

Albertsons Companies launched the diverseABILITY associate resource group last fall for associates with diverse abilities, their caretakers and allies. This internal group provides education, awareness and celebration opportunities throughout the year to build belonging and connection.

The Disability:IN 2023 DEI report is available at https://disabilityin.org/2023-dei-report/.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. As of June 17, 2023, the Company operated 2,272 retail food and drug stores with 1,726 pharmacies, 401 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia with 24 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2022, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company contributed more than $200 million in food and financial support, including more than $40 million through our Nourishing Neighbors Program to ensure those living in our communities and those impacted by disasters have enough to eat.

About the Disability Equality Index

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion”.

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complimentary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.

About Disability:IN®

Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 500 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index (DEI); best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.

About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com

media@albertsons.com

Source: Albertsons Companies, Inc.

July 26, 2023 /3BL/ – Lenovo, a global technology powerhouse and employer of 77,000 workers around the world has been recognized as a best place to work for disability inclusion by the Disability Equality Index (DEI), the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 and Am Law 2001. The robust analysis engaged experts across Lenovo’s Human Resources, Real Estate, Marketing, Security and Supplier Diversity teams to measure workplace inclusion. This is the third consecutive year that Lenovo has been ranked as a best place to work for disability inclusion, and the second year the company received a 100% score on the index.

In 2023, 485 corporations, including 71 Fortune 100, 207 Fortune 500, and 249 Fortune 1000 utilized the DEI to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts, with ‘best place to work’ reserved for those that scored 80 or higher on the index.

“Businesses have the power to drive the global advancement of disability inclusion, and we’re thrilled to see more companies than ever leverage the Disability Equality Index to measure their progress. We recognize these top-scoring companies as a ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ for their passion and efforts to lead the way in creating greater equity for people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability: IN.

In 2020, Lenovo set a goal to expand its disability strategy to eight markets by 2025. Today, Lenovo’s diversity and inclusion team has already met this goal while growing Lenovo’s understanding of disability in its workforce, including notable efforts for disability inclusion in its Brazil and India, in addition to employee resource groups for people with disabilities and their allies in Europe and the United States. Lenovo also supports organizations that promote accessibility through its global philanthropy.

“I’m proud to see Lenovo’s continued investment in accessibility, from the growth of our employee resource groups to disability inclusion in our marketing efforts,” commented Calvin J. Crosslin, Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer and Lenovo Foundation President at Lenovo. “We’re committed to disability inclusion in our workforce, and inclusion in the DEI from Disability: IN signals to all of our teams that we’re on the right track.”

In addition to this recognition, Lenovo has recently been awarded for its workplace inclusion by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and a Best Employer for Diversity. You can learn more about Lenovo’s efforts to provide an inclusive workplace and innovate for inclusion on Lenovo StoryHub.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #171 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 77,000 people around the world, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company by further expanding into growth areas that fuel the advancement of ‘New IT’ technologies (client, edge, cloud, network, and intelligence) including server, storage, mobile, software, solutions, and services. This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.

About the Disability Equality Index® 

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.

About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) 

AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.

On July 26, we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Passed in 1990, the ADA is a landmark civil rights law that promotes inclusion and prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.

As we recognize this important anniversary, we are proud to share that Bath & Body Works recently received a top score on the Disability Equality Index® (DEI), a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability: IN. This index is recognized as the most robust disability inclusion assessment tool in business.

“We’re honored to be recognized with a top score on the Disability Equality Index,” says Kelie Charles, Bath & Body Works Chief Diversity Officer. “Disability inclusion is a vital part of our effort to support equitable business processes and the diversity of our associates and communities. At Bath & Body Works, through the power of fragrance, we strive to infuse our belief that diversity, equity and inclusion make us stronger.”

Bath & Body Works has been a corporate partner of Disability: IN since 2019. Our partnership was initiated from our desire to expand our inclusive purchasing practices to disability-owned businesses. Disability: IN’s Supplier Diversity program is the leading third-party certifier of disability-owned business enterprises (DOBE®s), including Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (V-DOBE®s) and Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (SDV-DOBE®s).

