Lab-on-a-Particle Technology Simplifies Single-Cell Assays

Partillion Bioscience provides Nanovials, engineered microparticles that serve as suspendable reaction compartments for individual cells. Nanovials come in 35 µm or 50 µm diameters, and different coatings are available. Hundreds of thousands to millions of Nanovials can be subjected to fluidic operations and analyses with standard laboratory equipment such as flow cytometers. This image shows Nanovials containing antibody-secreting cells that have been co-loaded with antigen-presenting cells.

Technological progress often involves miniaturization. So, what can miniaturization do for single-cell analysis? Let’s consider single cells that are compartmentalized and analyzed for secreted products such as antibodies. The larger the volume of each compartment, the greater the problem posed by the diffusion of secreted products away from cells. Sensitivity suffers.

If the compartments are the wells in a 96-well microplate, one way to improve sensitivity is to switch from microplates to microfluidic chips. However, these chips may need to be used in conjunction with specialized instrumentation, which can lower throughput even as it increases costs.

Such difficulties were confronted by doctoral candidate Joe de Rutte when he worked in the lab headed by Dino Di Carlo, PhD, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). de Rutte was contributing to the lab’s efforts to reimagine microfluidics so that it could become more functional and more approachable for bench scientists.

“We created a reagent solution for problems that are traditionally addressed with niche instruments,” de Rutte says. The solution—suspendable hydrogel-based microcarriers—was described by de Rutte and colleagues as way to democratize access to high-throughput functional cell screening (ACS Nano 2022; 16: 7242–7257).

The microcarriers, which de Rutte is now helping to commercialize as CEO of Partillion Bioscience, are microscale, bowl-shaped particles that are mixed with cells in a standard test tube. With each particle cavity acting as an individual cell chamber, scientists can screen between 10,000 and one million cells per test tube.

Partillion’s microcarriers are called Nanovials. They are available in 35 and 50 µm sizes (marginally larger than most human cells), and they hold volumes of less than 1 nanoliter. The volume of a 96-well microplate, in contrast, is approximately 300 microliters, more than a hundred thousand times larger.

“Our Nanovials enable the isolation of single cells and the precise capture of secreted antibodies with exceptional sensitivity,” de Rutte asserts. “Unlike traditional methods, Nanovials seamlessly integrate into existing workflows, so researchers can leverage their current equipment. This simplifies the process and significantly enhances screening throughput and diversity, which leads to faster and more accurate identification of promising antibody candidates.”

Di Carlo and colleagues have likened microcarrier platforms to software applications, or apps, in that each, in its own sphere, is compatible with standard infrastructure: “[Microcarrier platforms can run on] ubiquitous life sciences instrument hardware, fueling more rapid adoption and expanded impact” (Anal. Chem. 2024; 96: 7817–7839).

A learning experience

A summer spent working in the BioHybrid Systems Lab at the University of Tokyo in 2015, while a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, taught de Rutte to think in new ways. “This was a very multidisciplinary lab,” de Rutte says. “The 40 to 50 people working there approached science with creativity. A lot of their projects were pretty far out, like making chemical sensors similar to the olfactory receptors from mosquitoes. The lab’s culture was all about rapid innovation and the creative mixing of ideas. Concepts often moved from idea to prototype in just a day.”

“It was the combination of this creativity with the purpose-driven research I later encountered in the Di Carlo lab that truly made the difference,” de Rutte reflects. “The fusion of these two environments—the exploratory freedom in Tokyo, and the focused, application-driven work at UCLA—was essential. Without both, the Nanovial technology might never have been realized.”

The greatest catalyst in terms of forming Partillion, de Rutte says, was the reaction to his presentation, “High-Throughput Encapsulation and Selection of Cells Based on Antibody Secretion Using Lab-on-a-Particle Technology,” at the Society of Lab Automation and Screening 2020 conference: “I won the Innovation Award—the top award given to a researcher presenting there.”

This validation reinforced de Rutte’s confidence in the technology he had developed with Di Carlo. In 2020, when COVID-19 hit and many labs were closed, they co-founded Partillion. “We started putting together a pitch deck, applying for research grants, and looking for incubator space,” he recalls. Initial financing came from friends and family, a Small Business Innovation Research grant, and pre-seed funding from two venture groups. Partillion closed its first $5 million seed round in late 2022. It also has revenue from customers in the United States, and it will soon have revenue from customers in Japan.

de Rutte transitioned into the CEO role without biopharma management experience. To fill that expertise gap, he tapped veteran biopharma and investment firm executives as advisors.

