Wet AMD therapeutics: Technologies raising the ceiling for functional visual outcomes

Technology

(Image credit: AdobeStock/CoetzeeRising/peopleimages.com)VEGF-A therapy has revolutionized treatment and visual outcomes for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Ranibizumab, the first anti–VEGF-A agent to be FDA approved, was introduced more than 18 years ago. Despite the introduction of additional nAMD therapies over the years, visual outcomes obtained have been comparable to outcomes from the ANCHOR (NCT00061594) and MARINA (NCT00056836) trials showing between 8 and 11 letters of visual gain at 2 years. Based on real-world evidence, patients do not always see either the gain in meaningful and functional vision or the durability elucidated in findings from randomized clinical trials.1-4 Drug developers are looking to improve upon these outcomes.Treatment RegimenLarge, pivotal randomized clinical trials have typically evaluated treatments with fixed-interval scheduled injections. Findings from studies of as-needed dosing (after loading doses) show markedly inferior treatment outcomes after 2 years compared with fixed-interval dosing, treat-and-extend regimens, and the treat-extend-stop protocol.5 For real-world patients, visual acuity (VA) is largely dependent on the number of treatments received annually and treatment regimen. Findings from long-term studies demonstrate the variability.6In findings from the CATT trial (NCT00593450), either ranibizumab or bevacizumab given on a monthly or as-needed basis was effective at 2 years, but mean VA gains were not maintained at 5 years in the extension study findings, with many patients managed using as-needed dosing.7,8 Long-term outcomes of patients in the ANCHOR and MARINA trials and the HORIZON extension study (NCT00379795) extension showed an overall mean decline in VA falling below baseline best-corrected VA (BCVA).9On the other hand, patients treated with more frequent fixed-dose aflibercept in the VEGF trap-eye extension were able to maintain visual improvement at 96 weeks.10 My colleagues and I studied patients with nAMD who had consistent anti-VEGF therapy, received 50 or more injections, and were managed with a treat-extend-stop protocol. At an average of 8.5 years, these patients were able to maintain their visual improvement of 8.5 letters when compared with their initial vision.11 In order to achieve these results, the treatment burden was high, typically requiring intravitreal injections every 6 to 8 weeks. Newer anti-VEGF agents have studied increased treatment intervals between injections.When evaluating a therapy’s durability, it is important to consider that the criteria commonly used in clinical trials to give supplemental injections are not quite how we would treat patients in our real-world clinics. Trial rescue criteria typically require a fluid increase of 50 or 75 µm and/or a drop in vision of 5 to 10 letters before patients can receive more frequent injections. In real-world practice, I may tolerate an increase of only 20 to 30 µm of subretinal fluid before I would either shorten the time interval between injections or switch anti-VEGF agents. In my experience, some patients can go 4 months between injections on high-dose aflibercept (Eylea; Genentech) and faricimab-svoa (Vabysmo; Genentech), but that is not true for a majority of real-world patients.12Regardless of the treatment durability, patients still gain 7 to 10 letters or approximately 1.5 to 2 lines of vision with anti–VEGF-A inhibition. Of course, this is exciting from where we started. Nevertheless, we still see a ceiling effect with our standard-of-care agents. I am less concerned with the treatment burden if we are showing patients that they’re obtaining improved visual outcomes. I’m always on the side of getting the best possible vision for my patients.Next-generation agents in developmentInnovations in the nAMD landscape currently under investigation in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials include gene therapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and dual-target drugs. Neovascular macular degeneration is multifactorial, which requires future agents to target multiple pathways. We know, for example, that with faricimab-svoa, its dual inhibition of VEGF-A and angiopoietin-2 is likely playing a role in its increased durability. However, the visual outcomes were still found to be noninferior to aflibercept in findings from a large randomized clinical trial.13Although the role of VEGF-A is the most well studied, the entire VEGF family of ligand proteins and their receptors play a role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and regulating disease. In addition to VEGF-A, these consist of VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, placental growth factor, and VEGF receptors VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3, which are expressed on vascular endothelium. Specifically in retinal vascular diseases, their pathogenic activity is seen in angiogenesis and increased vascular permeability.14-16VEGF-C and VEGF-D have been found in the human vitreous and are expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium of patients with nAMD; VEGF-C is elevated in the blood and retinal tissue of patients with nAMD.17-19 It has further been shown that inhibiting VEGF-A upregulates VEGF-C and VEGF-D, which may play a role in the limitation of anti–VEGF-A monotherapies.20,21Sozinibercept (OPT-302; Opthea) is a novel, first-in-class recombinant fusion protein trap that binds to and neutralizes VEGF-C and VEGF-D.Highly specific for VEGF-C and VEGF-D, it does not bind to VEGF-A and is being studied in combination with standard-of-care agents. This agent is the only late-stage therapy in development looking to improve VA. In the phase 2b investigation of 366 patients, sozinibercept plus ranibizumab demonstrated superior visual outcomes compared with monthly ranibizumab alone.21 Patients assigned to combination treatment had a mean change in BCVA from baseline to week 24 of 14.2 letters, representing a statistically significant additional gain of 3.4 letters (P = .0107) compared with the ranibizumab monotherapy control group. Even greater VA gains of 5.7 letters were achieved compared with the control group in prespecified analyses of patients with minimally classic/occult lesions, which make up approximately 85% of clinical nAMD cases encountered.Two concurrent pivotal phase 3 studies, ShORe (NCT04757610; 2 mg sozinibercept plus 0.5 mg ranibizumab) and COAST (NCT04757636; 2 mg sozinibercept plus 2 mg aflibercept), are fully enrolled and underway.22,23 Opthea has noted that the company plans to submit registrational regulatory filings following a 12-month primary efficacy analysis.ConclusionIf we can enhance patients’ VA further, that is huge for all sorts of functional abilities. Findings from studies have shown that if you can improve a patient’s VA of 20/100 to 20/80, they are able to function better in their home. A patient with VA of 20/50 whose vision improves to 20/40 can now drive. If a therapy requires a few more injections over the treatment course to gain patients more vision with the associated quality of life benefits, in my mind, that is more important than longer periods between treatments.There is more to the pathophysiology of nAMD than VEGF-A. Despite the huge strides made in our use of anti–VEGF-A agents, the treatment burden is high and visual gains can be improved upon. With the next generation of nAMD treatments pioneered by sozinibercept among others, we seek to improve visual outcomes beyond what is seen with standard of care.References1. Mehta H, Tufail A, Daien V, et al. Real-world outcomes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018;65:127-146. doi:10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.12.0022. Ciulla TA, Huang F, Westby K, Williams DF, Zaveri S, Patel SC. Real-world outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the United States. Ophthalmol Retina. 2018;2(7):645-653. doi:10.1016/j.oret.2018.01.0063. Kiss S, Campbell J, Almony A, et al. Management and outcomes for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: analysis of United States electronic health records. Ophthalmology. 2020;127(9):1179-1188. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.02.0274. Wykoff CC, Garmo V, Tabano D, et al. Impact of anti-VEGF treatment and patient characteristics on vision outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: up to 6-year analysis of the AAO IRIS Registry. Ophthalmol Sci. 2023;4(2):100421. doi:10.1016/j.xops.2023.1004215. Adrean SD, Chaili S, Grant S, Pirouz A. Recurrence rate of choroidal neovascularization in neovascular age-related macular degeneration managed with a treat-extend-stop protocol. Ophthalmol Retina. 2018;2(3):225-230. doi:10.1016/j.oret.2017.07.0096. Gale R, Korobelnik JF, Yang Y, Wong TY. Characteristics and predictors of early and delayed responders to ranibizumab treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a retrospective analysis from the ANCHOR, MARINA, HARBOR, and CATT trials. Ophthalmologica. 2016;236(4):193-200. doi:10.1159/0004510657. Martin DF, Maguire MG, Fine SL, et al; Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) Research Group. Ranibizumab and bevacizumab for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: two-year results. Ophthalmology. 2012;119(7):1388-1398.doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.03.0538. Maguire MG, Martin DF, Ying GS, et al; Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) Research Group. Five-year outcomes with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(8):1751-1761. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2016.03.0459. Rofagha S, Bhisitkul RB, Boyer DS, Sadda SR, Zhang K; SEVEN-UP Study Group. Seven-year outcomes in ranibizumab-treated patients in ANCHOR, MARINA, and HORIZON: a multicenter cohort study (SEVEN-UP). Ophthalmology. 2013;120(11):2292-2299. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2013.03.04610. Schmidt-Erfurth U, Kaiser PK, Korobelnik JF, et al. Intravitreal aflibercept injection for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: ninety-six-week results of the VIEW studies. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(1):193-201. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2013.08.01111. Adrean SD, Chaili S, Ramkumar H, Pirouz A, Grant S. Consistent long-term therapy of neovascular age-related macular degeneration managed by 50 or more anti-VEGF injections using a treat-extend-stop protocol. Ophthalmology. 2018;125(7):1047-1053. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.01.01212. Adrean SD, Han W, Pirouz A, Ng C, Ramkumar H, Grant S. Results of long-term neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients switched to faricimab. Paper presented at: 2023 American Society of Retina Specialists Annual Meeting; July 28-August 1, 2023; Seattle, WA.13. Khanani AM, Kotecha A, Chang A, et al; TENAYA and LUCERNE Investigators. TENAYA and LUCERNE: two-year results from the phase 3 neovascular age-related macular degeneration trials of faricimab with treat-and-extend dosing in year 2. Ophthalmology. 2024;131(8):914-926. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2024.02.01414. Adams RH, Alitalo K. Molecular regulation of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007;8(6):464-478. doi:10.1038/nrm218315. Joukov V, Kumar V, Sorsa T, et al. A recombinant mutant vascular endothelial growth factor-C that has lost vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 binding, activation, and vascular permeability activities. J Biol Chem. 1998;273(12):6599-6602. doi:10.1074/jbc.273.12.659916. Ikeda Y, Yonemitsu Y, Onimaru M, et al. The regulation of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF-A, -C, and -D) expression in the retinal pigment epithelium. Exp Eye Res. 2006;83(5):1031-1040. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2006.05.00717. Lashkari K, Ma J, Teague G, Arroyo J. Expression of VEGF-C, VEGF-D and their cognate receptors in experimental choroidal neovascularization and clinical AMD. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(15):4999.18. Lashkari KM, Ma J, Teague GC, Guo C, Baldwin ME. VEGF-C and VEGF-D blockade by VGX-300 inhibits choroidal neovascularization and leakage in a mouse model of wet AMD. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014;55(13) :1823.19. Li D, Xie K, Ding G, et al. Tumor resistance to anti-VEGF therapy through up-regulation of VEGF-C expression. Cancer Lett. 2014;346(1):45-52. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2013.12.00420. Lieu CH, Tran H, Jiang ZQ, et al. The association of alternate VEGF ligands with resistance to anti-VEGF therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. PLoS One. 2013;8(10):e77117.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.007711721. Grau S, Thorsteinsdottir J, von Baumgarten L, Winkler F, Tonn JC, Schichor C. Bevacizumab can induce reactivity to VEGF‐C and ‐D in human brain and tumour derived endothelial cells. J Neurooncol. 2011;104(1):103-112. doi:10.1007/s11060-010-0480-622. Cabral T, Lima LH, Mello LGM, et al. Bevacizumab injection in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration increases angiogenic biomarkers. Ophthalmol Retina. 2018;2(1):31-37. doi:10.1016/j.oret.2017.04.00423. Nagineni CN, Kommineni VK, William A, Detrick B, Hooks JJ. Regulation of VEGF expression in human retinal cells by cytokines: implications for the role of inflammation in age-related macular degeneration. J Cell Physiol. 2012;227(1):116-126.doi:10.1002/jcp.2270824. Jackson TL, Slakter J, Buyse M, et al; Opthea Study Group Investigators. A randomized controlled trial of OPT-302, a VEGF-C/D inhibitor for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2023;S0161-6420(23)00066-0. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2023.02.00125. OPT-302 with ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) (ShORe). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated March 2022. Accessed October 4, 2024.https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0475761026. OPT-302 with aflibercept in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) (COAST). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated March 2022. Accessed October 4, 2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04757636Sean D. Adrean, MD, FAAOe: [email protected] is in practice at Retina Consultants of Orange County in Fullerton, California.