Disability: IN empowers businesses to achieve disability inclusion and equality practices not only in their supply chains, but throughout their organizations including hiring practices, work environment and digital accessibility.

Bath & Body Works participates in the Disability: IN supplier mentorship program which further supplements the development of disability-owned business and suppliers. In this year-long program, Bath & Body Works is paired with a Disability: IN-certified business owner to offer expertise, professional development and guidance. This program connects business owners with subject matter experts across our organization to better position them for growth and inclusion in corporate and government supply chains.

“The Disability: IN mentorship program has been a game-changer for me as an emerging industry leader,” says Skylar Taylor, founder of Taylor Melrose Cosmetics. “This empowering dialogue with Bath & Body Works has reaffirmed my worth as a minority, LGBTQAI+ and disability-owned business, fostering equity in our industry. The meaning and empowerment this opportunity has brought to my personal and professional life are immeasurable.” 

Bath & Body Works also supports disability inclusion through our inclusion resource group HAVEN. HAVEN’s mission is to educate and provide awareness on the impacts and intersections of disability and nurture an inclusive, accessible and caring workplace where we all can thrive.

For more information about disability inclusion at Bath & Body Works, visit bbwinc.com.

A New Arm for Sasha

When 9-year old Sasha awoke in the hospital, she asked the surgical nurse, “’Please be honest: Do I have a left hand or not?”

Sasha’s family was escaping Ukraine when Russian forces attacked their refugee convoy. Her stepfather was killed and she was severely wounded. Doctors on the front lines amputated Sasha’s left arm.

Nearly 5,000 miles away in upstate New York, Easton LaChappelle and his medical device startup Unlimited Tomorrow (UT) learned of Sasha’s ordeal and went to work on a smart prosthetic arm to give her a more normal life with the help of technology. UT is a customer of Arrow Digital, North American Components and Design Engineering.

UT’s product, called TrueLimb costs less than $10,000. Fitted on the patient’s residual arm, it works by reading muscle data through dozens of sensors embedded within the socket. This data then controls several different grips and movements. TrueLimb helps patients lift as much as 15 pounds while and perform fine motor skills like holding a bottle or a mobile phone. It also provides some touch sensations.

The bionic limbs are custom crafted for the patient using 3D scanning, 3D modeling, 3D printing and smart algorithms. This process shortens the time it takes to deliver prosthetic arms, solves accessibility issues, and reduces the price of a high functioning prosthetic arm significantly.

An Ambitious Technology Solution that Makes Life Better

Due to her injuries and age, Sasha’s prosthetic is the most ambitious device UT has developed and its first above-elbow solution.

The entire prosthesis weighs under three pounds – a record for a pediatric device of its kind, but necessary for a child Sasha’s age and size.

Once fitted, Sasha immediately had control of the device through nerve signals in her residual arm. She was able to interact with her mother and pick up objects in her first training session.

A year after her ordeal, Sasha lives in Canada with her mother and sister. She is attending school.

About Arrow Electronics: 
Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 220,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2022 sales of $37.1 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that improve business and daily life. Learn more at fiveyearsout.com.

Formula E, the all-electric motorsport championship that is quickly gaining popularity around the world, showcases automotive innovation at the highest levels. From race strategy to car design to a focus on best-in-class electric battery power, it’s no surprise that this sport is increasingly considered a source of inspiration for the future of mobility.

In fact, technology advancements being developed and tested at the racetrack may soon make their way to the consumer electric vehicle (EV) market.

As the title sponsor and technology partner* for the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team, TCS knows this firsthand. TCS futurists took a look inside a Gen3 Formula E racecar to envision what the future of mobility may look like in the coming years. It’s a bright future, one in which technologies like digital twins, which were recently highlighted by TCS’ Digital Twindex report as transforming the automotive space within three years, will help consumers drive more safely, sustainably, and with more satisfaction.