Unique market position

“We’re in a unique spot in the market, and this has given us a lot of flexibility,” de Rutte remarks. Specifically, it helped Partillion go to market quickly and build market share by leveraging equipment that people already can access in their laboratories.

de Rutte says that for many budget-constrained researchers accustomed to hybridoma screening and other legacy approaches, this is the “first time they’ve been able to access such sophisticated techniques as direct plasma cell screening or other single-cell assays that characterize antibody function.” He adds that even large labs accustomed to sophisticated microfluidic screening technologies are finding value in Nanovials, which enable fast startup and the screening of more cells than normally expected.

Antibody discovery and more

“We’re seeing a lot of interest in antibody discovery, and there’s still a lot of opportunity,” de Rutte says. “For example, we’ve been working to develop and improve our workflows for screening cell membrane targets such as ion channels and G protein–coupled receptors. They can be challenging to screen because they are hard to express recombinantly.”

Partillion has launched an early-access program for its high-throughput multicell screening workflow. The new format enables scientists to localize an antibody-secreting cell and a cell expressing a target protein on its membrane. de Rutte notes that the company is looking beyond the antibody space to anywhere scientists need to compartmentalize cells or cell products.

According to de Rutte, a key challenge for the company is to focus on “providing better guidance around some of the ubiquitous parts of the workflows to better support the instruments that interface with [our products].” He acknowledges that maintaining this focus can be difficult, given the company’s size: “We’re a smaller team, so it’s imperative that the team understands where best to focus its efforts for immediate benefits, while also exploring areas that will lead to future progress.”

Partillion is bringing its technology to Japan through a distribution agreement with Sony. “Our technology is compatible with a lot of different instruments from Sony and other technology groups,” de Rutte points out, so additional agreements appear to be in the works. The company also is developing the Nano-SEEDS Program to actively support academic endeavors to build next-generation assays.

To create the conditions for sustainable growth, Partillion is working to expand its customer base and optimize its operations. “As we achieve these goals,” de Rutte declares, “we’re confident that profitability will naturally follow.”