You probably haven’t heard of Meanwhile on Earth. It’s only 2024’s best sci-fi movie

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Metrograph Pictures
No genre has thrived more in 2024, and in so many different ways, than sci-fi. From the big-budget dystopia of A Quiet Place: Day One to the indie time-travel character study Omni Loop to the fall animated hit The Wild Robot, we’ve gotten pretty much every flavor of science fiction available so far, and there are still two months remaining in the year.
It makes sense the genre is the go-to place for all kinds of stories as our reality slowly resembles something you’d see in a sci-fi movie from years ago. Self-driving cars? Check. AI-assisted everything? Check. Alien invaders? Chec-…wait, that hasn’t happened … yet. But if it did happen, what would that look like? How would it occur? And what would you do to save yourself or your loved ones?
Meanwhile on Earth – Exclusive Official Trailer (2024) Megan Northam
Those are just some of the many, many questions that drives Jérémy Clapin’s Meanwhile on Earth, a French-language sci-fi picture that premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February and is just hitting the United States this month. Chances are, you haven’t heard of it. That’s OK, because I’m here to tell you that, in a year full of great science-fiction films, it stands tall among them, and is one of the best of the 21st century. Meanwhile on Earth is an all-timer, and a movie that will break your heart.

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An earthbound alien story
Metrograph Pictures
The movie opens on an empty spaceship, and you hear only two voices, one male and one female, talking to each other via voiceover. They belong to Franck (Yoan Germain Le Mat) and Elsa (Megan Northam), a brother and sister separated by the former’s mysterious disappearance some years ago on a far away space mission. Elsa’s never quite gotten over it, and as she sleepwalks through her day job as a nurse to elderly patients and her empty nightlife filled with parties, she wonders what happened to her brother and wishes he were home.
One night, she gets her chance. On top of a deserted hill, she hears Franck’s voice transmitted through a radio antenna. His voice is distant and fuzzy, but in the few seconds she hears him, he instructs her to look for a seed in the ground and place it in her ear so they can talk more. (Think of it as an intergalactic earbud that’s wired to your brain.) She puts the seed in her ear, but instead of hearing Franck, she now hears a woman’s voice, who assures her Franck is safe … for the moment. If Elsa wants her brother back, she has to help Franck’s captors find their way to Earth.
Meanwhile on Earth Movie Clip – Ear Worm (2024)
“Is this an invasion?” she asks. Not exactly; only five of these beings will come to Earth, and all they want is to exist, not to invade or take over the world. They need Elsa’s help in finding a path in the woods to locate their rendezvous point and in selecting five people to be body swapped so these beings can have host bodies to inhabit. Elsa has only days to pull all of this off, or else Franck will be lost to her forever.
It’s more than just a highbrow Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Metrograph Pictures
On paper, this sounds like a typical Invasion of the Body Snatchers rip-off. Aliens slowly taking over the human race is an old, overused staple of the genre, and more bad movies have been made about it than good ones. The beauty of Meanwhile on Earth, however, is that it takes its high sci-fi concept seriously and isn’t bogged down with the details. Who are these beings exactly and why are there only five of them? Why is Earth so appealing to them? How does the physics of the body swap actually occur? And how is Franck alive after all these years missing in space?
Most of these questions aren’t answered, and it’s to the film’s credit that that doesn’t feel like a flaw at all. That’s because providing answers isn’t really the point of Meanwhile on Earth; it’s setting up Elsa’s lonely life, her desperate need for her brother and, by extension, some sort of connection to her life, and presenting her with an unbearable moral quandary: Is it worth saving a loved one’s life if you have take another’s? And what makes one life worth more than another?
Meanwhile on Earth Exclusive Movie Clip – They Won’t Feel a Thing (2024)
Clapin doesn’t make this easier for his heroine by making the body-swap process seem almost painless. The humans being replaced don’t die, necessarily; instead, they are sent into a dream state, where they will live forever. Still, does that make it OK for Elsa to sacrifice strangers for her brother?
And some of the people she considers to select are ones that are marginalized or forgotten about by society: old people at the end of their lives, a homeless woman with no ties to anyone but her loyal dog, and a nasty tree-cutter who doesn’t hide his chauvinism. What makes them less than Franck, or even Elsa herself, who is drifting in her own dream-like state, lost in gazing at the stars or her comic book illustrations she creates throughout the movie? It’s this dilemma Elsa wrestles with throughout the movie, and made me question what I would do if such an extraordinary situation presented itself to me.
A dreamy yet grounded masterpiece
Metrograph Pictures
I’m making Meanwhile on Earth sound grave and, to quote Larry David, “a bit much,” and while it takes its subject and themes seriously, the movie is also astonishing beautiful, with touches of real human warmth rarely seen in the sci-fi genre. Clapin is careful to paint a brief but detailed portrait of Elsa’s life, which is filled with close relationships with her funky, pot-smoking father, her concerned mother who deals with Franck’s absence in her own quiet way, her best friend who is about to move away, and her playful pre-teen brother.
This portrait is aided by cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, who films Elsa’s small French town in a faint golden glow that’s from the setting sun, or the distant multi-colored lights from nearby buildings and street lamps, or, appropriately enough, the twinkling stars in the nighttime sky. The movie’s score by Dan Levy (no, not the Schitt’s Creek actor) is dissonant electronic music, which is standard for modern sci-fi films like this one, but it’s played in such a way that suggests the many mysteries the movie presents and leaves largely unsolved. All of these elements create a sci-fi movie that pulses with life and emotion; it takes a far-fetched premise and successfully grounds it in reality.
Metrograph Pictures
Clapin is still best known for his standout Oscar-nominated 2019 animated feature I Lost My Body, and he brings his animator’s eye to Meanwhile on Earth via three animated sequences at the beginning, middle, and end of the movie. This isn’t just an empty stylistic flex, though, but rather a further exploration of Elsa, her talents as an illustrator, and how she uses it to deal with her brother’s absence and satiate the need to reunite with him. These sequences show the dream state she would be in if she herself were body swapped, and makes a persuasive case that it’s not really all that bad to be replaced by an alien.
A path revealed, and a destination unknown
Metrograph Pictures
Meanwhile on Earth ends the way it should end, which is to say not all is revealed, and it’s up to you to decide what happens. Remember, this isn’t a big-budget sci-fi movie, so there’s no need to satisfy a mass audience who desperately need all questions answered and all mysteries revealed.
This film doesn’t do that, and it’s better for it. The ending is either happy or sad depending on how you interpret it. I’m leaning more to the former, although like everything else in the film, happiness comes at a cost, and you’re still left asking the film’s central question: Was everything Elsa did worth it?
Meanwhile on Earth is playing in movie theaters in select cities.

