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      <p>
        Japanese conglomerate Mitsui and Co. has set up a new subsidiary, Japan LEO Shachu, Inc., aiming to develop a module for installation on future commercial space stations.
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      <p>
        Mitsui reported that the subsidiary was established on July 1, 2024, and that the venture would serve Japanese research, space exploration, and national security needs.
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      <p>
        Japan LEO Shachu will aim to handle cubesat deployments from Japan's Kibo module on the International Space Station (ISS).&nbsp;The venture will pursue the &ldquo;Japan Module,&rdquo; an HTV and new HTV-X cargo spacecraft module. The module would include a pressurized area for research, manufacturing, and other applications and an external platform for additional payloads.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Mitsui also reported that the new venture would be open to partnering with American and other international commercial space station developers. Mitsui has previously invested in Axiom Space in 
        <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/U.S.-space-station-developer-to-gain-financial-boost-from-Mitsui">
          2021
        </a>
         and collaborated with it in 
        <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axiom-space-and-mitsui--co-ltd-announce-japan-based-joint-venture-301522489.html">
          2022
        </a>
        .
      </p>
    </li>
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  <p>
    <a href="https://spacenews.com/japanese-venture-seeks-to-develop-commercial-space-station-module/">
      Space News
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Space Travel and Exploration Tech

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Japanese conglomerate Mitsui and Co. has established a new subsidiary, Japan LEO Shachu, Inc., with the objective of developing a module for commercial space stations.</p>

 <p>The subsidiary was formed on July 1, 2024, and will cater to Japanese research endeavors, space exploration and national security needs.</p>
 
 <p>The aim of Japan LEO Shachu involves managing cubesat deployments from the Kibo module of Japan on the International Space Station (ISS). The venture is focused on creating the “Japan Module,” a module for the HTV and new HTV-X cargo spacecrafts. The module is designed to feature a pressurized area for various purposes such as research, manufacturing, and more. It will also have an external platform for extra payloads.</p>
 
 <p>In addition to this, Mitsui has stated that the newly established venture is open to collaboration with American and other global commercial space station developers. The parent company has previously invested in Axiom Space in <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/U.S.-space-station-developer-to-gain-financial-boost-from-Mitsui"> 2021 </a> and worked with it in <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axiom-space-and-mitsui--co-ltd-announce-japan-based-joint-venture-301522489.html"> 2022 </a>.</p>
 
</div>

Mitsui establishes Japan LEO Shachu to develop commercial space station module

New data privacy regulations have opened up space for a new wave of compliance-focused startups.

Digital Privacy Tools

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

<div>
 <p>Orange S.A., a telecom provider in France, has been fined EUR 50 million by the country's data privacy regulator, CNIL. This fine is due to Orange displaying unwanted ads in users' email inboxes without gaining consent first, which breaks the French Post and Electronic Communications Code.</p>
 <p>Despite users withdrawing consent, the company continued to monitor their web activities through the use of tracking cookies. This violates the French Data Protection Act, since Orange failed to put technical measures in place to prevent tracking by either itself or its partners.</p>
 <p>The company plans to appeal against this decision, arguing that the fine is not proportionate and that its practices are commonplace in the market. Orange remains steadfast in its claim that no customer data was used without gaining consent beforehand.</p>
 <p>Due to its status as France's leading telecommunications operator, CNIL justifies the hefty fine imposed on Orange.</p>
 
</div>

France fines Orange USD 53 million for privacy violations

Autonomous and connected technologies shaping the future of the auto industry

Auto Tech

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
 <p>Self-driving vehicle tech firm, Pony.ai, based in China and the US, has joined forces with Chinese EV maker GAC AION to collaboratively develop and mass-produce robotaxi vehicles. This partnership unifies Pony.ai's Level 4 autonomous driving system and robotaxi operational know-how with the manufacturing prowess of GAC AION.</p>
 <p>With intentions to manufacture at least 1,000 units of AION robotaxi, the companies expect an initial rollout in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by 2025, before extending their reach to other areas and nations.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> <a href="https:<br>
//www.marklines.com/en/news/230886"> Since 2019, </a> Pony.ai and GAC Group have collaborated on autonomous driving technologies, including the development and testing of the AION LX L4 level Robotaxi model equipped with Pony.ai's autonomous driving systems. Pony.ai also has similar partnerships with companies like&nbsp;BAIC New Energy <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/35561"> (November 2024) </a> and Toyota (August 2019; extended <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/20665"> in August 2023) </a> to build self-driving cars.</p>