Film review: Here crams a lot of time into a very small space

Breadcrumb Trail LinksCultureMoviesDirector Robert Zemeckis plunks the camera down and never moves it, but more than a century passes in the living room in which it’s positionedPublished Nov 01, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute readTom Hanks and Robin Wright have been digitally de-aged to perform in the movie Here. Photo by VVS FilmsReviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.Article contentNo matter where you go, there you are. It’s a bit of circular wisdom that fits nicely into the structure of Here, co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The premise of Here is that someone somehow plunked a movie camera down on a patch of ground during the late Cretaceous period in what would one day be New England, and left it running for the next threescore million years or so.Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLESEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsDon’t have an account? Create AccountorSign in without password New , a new way to loginArticle contentIts steady gaze captures some passing dinosaurs and, soon after, the asteroid strike that led to their demise. It sees hummingbirds (40-odd million years ago), early human settlers (a few thousand years back), Ben Franklin (200+ years) and then, around 1900, it ends up inside the living room of a house, where it witnesses several generations of homeowners and their families.Chief among these are Al and Rose (Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly), who bought the place for $3,400 just after the Second World War. Their offspring include Richard (Tom Hanks), who as a young man falls for Margaret (Robin Wright). They in turn will bring up their children in the house, after being unable to afford their own. (Financial insecurity is an odd but ever-present theme.)Now, if you’re doing the math and wondering how Bettany (aged 53) and Reilly (44) can possibly be parents to Hanks (68) and in-laws to Wright (58), remember that Zemeckis is the one behind that static camera. Using the latest in de-ageing (and extra-ageing) technology, he turns his stars into younger and older versions of themselves as required.Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentIt’s a tall order, especially since we all remember younger versions of these stars in Splash or The Princess Bride, or even Forrest Gump (another Zemeckis movie), where they worked together.But the results look pretty good, especially compared to some other recent attempts. (I’m looking at you, Irishman.) It helps that Hanks and Wright pitch their voices and carry their bodies in age-appropriate ways.Recommended from Editorial Teri Garr, offbeat comic actor of Young Frankenstein and Tootsie, dead at 79 Russian-Canadian filmmaker battles attempts to suppress film Zemeckis is less successful in some of the film’s smaller moments. That hummingbird looked particularly fake, and there are a couple of scenes in which digital creations were used in place of stunt people or practical effects, to unfortunate ends. Also the First Nations scenes, where the wardrobe looked a little too Hollywood for my liking.Quibbles aside, it’s a lively romp through the decades, and while an unmoving point of view might sound deadly dull, it’s actually enlivened by a technique borrowed from the graphic novel on which the film is loosely based.Advertisement 4Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentTo wit: While sometimes the action cuts wholesale from one time period to another, often it involves overlapping “windows” within the frame. So you might find yourself mostly watching Hanks’ character in 2000, while a portion of the screen shows the TV set from the 1950s, or the radio from 20 years earlier, or someone on the phone in just about any time period from 1900 on. A living-room wedding is just one of the ceremonies captured in the movie Here. Photo by VVS FilmsThe house was first occupied by a couple (Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee) whose lives were shaped by the invention of the aeroplane and, later, the pandemic of 1918. It was also the home of Lee and Stella (David Fynn, Ophelia Lovibond), the former an inventor who created the La-Z-Boy.And we see the family that moved in after Bettany’s clan departed, which takes us right up to the latest pandemic and just beyond. (You could say that Here ends Now, with a sudden camera movement that feels almost vertiginous after being so long in one place.)Along the way, the story sometimes feels like it’s being driven more by connected themes than a traditional plot. There are numerous births, deaths, weddings and even a funeral, not to mention discussions of love, money, marriage and real estate, and moments around Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays.Advertisement 5Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentI wanted to be a little more transported by Here than I ultimately was. Though satisfyingly emotional in its structure, the technical wizardly can sometimes distract one from the simpler moments of storytelling. And the score, by Zemeckis’ frequent collaborator Alan Silvestri, is one of those don’t-trust-the-viewer-to-know-what-to-feel compositions. A little more period music (think Forrest Gump again) might have served the movie better.But there’s still much to enjoy, and the film will no doubt have many pondering their own journeys through time. It’s a conversation-sparker of a film. Here? Hear, hear!Here opens Nov. 1 in theatres.3.5 stars out of 5Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation Featured Local Savings