5 Side Hustle Business Ideas You Can Start Today In 2024

Business News

There’s never been a better time to start a side hustle. The side hustle world has been boosted by new platforms, software, apps that enable you to earn extra cash on the go, and AI (artificial intelligence). Technology advancements make it easier for you to make money on the go and even earn supplementary income from home without needing to take on a second outside job.

And the most exciting part is that many professionals with side hustles have discovered that they no longer need to work a job they don’t enjoy. You can easily find countless stories of individuals who have quit their jobs altogether to go all-in as their their business idea turns into a resounding success.

5 Side Hustles And Business Ideas You Can Start Today
There are endless opportunities to make money from home, and here are just a few side hustle business ideas to inspire you and get your wheels turning:

1. Virtual Event Planner
Since the pandemic, online events (and hybrid events) have remained popular, as they offer a convenient way for more people to attend training, seminars, and other private and corporate sessions—at a fraction of the price if it was held in-person.

As a virtual event planner, you would be handling everything from coordinating schedules and specific events within the main event to administering tech setup and hosting, while being on hand to manage any technical issues throughout the event. You may also offer your services to co-host the event. You can charge an hourly rate or create a package fee. Virtual event planners on Fiverr typically make upwards of about $60 an hour.

Prior experience in events planning, project management and coordination, and experience using remote work tools certainly helps.
What you can do to start today: Build a portfolio by offering your services pro bono to small businesses you already have a relationship with, and create a profile on a freelance marketplace like UpWork or Fiverr.

2. Sell Soaps And Candles
Handmade/homemade soaps and candles have a personal artisan appeal and make for great gifts, especially during the Christmas and winter holiday period. You may notice that certain times of the year experience a peak in demand (besides the winter festivities), such as Valentine’s Day. The amazing thing about making handmade soaps and candles is that they can be designed to be vegan and eco-friendly, resonating with those who share these core values, while at the same time they have a comparatively low start-up cost, and some of the ingredients you might already have in your kitchen or bathroom cupboard.

You could even decide to tap into niche markets such as aromatherapy for massage therapists to use, or organic products. Once you’re ready, you can sell on Etsy, Amazon, or your own website.
What you can do to start today: Research different recipes and allow your imagination and creativity to run wild. Use ChatGPT to help you brainstorm different ideas so that your product line can be niche, while at the same time ensuring it is profitable and has strong demand.Creating and selling homemade soaps and candles is a great way to tap into your creative hobbies and … [+] lean into your artistic skillsgetty
3. Print-on-demand
A major part of the appeal of printing on demand as a business is that it requires no inventory, meaning you don’t need to have storage space to begin with, and you don’t need to spend upfront costs on purchasing inventory either.
Not only does this save you money and space, but it also protects the planet, reducing waste. With printing on demand you earn a commission based off each sale of items such as t-shirts, tops, hoodies, notebooks, and mugs. Some platforms for this include Teespring and Canva, who will handle the printing and shipping for you. You can also set up your store on places like Etsy or Shopify.
What you can do to start today: Decide on a niche and have fun as you start designing graphics for your POD products.
4. Personal Training/Virtual Exercise Classes
The health and wellness industry is in a period of strong growth, and is expected to surpass $6 billion in value by 2027. You can teach live classes on Zoom, or pre-record workouts and upload the videos to a fitness app. You could also offer personalized coaching and provide fitness plans online. This allows you to train clients from across the world, not being limited by geographical location. The market for personal training and fitness is fiercely competitive however, so you will need to work on identifying what makes you and your programs stand out, and have strong results to show for it.
What you can do to start today: If you’re already a certified trainer, go ahead and offer free classes to begin with. Build some momentum and interest in your classes then begin to charge by adding extra value and upgrades, such as membership options.
5. Ecommerce Chatbot Development
Another excellent business idea for 2024 which you can do as a side hustle, is to develop custom chatbots for ecommerce businesses. As more people continue to shop online, more small businesses will seek to make their operations more efficient and improve their customer experience by offering chatbots that answer customer questions and provide support, automating various points of the customer journey. If you already have coding knowledge or experience or can use a no-code chatbot-building platform, this skill can be a lucrative venture that pay can several hundred dollars as a minimum.
What you can do to start today: Target small or medium-sized ecommerce companies, and approach them through LinkedIn or freelance platforms.Print on demand products protect the environment and save you upfront costsgetty
From event planning, to creating products, to using tech to help businesses grow, now is the time to turn your skills into a profitable business idea and side hustle. Get started with the suggestions in this article today.