A Safer Way to Drive

On the racetrack, advanced technology such as lightweight materials, digital twins, sensors, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) make it possible for Formula E cars to race at top performance, without sacrificing driver safety. Potential mechanical issues can be identified in advance, leveraging a digital twin of the car to predict which parts may fail and recommending preventative maintenance measures well in advance of any issues. At the same time, just as technology is used to predict the car’s performance, sensors and data analytics can be used to monitor the driver’s health to keep them as safe as possible.

These features will be invaluable for everyday consumers, helping to keep their cars functioning well and avoiding common driving problems.

Sustainability Without Sacrificing Performance

When it comes to sustainability, the transition to electric vehicles is already happening across the world. As we can see from Formula E – the world’s first net zero motorsport – with the latest EV technology, it is realistic to have a sustainable driving experience without sacrificing automotive performance. If this is true on the racetrack, it’s doubly true for the highway.

While early battery technology necessitated lengthy charging stops, improvements mean that batteries will be lighter, store more energy, and charge much faster. In what could be one of the most compelling EV innovations ever, we may even be headed to a future where power could be transmitted wirelessly, with EVs recharging while in motion on the road.

A Better Automotive Experience for Everyone

In addition to a safer and more sustainable driving experience, the future of mobility will simply be more enjoyable for the driver, with AI and automation making it easier to access driving information and communicate with the wider world.

Informed by rapid advancements in motor sports like Formula E, it’s clear that the future of mobility will help make the world a better place for everyone.

For more information about Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E, please visit: https://www.tcs.com/who-we-are/sports-sponsorships/jaguar-tcs-racing-formula-e-data-analytics

International Olympic Committee news

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will set new standards for environmental responsibility, demonstrating how to hold global sporting events in an era of accelerating climate change.

Social, economic and environmental sustainability was central to the winning Paris 2024 bid to host the Games.

In a bold move defined during the candidature phase, the Paris 2024 Committee pledged to halve carbon emissions compared to the average of London 2012 and Rio 2016.

This ambitious goal is in line with both the Paris Agreement on Climate Change – the seminal agreement to which the host city gave its name in 2015 – and the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the strategic roadmaps of the Olympic Movement.

“As climate change accelerates, the Games’ response to it must do the same,” said Marie Sallois, IOC Director for Sustainability. “The Paris 2024 organisers are stepping up to the challenge, and they are doing so by focusing first and foremost on the core part of addressing it: by cutting emissions.”

Paris 2024’s carbon reduction goal required a comprehensive strategy, and a definition of an overall “carbon budget” that would allow the organisers to keep each part of the Games delivery in line with this objective and to monitor progress. It encompasses all planning and operations – from energy and transport to catering and procurement policy. New tools have also been developed to estimate, track and manage the carbon footprint of every stage of the event, as set out by Olympic Agenda 2020.

Here are just some of the ways in which Paris 2024 is putting its vision into action:

Infrastructure: Reduce, Reuse and Build responsibly

Environmental responsibility starts with avoiding all unnecessary carbon impacts.

Paris 2024 decided to minimise new construction, in line with the IOC’s philosophy of lower-impact Games that adapt to the needs of hosts and of their residents, and which use a maximum of existing and temporary venues. Some 95 per cent of the venues will be pre-existing facilities (refurbished and modernised, where necessary) or temporary structures.

For new construction, SOLIDEO (the Olympic Delivery Authority) has developed an unprecedented strategy for sustainability and legacy.

The Aquatics Centre is the only new competition venue to be used for the Games. It meets a local need in the deprived Seine-Saint-Denis department, where half of middle-school children do not know how to swim. Designed to high environmental and energy-efficiency standards, it incorporates 2,300 cubic metres of wood, avoiding the high emissions generated in the manufacturing process of concrete and steel. The structure features the world’s largest concave catenary framework in wood (with a 90m span), an achievement enabled by a SOLIDEO innovation fund. The roof design also reduces the need for air heating. Overall, the building will consume significantly less energy than a standard Olympic pool – energy that will largely be sourced from a solar rooftop array and heat recovery from a nearby datacentre. The seating for spectators is made from locally collected and recycled plastic.