Director Robert Zemeckis talks about Here, a movie where the camera never moves

Breadcrumb Trail LinksCultureMoviesThe film is based on a graphic novel that traces its roots to the 1980s, and has been attempted as a short and a virtual reality experiencePublished Nov 01, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  5 minute readFrom left, Robert Zemeckis, Robin Wright and Tom Hanks on the set of Here. Photo by VVS FilmsReviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.Article contentHere, the new movie from director Robert Zemeckis, features a camera that stays firmly rooted in space, while all of time flows around it — evolution flourishes and civilizations rise, though most of the movie is set in a relatively tight span of about 120 years, from the turn of the 20th century to the present day, during which the unroving eye inhabits a New England home’s living room.Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLESEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsDon’t have an account? Create AccountorSign in without password New , a new way to loginArticle contentIt’s a fascinating and audacious technique, and one that works better than it has any right to do. Zemeckis got the idea from a graphic novel, also called Here, published in 2014 by Richard McGuire, expanding on his own six-page comic strip from some 25 years earlier. (Like the film itself, the concept of Here has wafted through time.)“About 10 years ago, my agent sent me the book,” Zemeckis tells me. “It was one of those things where, as soon as I opened the book, I basically saw — not exactly, but in a general sense I saw the movie.”He continues: “I thought that it was like something like I’d never seen before, and the graphic novel is quite cinematic, but I also thought when I saw it — boy, this can make a really, really interesting movie.”To be fair, he’s not the first to have that thought. In 1991, two students at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s department of film and video, Tim Masick and Bill Trainor, produced a six-minute short based on the idea, for their senior thesis project. Almost 30 years later, a VR version of Here was unveiled during the COVID-dampened 2020 Venice Film Festival.Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentRecommended from Editorial How Hollywood is creating CG versions of iconic actors Movie review: Alien: Romulus starts strong but gets old fast But Zemeckis is the first filmmaker to bring the power of, well, Robert Zemeckis to the project. He’s no stranger to busting out high technology in the service of storytelling, with admittedly uneven results. High-water marks include 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit and 1994’s Forrest Gump (two of whose stars, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, reunite to play a married couple in Here).But he’s also had critical failures with motion-capture films like 2004’s The Polar Express and his 2022 version of Pinocchio. And 2011’s Mars Needs Moms, another motion-capture effort he produced but did not direct, remains one of the industry’s biggest box-office bombs, and led to the closure of Disney’s ImageMovers Digital studio after the film was released.Zemeckis says he approached Here with some trepidation.“There was doubt throughout, because there was no comparable film that you could look at to see if it could work or not,” he says. “It was pretty much something that we weren’t sure about until it actually came together and we saw the whole thing.”Advertisement 4Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentHe continues: “I mean, as it gets close, in the editing, it was starting to become very apparent that it was working. But while we were shooting it, all the scenes felt good, but whether it was all going to come together as an entity, we weren’t sure. So I’m glad that it did.” A de-aged Robin Wright and Tom Hanks in a scene from Here. Photo by VVS FilmsOne of the things that works well is that Hanks and Wright, who play characters from their teenage years into old age, look and sound right on the screen. Special effects de-age (and in some cases extra-age) the actors’ faces, but they also move appropriately compared to, say, 2019’s The Irishman, in which Robert DeNiro had the face of a young man, but still held his body like the septuagenarian he was.“It’s all acting,” Zemeckis says, lauding praise on his performers. “What makes the … digital makeup work in our movie? It all comes down to performance. The actors were very, very focused on knowing that they had to act youthful, and that’s what they did, and they paid a lot of attention to that. Also with raising their voices and just performing the way they should if they were 30 years younger than they really are.”Advertisement 5Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentViewers of Here may be pushed to think about events in their own spatio-temporal history. I often ponder the fact that I have been riding the same Toronto subway rails since the 1970s, and have lived in the same house now for almost a quarter century, on the same street where my father lived almost a hundred years ago. But Zemeckis has me beat.“I actually am fortunate enough to own a house in Tuscany that’s 600 years old,” he says. “And I think about it all the time. It was a farmhouse back in the 14th century. I think about the lives and the families and the joys and the sorrows that must have passed through these walls. And you know, every generation, feeling that ‘this is our time, this is our moment.’”He recalls a day one summer when a car drove up, and an elderly man alighted from the vehicle. “And we had to translate, because I don’t speak Italian very well. And he pointed to this window. And he said, ‘I was born in that room.’ So that was actually quite fun.”Moviemaking technology continues to press ahead. The recent film Alien: Romulus raised eyebrows when it digitally recreated the late Ian Holm to play a version of his android character from the original Alien film. But while Zemeckis is happy to apply digital de-ageing makeup to Hanks and Wright, he has no interest in working with a fully digital creation.Advertisement 6Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content“It’s kind of like music, where you can create a synthetic digital sound of any instrument perfectly, but I think you still need the warmth of a human performance to evoke emotion,” he says.He continues: “Having done animation quite a bit in my career, I have no interest in animating a performance, because you would lose that great thing, that thing that the actor brings, which is his instrument, and his take on the character, and everything that he does. You would be sacrificing that.”He adds: “That also means, as a director, I have to think up everything that these characters would do. And that’s just too much work!”Here opens Nov. 1 in theatres.Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation Featured Local Savings

City council has concerns with Kamloops mayor holding meetings at his business after refusing to move offices

Photo: Contributed

Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson speaks to a person at his business, TRU Market Auto, 260 West Victoria St.

It looks like Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has a new office, but it’s not at city hall.

The mayor said he intends to meet with members of the public at the auto dealership he owns, TRU Market Auto. But he said he has no intention of doing city business or storing city documents inside the building, 260 West Victoria St.

Coun. Dale Bass, deputy mayor for the month of November, told Castanet Kamloops the mayor has been informed he is not allowed to conduct city business or retain city documents at TRU Market Auto.

Bass said anyone who wants a meeting with the mayor will be booked by the executive assistant for his new office at city hall because that is the location he should be doing official city business.

She said safety and liability complications arise if the mayor is meeting people on city business in an office that does not belong to the city.

“Who’s liable?” Bass said. “Is he acting as mayor because he’s holding a meeting there as mayor? The risk factor alone there is so convoluted.”

As a hypothetical example, Bass said it’s unclear who would be liable in the event someone meeting with the mayor had their vehicle damaged at TRU Auto Market, noting the mayor has complained in the past about vandalism and other nuisance behaviour around his property.