Chase is driving the future of banking through a digital and tech overhaul

Technology

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Finance

Chase is driving the future of banking through a digital and tech overhaul

Sponsored by Chase

2024-11-14T16:54:07Z

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Chase, with Chief Product Officer Rohan Amin and CIO Gill Haus at the helm, is focused on advancing technology and modernizing digital experiences.
Tech, product, design, data, and digital teams collaborate to serve customer needs, operating as a product-focused organization
Internally called PXT, the organization is the heart and brain driving the future of digital banking at Chase.
The past four and a half years have been a transformational time at Chase. While the pandemic brought chaos and uncertainty to many businesses, it also provided an opportunity to rethink strategy and processes in a new digital age. Chase’s technology team overhauled the rails supporting digital transactions, ATM usage, Chase.com, and the Chase Mobile® app to keep products running for the 84 million consumers and 6.9 million small businesses it serves. At the same time, the organization ramped up hiring efforts, supported talent with learning opportunities, and built a strong culture of teamwork where heads of product work collaboratively with designers, data and tech leaders to collectively make decisions that bring the Chase customer experience to life.By embracing the opportunity head-on, the Chase technology team started an internal movement that has since driven engagement, development, and unparalleled collaboration across the entire organization.Teamwork makes the dream workRohan, Gill, and their leadership team are leading the transformation, prioritizing a culture rooted in collaboration that encourages openness and transparency. They focus on getting all cross-discipline teams to work together and help people in the business understand how product teams bring experiences to life and shape the future of banking. 

Rohan Amin, chief product officer at Chase.

Chase

The team is driving change through three major shifts:Moving to the cloud: Many of the bank’s underlying systems needed to be upgraded and transitioned from decades-old proprietary frameworks to the cloud. This included the bank’s platform — a vital organ at the heart of the largest financial institution in the United States. While difficult to accomplish, the team recognized this need to ensure resiliency and cybersecurity for its systems to protect the bank and its customers. By optimizing infrastructure, the team has made significant progress moving applications to the cloud and creating more effective tools for developers to do it in a way that is a better experience for them.Consumers shifting to mobile banking: Customers want to be able to bank wherever they are. They very quickly started to embrace mobile banking tools, and the ways they pay and manage transactions are now heavily dependent on digital experiences. This prompted rapid deployment of tech solutions for employees supporting digital experiences. Mobile banking is here to stay, and customers still want access to branches for advice and conversations, which is why we have continued to invest in growing our physical footprint while making it easier to do more from the app and online.The need to be agile: To truly transform, Chase had to rethink its internal workings to become more efficient, collaborative, and agile. The goal was to become faster, nimbler, and more innovative to help 84 million customers access their bank accounts and use their money more effectively.

Gill Haus, chief information officer at Chase.