The Olympic Village is another model of sustainable construction, with a carbon footprint 30 per cent smaller than that of a modern construction project. Designed to adapt to changing temperatures, most buildings within the Village will benefit from a water-based cooling system and heating from a geothermal network. Innovative construction techniques make extensive use of wood, and some construction materials have been recycled in situ. Fittings and materials specific to the Games that will no longer be needed will be reused or recycled by Paris 2024. Located in Seine-Saint-Denis, northeast of Paris, the site’s housing, shops, public facilities, workplaces and green spaces will meet the long-term living needs of 6,000 residents and provide jobs for 6,000 people.

Energy: Go green and Innovate

Paris 2024 is optimising its energy use and introducing innovative solutions that will benefit French sport long after the Games.

All venues will be connected by grid operator Enedis and supplied by EDF with 100 per cent renewable electricity generated by wind and solar farms. This innovative energy model –sports and cultural events normally rely on diesel generators – enables Paris 2024 to avoid the equivalent of 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. These new grid connections will remain after the Games, becoming an important part of the Games’ legacy.

Temporary venues also demanded a new solution. While the electricity grid is being reinforced for iconic sites like Eiffel Tower or les Invalides, retractable electrical terminals have been tested and are being installed to secure supply and avoid the use of diesel generators.

Some locations – including the Olympic Village and Aquatics Centre – have been designed to meet part of their energy needs with on-site solar or geothermal generation. For the Village, rooftop photovoltaic panels will help to satisfy local electricity needs. A temporary canopy made of photovoltaic fabric will be installed over its Transport Mall, powering a nearby building as well as providing shade for the athletes. It will be reinstalled elsewhere after the Games. A floating solar power plant on the River Seine is intended to boost the flow of renewable power during the Games, and its 720m² of photovoltaic panels are planned to be reused elsewhere afterwards. The remaining energy needs of the Village will be covered by renewables.

Backup systems are still essential in case of interruptions in the supply from the grid or on-site sources. For Paris 2024, generators will run on biofuels, further reducing CO2 emissions.

Transport: Maximise public transport

To further reduce carbon emissions, Paris 2024 has planned for maximum use of public transport. Venues with strong public transport links have been prioritised. Games locations in Paris are also served by a 418km network of cycle lanes that includes 88km of new protected routes.

Paris 2024 is finalising other aspects of its transport programme, including the use of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, recharging facilities and domestic travel partners.

Strategy: Boost climate action through sport

A signatory to the UN’s Sports for Climate Action initiative, Paris 2024 aims to harness sport to help drive this transition and boost climate action nationwide.

For example, sports events in France will be able to estimate the carbon footprint of their events and reduce their impacts with the help of a new tool – a “climate coach” app developed by Paris 2024, together with the Ministry of Sport and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee. Available for free, the tool estimates an event’s carbon footprint across 10 categories: catering, accommodation, travel, infrastructure and energy, sports equipment, logistics, site preparation, promotional items, digital material and waste. It identifies the biggest sources of emissions, and suggests tangible measures to reduce them.

CINCINNATI, July 26, 2023 /3BL/ – Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) today published its Fiscal Year 2023 Impact Report, which includes information and giving data about the company’s philanthropic initiatives that it supported during the last fiscal year through Cintas Cares. 

Cintas’ FY 2023 Impact Report is the company’s first such report and covers the company’s fiscal year 2023 (FY’23), which ended May 31, 2023.

>> View the 2023 Cintas Impact Report

Cintas Cares is the umbrella under which Cintas engages with its local communities and charitable and philanthropic organizations, providing a broader platform for the company’s employee-partners to make an impact in the communities the company serves. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the value and impact we deliver every day in every city and town we serve throughout the United States and Canada,” said Todd Schneider, Cintas President and CEO. “Our first Impact Report summarizes our commitments to a Shared Drive for Better and being partners for a better tomorrow.”