‘This is a free country’

“it’s not dangerous for you to meet the mayor at his business,” Hamer-Jackson told Castanet Kamloops.

As an auto dealer, he said he is not permitted to conduct any other business out of his office on West Victoria Street. He said the Vehicle Sales Authority of BC could take his license if he did.

“So no, I will not be doing business other than car business, [but] I will be talking to people,” he said. “I’ll be discussing people’s concerns.”

He said he intends to meet with people in his vehicle, at their homes, at their businesses, coffee shops and at 260 Victoria Street West.

“I will meet them wherever they want to meet,” Hamer-Jackson said.

“This is a free country. I can meet them wherever I want.”

The mayor said he would “100 per cent” not take city documents to his business on West Victoria Street.

“I’m not taking documents down there,” Hamer-Jackson said.

He said he typically signs off on documentation at city hall.

“I don’t know where I’m going to get them now, because I’m locked out,” he said.

Mayor refuses to move

Council ordered the mayor move out of his official, main floor office to a new space set up in an unused boardroom in the basement of city hall.

The decision was made to separate Hamer-Jackson from staff after what council says have been substantiated staff bullying complaints against him — including four WorkSafe BC grievances.

Hamer-Jackson was also ordered to move his personal effects out of the office by Oct. 22, but to date has not. He said he is also refusing to move to the new space the city has set up for him, citing that the space is not handicap accessible nor did he did want additional monies spent on such an endeavour.

Bass has said the money has already been spent and the renovations were minor. She’s also said the mayor can meet people who have mobility issues in a main floor council office.

While Hamer-Jackson’s movements in city hall have been restricted, the city’s interim chief administrative officer Byron McCorkell told Castanet Kamloops he still has access to council chambers, the main lobby, his new office and a meeting room at city hall.

McCorkell said this week that key fob access to doors leading to the mayor’s old office has been changed, leaving Hamer-Jackson locked out.

McCorkell said if the mayor has personal effects to remove from the office he has to make arrangements to move them.

Bass said the mayor is technically allowed to access the locked first-floor office, but only with a council escort — something he has so far refused to do. She said the escort requirement is “due to four WorkSafe BC investigations.”

Drug-related problems cost of doing business in downtown Fredericton, store owners say

Business owners in downtown Fredericton say they are increasingly frustrated with a rise in break-ins, theft, vandalism, open drug use, litter and damage to their properties.Those concerns will be the focus of an upcoming invitation-only meeting with the Fredericton Police Force on Nov. 5.Adam Peabody, executive director of Downtown Fredericton Inc, which represents the business community, said the instances of theft, vandalism and harassment have trended “from an irritant to an area of significant concern.”And, he said, “We can say anecdotally … that it seems to be fuelled in large part by drug use and addictions.”Gary Forward, who took over as police chief in September, said police have seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase in socio-economic-related calls in the past year, related to living rough, drug addiction and wellness checksFredericton Police Chief, Gary Forward says police often get calls about unwanted individuals, property damage, theft and drug use, and he understands the frustration businesses feel.

The Platinum Card® from American Express vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Which premium card is right for you?

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. 

Amex Platinum vs. Amex Business Platinum at a glance

Annual Fee

Both the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum charge a substantial annual fee of $695. This high fee reflects the ultra-premium benefits and services offered by both cards.

Winner: Tie. 

Rewards

Both cards offer valuable Membership Rewards points, but with different earning structures:

Amex Platinum:

5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year)

5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel

1x points on other eligible purchases

Amex Business Platinum:

5x points on flights and prepaid hotel stays booked through amextravel.com

1.5x points on qualifying purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million per card account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus)

1x points on all other eligible purchases

Winner: The Amex Business Platinum edges the personal Platinum card out thanks to its 1.5x bonus categories, which can be particularly valuable for business owners with high expenses.

Redeeming Rewards

Both cards allow you to redeem points through Amex Travel or transfer to travel partners. Both cards have access to an identical lineup of transfer partners, which you can learn more about in our complete guide to Membership Rewards. Transferring points to partners is by far the most lucrative way to use your points, with one possible exception. 

Here’s the key difference: The Amex Business Platinum offers a 35% points rebate when you use Pay with Points for first or business class flights on any airline, or economy flights on your selected qualifying airline (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).Winner: The Amex Business Platinum wins for its 35% points rebate, which can significantly boost the value of your points for certain flight redemptions.