Chase

Amid all these changes, the team’s leaders have championed the importance of keeping everyone learning and growing. To do so, Chase established comprehensive learning agendas across all teams, hosts frequent town halls and mentorship programs, and conducts regular site visits to personally hear team progress, discuss challenges and express appreciation.A few milestonesThis transformational journey hasn’t happened overnight and continues to play a central role in the future of Chase, with a focus on cloud and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) driving innovation in product development, technology, payments, and security including:Continuing to move technology to the public and private cloud to fully maximize the power of data.Reaching milestones of 70% of applications and 75% of data moved to public and private cloud by the end of 2024.Opening four new data centers that are 30% more efficient than legacy data centers.Focusing on emerging and evolving security risks, including cybersecurity and protecting the bank and its customers from fraud.Investing in AI/ML and its transformational capabilities to drive real value for Chase and its customers, including software engineering, customer service, and operations, and helping our employees’ productivity.Other changes driven by their leadership include:Reorganization: Streamlined nearly 1,000 project-based teams to about 100 product-focused teams.Job creation: Established new roles and job families across four main disciplines — tech, design, data, and product.New business lines: Launched Connected Commerce, a new division combining travel, dining, and card experiences from acquired companies like The Infatuation.Enhanced customer experience: Improved satisfaction ratings in the Chase Mobile® app and other digital platforms.Product innovation: Introduced a suite of products and digital tools including Pay in 4, Wealth Plan, Score Planner, Spending Planner, and more.ATM modernization: Upgraded ATM platforms and accelerated rollout of new features.Skill development: Boosted cloud certifications across the organization by 70%.Looking aheadAs AI/ML continues to be tested and evolve, Chase envisions GenAI helping to reimagine entire business workflows, and will continue to experiment with these capabilities and implement solutions in a safe, responsible way.AI has the potential to augment virtually every job and will help ensure data is high quality and easily accessible upon completing migration of analytical data to the public cloud. These new data platforms offer high-performance computing power, which will unlock the bank’s ability to use data.Additionally, Chase has a robust, well-established risk and control framework to proactively stay in front of AI-related and other risks and innovations, including using AI to help detect, mitigate, and counter fraud attempts, enhancing the bank’s product, cybersecurity, and payments capabilities while prioritizing innovation and resiliency.The PXT organization at Chase is now tens of thousands of people strong and they are not just modernizing a banking giant; they are redefining what it means to manage money and develop products in the digital age. By driving a culture of innovation, resilience, and collaboration, they’re building a better way to bank and creating lasting impacts in one of the oldest industries.Learn more on Next at Chase, a blog about technology, product, design, data and analytics, at Chase.This post was created by Chase with Insider Studios. JPMorgan Chase is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Veterans  For Informational/Educational Purposes Only: The opinions expressed in this article may differ from other employees and departments of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Opinions and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone, and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions, and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results.  Any mentions of third-party trademarks, brand names, products and services are for referential purposes only and any mention thereof is not meant to imply any sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation. 

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GOP Bans Dr. Seuss Book ‘Wacky Wednesday’ in Tennessee

Arts & Culture, Books

New book bans have arrived in Wilson County, Tennessee, after changes earlier this year to the state’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, according to WKRN, a television station local to Nashville. Over 400 titles, including the Dr. Seuss title Wacky Wednesday, were impacted by the Republican-backed act this year. When the act was introduced to the state’s legislature, it contained requirements for school and classroom libraries to follow, including posting and maintaining a list of materials in the school’s library on the school’s website. It also requires “each local board of education and public charter school governing body to adopt a policy to establish procedures for the development and review of school library collections,” according to the Tennessee General Assembly. However, this year, changes were made to the act that define materials that contain nudity, descriptions of sexual excitement and sexual conduct as inappropriate for the age or maturity level of a student in any of the grades from kindergarten through 12th grade, therefore mandating their removal from school libraries, according to H.B. 843. PEN America, a nonprofit organization focused on preserving free expression, released a report in April this year detailing many of the trends found with book bans across the country. Among these trends is the evidence that book bans frequently targeted LGBTQ+ media, with 8% or more of all books banned between 2021 and 2023 containing transgender characters or transgender narratives. Other themes in media targeted by censorship include books that feature themes of sexual violence and books that detail race or racism. The ban on Dr Seuss’s Wacky Wednesday comes from an illustration of the book’s school-age protagonist naked in the shower. This particular removal is tinged with irony as many in the GOP accused the left for “canceling” Dr. Seuss over the use of racial and anti-Semitic stereotypes in his books, according to LGBTQ Nation. In 2021, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that they would no longer print six of the author’s books, and cease sales of the titles, due to the appearance of racial stereotypes in the books, according to CNN.  “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement.

Books & Brews Holiday Edition coming to Ore Dock Brewing Co.

Arts & Culture, Books

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Books & Brews Holiday Edition is coming to the Ore Dock Brewing Company Sunday, November 17.The event is the 6th book fair being put on by Snowbound Books and the first holiday themed fair.Books & Brews is happening from 1-5:30pm and will be followed by a concert at 7:00pm by Breathe Owl Breathe.Local Author Heather Bell will be at the event signing copies of her recent release, Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking.There will also be gift wrapping stations and items you won’t typically find at Snowbound Books.TV6’s Elizabeth Peterson spoke with Bonny Mahin from Snowbound Books to learn all the details.Copyright 2024 WLUC. All rights reserved.