Each year, Cintas employee-partners throughout North America participate in enterprise-wide programs and fundraisers and offer additional to support local organizations doing good in their local communities. This includes monetary donations, in-kind donations, and active fundraising on behalf of key charitable and not-for-profit organizations. 

Highlights outlined in the report include:

Through Cintas’ 20-year relationship with Matthew 25: Ministries, 15 million people around the world have been helped in times of need.Cintas employee-partners have climbed the equivalent of 6,415,200 steps through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb events.Cintas employee-partners have supported American Cancer Society research by helping raise more than $1 million at the grassroots level.Since 2016, Cintas’ has certified more than 1 million people in the American Heart Association’s lifesaving first aid and CPR programs.The Cintas Partner Assistance Fund has grown to more than $4 million after launching in 2019 with $500,000 in seed money. 

For more information about Cintas’ Philanthropic activities, visit cintas.com/impact.

About Cintas Corporation

Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe, and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, towels, restroom supplies, workplace water services, first aid, and safety products, eye-wash stations, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.

Media Contacts:

Lizz Summers, Cintas Director of Corporate Affairs, summerse2@cintas.com, 513-972-2859

Originally published on Illumina News Center

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assesses hundreds of tumor genes to find actionable mutations and is becoming the standard of care for many cancers. However, oncologists often opt for single-gene tests (SGT) before pursuing CGP.

A new study, conducted by Labcorp and presented last month at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, showed that SGTs use up precious biopsy samples, reducing CGP effectiveness and depriving patients of comprehensive genomic information about their tumors.

“This study shows that just doing a single-gene test, which is a legacy process from a decade ago, denies and delays care,” said Dr. Vivek Subbiah, MD, now chief of Early-Phase Drug Development at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, who presented the study.

The 2022 study looked at non-small-cell lung cancer samples from 580 patients at more than 80 community oncology practices. While SGT can identify several well-known mutations and structural variations, CGP interrogates nearly 600 genes associated with tumor growth, resistance, and other traits.

To better illustrate the study’s ramifications for precision medicine, Dr. Phil Febbo, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Illumina, moderated a fireside chat at the ASCO meeting. He was joined by Subbiah and by Dr. Prasanth Reddy, a medical oncologist.

“We’re hearing about some incredible innovations on the therapy side,” Febbo said. “More and more of these innovations are dependent on understanding an individual’s tumor and the different molecular changes in the tumor. That means choosing the right tests has become crucial for cancer care.”

The impact of SGTs on CGP 
The study showed that CGP was used as a secondary diagnostic in 29% of participants. In those cases, 89% of CGP tests used material from the same tumor sample as the primary SGT, which reduced CGP efficacy—there simply wasn’t enough viable tumor tissue for effective testing. When there had been no prior SGT, or when CGP used a different sample, CGP provided more detailed information about tumor genomics.

Overall, prior SGT reduced CGP’s ability to detect important variants by 8%. In addition, prior SGT increased CGP turnaround times from a median 13 days to 20 days.

“If you look at the failure rate when you do single-gene testing up front, it’s twice as high as when you do CGP up front,” said Reddy. “And there are other implications, such as turnaround time, which is extended. Those are meaningful days, during which a patient has a diagnosis and needs to start therapy, and we’re delaying the initiation of therapy because we don’t have the right answers.”

The changing oncology landscape 
The panelists were unanimous on the need to move away from this two-step process and simply start with CGP. One of the major concerns is that SGTs often provide incomplete information, leading to ineffective treatments.

“We know patients with RET-fusion-positive lung cancers do not do well with immunotherapy,” said Subbiah. “However, if they get a single-gene test, EGFR is negative and they don’t test for RET, they will start that patient on immunotherapy. It’s delaying the appropriate treatments and denying patients the gift of time.”

Getting this right is critically important. Genomic diagnostics is the most precise way to characterize a tumor and get patients the care they need.