Welcome Offer

The Amex Platinum currently offers 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of card membership.

The Amex Business Platinum offers 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.

Winner: The Amex Business Platinum offers a higher welcome bonus, but it also requires significantly more spending in a shorter time frame. For businesses that can meet the higher spending requirement, it’s the clear winner. But it’s important to mention that Amex frequently has targeted offers so you may see different welcome bonuses even if you use a different browser or an incognito window. 

Perks

Both the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum offer a wide array of premium benefits, many of which come in the form of statement credits. It’s important to note that these credits are often distributed in monthly or semi-annual increments and are typically use-or-lose, meaning unused credits don’t roll over.

Before I list them, I want to really stress how exasperating it can be to have either version of the Amex Platinum when it comes to using these credits. Even as someone who has been writing about credit cards for over a decade, I lose value on my Platinum card unless I remember to order UberEats by the last day of the month. So keep the breakage in mind when you consider the credits. 

The Platinum Card® from American Express:

up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your card

up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash is available to Basic Card Member only (Terms Apply)

up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay

Up to $240 digital entertainment credit ($20/month for select streaming services)

Up to $155 Walmart+ credit ($12.95/month)

Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit (given in $50 increments semi-annually. $50 Jan-June, $50 July-Dec)

Up to $300 Equinox credit ($25/month)

$199 CLEAR® credit

$120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck® credit (every 4 years)

Airport lounge access (including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta, and Priority Pass Select)

Hilton Honors Gold status

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status

Rental car elite status with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive

Travel and purchase protections

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express:

Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to the card (select one qualifying airline)

Up to $400 Dell technologies credit ($200 Jan-June, $200 July-Dec) until December 31, 2024

Up to $360 Indeed credit ($90 per quarter)

Up to $150 Adobe credit ($150 annual)

Up to $120 wireless credit ($10/month on U.S. wireless telephone services)

$199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal)

$120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck® credit (every 4 years)

Airport lounge access (including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta, and Priority Pass Select)

35% Airline Bonus when using Pay with Points for flights (up to 1 million points back per calendar year)

Hilton Honors Gold status

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status

Rental car elite status with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive

Travel and purchase protections

Winner: I’m giving this one to the consumer Amex Platinum, especially with the business card’s Dell credit expiring at the end of the year.

To view rates and fees of the The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page. 

To view rates and fees of the , see this page. 

The Takeaway

Choose the Amex Platinum if:

You value luxury travel perks and lifestyle benefits for personal use

You frequently book flights directly with airlines

You can maximize the card’s various statement credits

Choose the Amex Business Platinum if:

You’re a business owner with high annual expenses

You frequently book business travel through Amex Travel

You can take advantage of the business-oriented statement credits

Both the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum are worth holding for different reasons, but I ended up closing my Business Platinum and keeping the Platinum open because the credits on the Platinum better matched my spending. If Amex re-ups the Dell credit on the Business Platinum, I might reconsider. 

Your choice ultimately depends on whether you’re looking for a personal or business card, your spending patterns, and which set of benefits align better with your needs. Remember, the Amex Business Platinum requires you to have a business to be eligible, while the personal Platinum is open to all qualified applicants.

Learn more: See our comparison of the Amex Platinum vs. the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefits guide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. 

Lux’s Josh Wolfe on launching Lux Labs and making science fiction reality

Josh Wolfe backs startups that make tech straight out of our favorite science fiction movies, from Star Wars surgical robots to metal detectors that evoke Total Recall. But there’s one startup he’s especially proud of because it “seemed the craziest at the time.” The company is inspired by X-Men.

“We had this crazy idea a few years ago, and we talked to a lot of people,” said Wolfe, Lux Capital cofounder and managing partner. “Usually when we have these ideas, some people will say one of two things: ‘That’s absolutely brilliant, I’m in’ or ‘That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.’ Both are extremely validating for us. We decided to start a company where none existed, to go out and find outlier people with outlier traits in the outlier world.”

That company became Variant Bio, cofounded (with critical involvement from Lux) in 2018 by scientists Kaja Wasik and Stephane Castel. In its way, Variant Bio lives up to the promise of X-Men: The company develops therapies by studying the genes of medically pertinent outliers. To date, Variant has raised about $130 million from big names like SoftBank Vision Fund and General Catalyst—and of course, Lux.