Pony.ai partners with GAC AION to develop mass-produced robotaxi vehicles

Foundation Models

<div>
 
 <p>Google announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, a large language model (LLM) aimed at improving products such as Search and Bard. This advanced model brings with it native image generation, multilingual audio output, and enhanced reasoning abilities.</p>
 <p>Notably, Gemini 2.0 uses the Trillium tensor processing unit (TPU), which is Google's sixth-generation TPU. The model has also seen improved coding skills across different programming languages. In addition to these, Project Astra and Project Mariner have been included for contextual conversation retention and web-related tasks respectively.</p>
 <p>According to Google, Gemini 2.0 will bring more accuracy in search results, useful responses in Bard, and the processing of various types of information. It was also revealed that Project Mariner has achieved an 83.5% success rate in the WebVoyager benchmark for practical web navigation tasks. The model is set to be fully released in January 2025.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> &nbsp;Google introduced the <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/24730"> Gemini AI model family </a> , including Ultra, Pro, and Nano versions for different applications. This was followed by the release of <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/26671"> Gemini 1.5 </a> , <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/29450"> Gemini 1.5 Pro </a> , and <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/29450"> Gemini 1.5 Flash </a> . The company later launched <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/36122"> Gemini-Exp-1114 </a> , which ranked first in the Imarena Chatbot Arena leaderboard, and <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/36448"> Gemini-Exp-1121 </a> , with improved multi-turn dialogue, reasoning, and coding capabilities. This most recent release is described as a step toward a more advanced phase of AI development. These updates highlight Google's ongoing efforts to refine its AI systems and strengthen its position in the field.</p>

Google launches Gemini 2.0 AI model with enhanced capabilities

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

<div>
 
 <p>Premier Recycle has partnered with XL Construction for material recycling for Google's initial mass timber building in Sunnyvale, California. The partnership prioritizes the recycling of construction materials used in Google's 1265 Borregas building project, diverting an estimated 580 tons of material.</p>
 <p>The mass timber building aims to attain LEED Platinum certification and possesses sustainable features such as FSC-certified structural timber, solar panels, and wholly electric operations, in line with Google's 2030 zero emissions objective.</p>

</div>

Premier Recycle partners with XL Construction for Google's first mass timber building project

<div>
 
 <p>Cyclic Materials, a Canadian firm specialized in advanced metals recycling, and Glencore, a leading metals and mining and clean tech recycling company, have embarked on a long-term collaboration for supplying recycled copper extracted from electronic waste.</p>
 <p>The duo announced that Cyclic Materials will be responsible for extracting copper from recycled electronic components such as EV motors and wind turbines, and will supply at least 10,000 metric tons to Glencore's Horne Smelter and Canadian Copper Refinery. The copper, once refined, will be utilized in electric vehicles and renewable energy systems, with the first batch of shipments expected to commence in late 2025.</p>
 <p>The objective of this alliance is to establish a more sustainable process for producing copper by recycling existing materials instead of mining new ones. This approach not only satisfies the growing demand for materials required for clean energy technology but also aids in diminishing the environmental impact.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> In <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30919"> June 2024 </a> , Cyclic Materials partnered with Solvay to supply Solvay with recycled mixed rare Earth oxide (rMREO). Previously, in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/27689"> March 2024 </a> , the company also collaborated with Vacuumschmelze to recycle by-products containing critical materials used in high-performance permanent magnets.</p>

Cyclic Materials partners with Glencore to supply recycled copper for clean energy transition

Sustainably solving the food shortages of the future

Smart Farming

<div>

 <p>AgriRobot, an agricultural safety software developer based in Denmark, has recently gained a funding led by Norminal Ventures. Other participants in the funding are Tall Grass Ventures. The funding amount has not been disclosed but it has increased the company's total capital to more than EUR 2 million, which is roughly USD 2.1 million.</p>
 <p>According to the company's report, the newly acquired funds will be channeled to expedite the development and launch of their safety software. Meanwhile, AgriRobot continues to gather more capital.</p>
 <p>AgriRobot was conceived in 2021 and it is known for developing certifiable software that removes the requirement for human operators to supervise robots in the field. The technology upon which their software is built on is from self-driving cars and last-mile delivery robots, and has been effectively used to secure autonomous tractors' safety.</p>