“To win the war against cancer, we need to have every ounce of intelligence about it, and genomics should be a part of that process,” said Subbiah. “Years ago, when I saw a patient with 100, 200, 300 mutations, I knew there wasn’t a lot we could do for them. Now, I get excited when I see a patient whose tumor has hundreds of mutations, because they become the best candidates for immunotherapy.”

This study, and other evidence, has shown that comprehensive testing provides better clinical insights to guide care. The next step will be to ensure all patients have access to primary CGP.

“Maybe we can’t help every single patient, but we better help the folks that should be helped,” said Reddy. “The first step is ensuring that everybody has access to world-class testing. From there, hopefully, we have the right information to put each patient on the right drug at the right time.”

To watch a video of the entire panel discussion, click here.

NEW YORK, July 26, 2023 /3BL/ – BCW, the leading global communications agency, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive partnership with Limbik, a top information defense technology company rooted in cognitive artificial intelligence (AI), to provide clients with advanced identification and mitigation solutions against weaponized information. The first offering from the partnership is BCW Decipher powered by Limbik to help clients anticipate and dismantle message threats in today’s post-factual environment.

“The team at Limbik has developed a truly groundbreaking cognitive AI platform to determine the believability, virality, foreign influence and potential for impact of emerging narratives,” said Chad Latz, Global Chief Innovation Officer, BCW. “Together, we offer an exceptional one-two punch for clients around the world with Decipher thanks to Limbik’s ability to predict, source and assess potentially damaging content coupled with BCW’s world-class expertise in crisis counsel and corporate reputation management. In today’s world, this is a must-have service as weaponized information – whether from foreign actors, adversaries, disgruntled individuals or generative AI – can have a debilitating impact on an organization’s reputation, stock price and indeed, ability to function.”

BCW Decipher powered by Limbik works by integrating message-level believability classification and predictive virality indicators. The result is a robust framework for evaluating the potential impact of different types of content across defined audience segments that is based on observable, repeatable data. Determining an audience’s level of commitment to a particular topic and artifact believability to the platform can make predictions about future impact.

“There are a lot of analytics solutions, but companies, organizations, and even governments around the world still struggle to identify disinformation, a threat that only grows with generative AI,” said Zach Schwitzky, CEO and Co-Founder of Limbik. “Our cognitive AI platform predicts the believability of a narrative and if its likely to drive action – the two most important metrics when considering impact to your business or brand. This partnership with BCW, and its capacity to use our data solution to launch communications efforts to protect brands, is game-changing in terms of building organizational resilience. BCW Decipher powered by Limbik combines sourcing and assessing the potential for damage with industry-leading crisis preparedness and mitigation communications solutions. Together, we can help clients stop weaponized information from disrupting a business.”

In February 2023, BCW launched BCW Navigate, an advisory service led by a multi-disciplinary team of experts who support C-suite clients on all aspects of using artificial intelligence – from the regulatory to the ethical and the wider public conversation.

About Limbik

Limbik is a cognitive AI company which has developed PFI (“Potential for Impact”), the first platform engineered to proactively identify information threats and optimize response options. PFI is deployed by democratic governments, forward-thinking NGOs, and leading businesses to combat the risk of weaponized information. With offices in the United States, Canada, and the European Union, the Limbik team are veterans of Madison Avenue, the U.S. government, academia, and venture-backed technology companies. For more information, visit www.limbik.com.

About BCW 

BCW is the global communications agency built to move people. BCW partners with clients in the B2B, consumer, corporate, crisis management, healthcare, public affairs, purpose and technology sectors to set strategic direction for all communications and create powerful and unexpected ideas that earn attention. Through an “earned-plus” offer – earned media plus paid media, creative technology, data, AI and an expanding suite of innovative capabilities – BCW moves people with power and precision to move its clients forward. BCW is a part of WPP (NYSE: WPP), a creative transformation company. For more information, visit www.bcw-global.com.

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