Since its inception in 2000, Lux has helped start from scratch more than 20 companies, and now the firm is formalizing that process. Lux Capital recently launched Lux Labs, a platform and strategy devoted to helping scientific ideas move from labs into real-world settings. Variant Bio is considered a Lux Labs company.

“It’s rooted in philosophy and the penchant we have for this,” said Wolfe. “There’s also this perfect storm of what’s going on in the market now that I think this is an advantaged investment strategy.”

Venture is in a pullback, Wolfe says, making this the ideal time to pursue a differentiated approach. Lux Labs will offer hands-on support, like IP rights, company formation, board member recruitment, and building networks. 

“Sometimes it starts with a thesis,” said Wolfe. “Sometimes it starts with a specific breakthrough. Sometimes it starts with a breakthrough scientist, an individual. We’ll find a team and actually convince them that they should spin out.”

Some companies in Lux’s portfolios that are considered Lux Labs include autonomous vehicle sensor maker Aeva, ocular disease-focused Kala Therapeutics, scent digitizing startup Osmo, and nuclear waste cleanup startup Kurion. Kurion—acquired in 2016 by Veolia for $350 million—played a key role in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. Today Wolfe describes Kurion as both a “great financial success” and a “great moral success.” But it wasn’t obvious at the time. 

“We looked at nuclear, and we looked at every part of the fuel cycle,” said Wolfe. “We tried to find companies. At the time, virtually no startups existed.”

Wolfe invests in deep tech, but it seems important to him to have a wide cultural view of the world. Throughout our conversation, he references The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, science fiction novelist Ted Chiang, and in quick succession quotes Linus Pauling and Charlie Munger. Wolfe tells me over the phone that he has a “wall of nostalgia” in his office, with memorabilia from G.I. Joe, Star Wars, and Thundercats. 

There are a lot of reasons to get into tech, but the science fiction origin story is especially compelling to me. Because the line between fiction and reality has always been thin. Wolfe wants to back companies doing what seems impossible. And if something seems impossible, that means there isn’t a pre-existing road to success. But maybe on this one, it’s worth trusting Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

See you Monday,

Allie GarfinkleTwitter: @agarfinksEmail: [email protected] a deal for the Term Sheet newsletter here.

Nina Ajemian curated the deals section of today’s newsletter. Subscribe here.VENTURE DEALS- Evommune, a Palo Alto-based chronic inflammatory diseases treatment developer, raised $115 million in Series C funding. RA Capital Management and Sectoral Asset Management led the round and were joined by B Capital, Marshall Wace, Avego Bioscience Capital, existing investors Pivotal bioVenture Partners, EQT Life Sciences, Andera Partners, and others.- LuxWall, a Ypsilanti, Mich.-based glass-based transparent insulation solutions developer, raised $51 million in Series B funding. Climate Investment and Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital led the round and was joined by Carbon Equity, The Nature Conservancy, and existing investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Prelude Ventures, 2150, Khosla Ventures, and Baruch Future Ventures.- Flower, a Stockholm-based energy system technology developer, raised €45 million ($48.9 million) in Series A funding. Northzone led the round and was joined by Giant Ventures, 82an Invest, Sony Innovation Fund, and angel investors.- Decart, a San Francisco-based AI efficiency research lab, raised $21 million in seed funding. Sequoia Capital led the round and was joined by existing investor Zeev Ventures.- Buddy.ai, a Mountain View, Calif.-based conversational AI tutor, raised $11 million in seed funding. BITKRAFT Ventures led the round and was joined by Educapital.- Tola, a San Francisco-based accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash flow management platform, raised $10.2 million in seed funding. Sequoia Capital led the round and was joined by Cherry Ventures, Creandum, RTP Global, and others.- Marqii, a New York City-based hospitality digital operations platform, raised $10 million in funding. Next Coast Ventures led the round and was joined by Rich Products Ventures.- MealMe, a San Francisco-based food ordering API, raised $8 million in Series A funding. Mercury Fund led the round and was joined by existing investors Palm Drive Capital and Gaingels.- Verax AI, a Dallas-based AI production control software developer, raised $7.6 million in seed funding. TQ Ventures led the round and was joined by Concept Ventures, Cardumen Capital, Seedcamp, and others.- Endeavor, a San Francisco-based AI platform for manufacturing firms, raised $7 million in seed funding. Craft Ventures led the round and was joined by Heartland Ventures, Contrary Capital, BoxGroup, and others.- IDA Sports, a Houston-based women’s high-performance footwear brand, raised $2 million in seed funding. Kynisca led the round and was joined by Elysian Park Ventures, Firebird Ventures, and Tipt Ventures.PRIVATE EQUITY- Ardian acquired Ion Beam Services, a Peynier, France-based semiconductor equipment and services provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Gridiron Capital acquired a majority stake in Health Monitor Network, a Montvale, N.J.-based health care marketing platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Montel, backed by The Riverside Company, agreed to acquire SKM Market Predictor, a Trondheim, Norway-based analysis and advisory services provider for the power and renewables sectors. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Red Iron Group acquired a majority stake in EverLine Coatings and Services, a Houston-based painting, pavement maintenance, and other facility services provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Sequoia Financial Group, backed by FGA Partners, Kudu Investment Management, and Valeas Capital Partners, acquired Family Asset Management, a Charleston, S.C.-based investment advisory firm. Financial terms were not disclosed.EXITS- EQT Group acquired PageUp Group, a Melbourne, Australia-based talent management platform, from Battery Ventures. Financial terms were not disclosed.OTHER- Samba TV acquired Semasio, a Chicago-based contextual targeting and audience data solutions provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.PEOPLE- Equal Opportunity Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm, added Michelle Rhee as a partner. Previously, she was at BuildWithin.- HCI Equity Partners, a Washington D.C.-based private equity firm, promoted Nate Novak to managing director and Michael Allen to vice president.