EU Fines Meta $840 Million Over Classified Ads Business

Business News

The European Union hit Meta, the parent company of Facebook, with a $840 million fine this week over its classified advertisement business.The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm and chief antitrust regulator, imposed the fine of $840 million (797.72 million euro) on the company after a lengthy investigation concluded it abused its market dominance and engaged in anti-competitive practices.The Accusations Against MetaThe commission alleged that Meta leveraged its dominance in social networking to gain an unfair advantage in online classified ads by linking Marketplace directly to Facebook, effectively exposing all Facebook users to Marketplace listings “whether they want it or not” and stifling competition from rival platforms.Regulators also expressed concerns that Meta was exploiting its terms of service to establish unfair trading conditions, allowing the company to harness ad-related data from competing classified platforms advertising on Facebook or Instagram to bolster its own Marketplace platform.

A photo of the Meta logo is seen in France on June 14, 2023. On Thursday, the European Union announced a $840 million fine against Meta over its classified ads business.
A photo of the Meta logo is seen in France on June 14, 2023. On Thursday, the European Union announced a $840 million fine against Meta over its classified ads business.
AP Photo/Thibault Camus/AP Photo/Thibault Camus
Meta’s tactics granted it “advantages that other online classified ads service providers could not match,” said Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s executive vice president for competition policy, in a statement. “This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Meta must now stop this behavior.”The case originated in 2021, when regulators from the European Union and the United Kingdom launched parallel investigations into Meta’s classified ads business. The U.K. regulator concluded its probe last year after Meta agreed to certain concessions.Meta ResponseMeta pushed back in a statement, arguing that the ruling does not demonstrate any “competitive harm” to its rivals or to consumers and “ignores the realities of the thriving European market for online classified listing services.”Meta argued that the commission’s case disregards that Facebook users have the option to “engage with Marketplace, and many don’t.” The company also pointed to the continued growth of online marketplaces, including global platforms like eBay, Europe-wide sites such as Vinted and various national services.Meta stated that it would comply with the European Commission’s directive to halt the contested practices and refrain from repeating them, though the company also announced plans to appeal the decision.Meta Political AdsMeta previously issued a ban on political ads prior to the 2024 election, and it extended the ban for a few days after polls closed.In an update earlier this month, Meta said that its restrictions on these ads would end on November 7, where they “will begin allowing new ads about social issues, elections and politics in the United States.”This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

ILA, USMX Contract Talks Stall Over Automation, Tech Concerns

Technology

While the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) resumed Master Contract discussions earlier this month “to discuss all outstanding issues to reach a new contract” in advance of a January 15, 2025 deadline for a new deal, respective statements issued earlier today by both parties indicated that much more progress needs to be made for a new deal to come to fruition.

“Over the last two days, USMX met with the ILA to bargain and resolve all remaining outstanding issues needed to reach an agreement on a new Master Contract,” said USMX. “While we had positive progress on a number of issues, we were unable to make significant progress on our discussions that focused on a range of technology issues. Unfortunately, the ILA insists on an agreement that would move our industry backward by restricting the future use of technology that has existed in some of our ports for nearly two decades—making it impossible to evolve to meet the nation’s future supply chain demands.”

USMX added that it has been clear that it is not seeking technology that would eliminate jobs. Instead, it says it needs continued modernization, which is essential to improving worker safety, increasing efficiency in a way that protects and grows jobs, keeping supply chains strong, and increasing capacity that will financially benefit American businesses and workers alike. It concluded by saying it looks forward to resuming negotiations with the ILA.

Meanwhile, ILA said in a Facebook post that ILA and USMX came to the table this week, prepared for four days of intensive bargaining to bring the side closer to securing a fair contract.

“For the first day and a half, discussions were productive, and both sides engaged in addressing serious issues,” said ILA. “However, late yesterday, talks broke down when management introduced their intent to implement semi-automation—a direct contradiction to their opening statement where they assured us that neither full nor semi-automation would be on the table. They claimed their focus was on modernization, not automation. The ILA has always supported modernization when it leads to increased volumes and efficiency. For over 13 years, our position has been clear: we embrace technologies that improve safety and efficiency, but only when a human being remains at the helm. Automation, whether full or semi, replaces jobs and erodes the historical work functions we’ve fought hard to protect.”

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