Yangon man arrested and charged with spreading ‘fake news’ for criticizing Myanmar film online

The regime stated on Wednesday that it had arrested a man in Yangon’s Mayangone Township for allegedly criticizing a new Myanmar language film on social media by claiming it mocks the country’s Indian and Hindu communities. A police station in Hlaing Township charged Shine Htet Aung (aka Her Sal Yon), 32, with violating Section 505(A) of the Penal Code, accusing him of spreading “false news” with the intent to “destroy national stability” on Oct. 26.“His family members asked about his whereabouts at the station but he wasn’t there at that time as he was being interrogated by the military,” a source close to the police station told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The military frequently uses Section 505(A) of the Penal Code to criminalize expressions of dissent against its rule on social media. Shine Htet Aung went missing from a school for the blind, where he was volunteering, shortly after he received a call from an unknown number on Oct. 26. Pro-military Telegram channels had been calling for his arrest over his criticism of the film, claiming he was instigating racial animosity in Myanmar. He had criticized the film Gyitcarsiphoothala (Have you ever Rode a Jeep?) by sharing the movie poster, which depicts Burmese movie stars wearing traditional Indian dresses, and accused the film of mocking Myanmar’s Indian community and culture on Oct. 24. He also made reference to the film’s use of a pejorative term, considered hateful towards South Asians and Muslims in Myanmar. The film premiered on Oct. 29 and was released in theaters nationwide today, which coincides with the Deepavali (Diwali) festival, the most important religious celebration in Hinduism.“Coincidentally, the name of a recently released movie seems like a nationwide public announcement of a derogatory term that neighborhood youth often use to demean and look down upon people of Indian descent. I even suspect this was deliberately timed to cause some incident during the upcoming festival,” Shein Htet Aung, himself a Hindu, shared on social media.His post went viral and sparked online discussions of how Myanmar movies frequently mock the Indian community in the country. Many other netizens criticized the film on social media.The Myanmar Hindu Union issued a statement on Oct. 29 condemning the film, claiming that the movie not only demeans Hindu culture but also demeans Myanmar’s Indian community.  People of South Asian heritage in Myanmar have been subject to discrimination since the country gained independence in 1948, with Myanmar nationalists at times accusing them of being outsiders. Activists launched a campaign to raise awareness about prejudice against the community in 2020.“Racism and xenophobia have deep roots in Myanmar, and it’s disheartening to see films that perpetuate harmful stereotypes rather than fostering unity and respect,” Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a pro-democracy activist involved in the 2020 anti-hate campaign, told DVB. “The junta’s arrest of the whistleblower for critiquing this reflects not only their intolerance toward free speech but also their failure to address the underlying issues of prejudice in our society,” she concluded.