</div>

AgriRobot raises undisclosed amount of funding to accelerate product development

Natural Fertilizers

<div>
 
 <p>Liquid fertilizer solutions manufacturer, AgroLiquid, has purchased Monty's Plant Food Company, a soil health and plant nutrition technology specialist based in Louisville. The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.</p>
 <p>The two companies will preserve their unique brands and maintain independent operations until the end of the 2025 growing season. The integration process will mainly involve improving operational capabilities such as production, warehousing, and storage infrastructure. Monty's Plant Food Company will continue to operate under its existing leadership and brand name.</p>
 <p>Founded in 1997, Monty's Plant Food Company utilizes proprietary humic technology in combination with traditional nutrients to create environmentally friendly solutions for different markets like agriculture, lawn and garden, turf, hemp, and wildlife. The company has marked its presence in the soil health and plant nutrition market for the past 27 years.</p>
 
</div>

AgroLiquid acquires Monty's Plant Food Company for undisclosed sum

Novel therapies to reboot cells and organs

Cell & Gene Therapy

<div>
 
 <p>Chinese researchers at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital have achieved a medical breakthrough by successfully curing a 59-year-old man suffering from type II diabetes through cell therapy. This is the first ever successful case of this type of therapy worldwide.</p>
 <p>The innovative treatment involved transforming the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells into "seed cells", which were used to create pancreatic islet tissue in a controlled laboratory environment. Previously, the patient, who had been dealing with diabetes for 25 years, had depended on multiple insulin injections every day. However, 11 weeks post the cell therapy treatment, he reportedly no longer needed insulin. The researchers are planning to conduct further studies with a larger group of patients to establish the efficacy of this new cell therapy approach. The hope is that this method could potentially eliminate the need for long-term medications and lower healthcare costs.</p>
 <p><b>Analyst Quick Take: </b> Notably, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29781"> May 2024 </a>, Chinese researchers effectively reversed type 1 diabetes in a 25-year-old woman by means of a stem cell transplant. This was the first-ever successful instance of using a patient's own reprogrammed cells to stimulate insulin production. Following surgery in June 2023, the woman, who had been living with type 1 diabetes for more than ten years, started producing enough insulin independently about two and a half months after the transplant, eliminating the need for external insulin shots. This patient has reportedly maintained her insulin independence for over a year now. </p>
 
</div>

Chinese scientists cure type 2 diabetic patient using cell therapy

<div>
 
 <p>TC BioPharm, a developer of gamma delta T-cell therapy, has formed a partnership with precision medicine firm CareDx to conduct a pharmacokinetic analysis for the ACHIEVE clinical trial. CareDx will utilize its AlloCell test solution to assess the expansion and persistence of TC BioPharm’s TCB008, an allogeneic gamma delta T-cell therapy candidate, in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The purpose of this analysis is to determine the efficacy of TCB008 cells in rebuilding the immune systems of AML patients who are participating in the Phase II ACHIEVE trial.</p>
 
</div>

TC BioPharm partners with CareDx to monitor cell therapy in ACHIEVE clinical trial

Reinventing gene therapies with next-generation technologies

Human Gene Editing

<div>
 <p>Vivlion GmbH, a firm specializing in CRISPR screening technologies, has unveiled its fixed-pair Alexandria PRCISR CRISPR library, a genome-wide Cas9 knockout library. The library was produced using the firm's proprietary 3Cs platform technology, and no information regarding its cost was provided in the official announcement.</p>
 <p>The fixed-pair Alexandria library has broad target coverage, with 20,908 human genes included, which comprises 99.6% of protein-coding genes. The library's unique design provides predestined pairs of guide RNAs (gRNAs) to individual cells, and each pair targets the same gene. With a total of 41,951 gRNA pairs, the library also contains safe-harbor and non-targeting gRNAs that serve as controls for the quality of screening.</p>
 <p>The new library enhances editing efficiency and significantly reduces the experimental requirements by half.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Mitsui establishes Japan LEO Shachu to develop commercial space station module

France fines Orange USD 53 million for privacy violations

Pony.ai partners with GAC AION to develop mass-produced robotaxi vehicles

Google launches Gemini 2.0 AI model with enhanced capabilities

Premier Recycle partners with XL Construction for Google's first mass timber building project

Cyclic Materials partners with Glencore to supply recycled copper for clean energy transition

AgriRobot raises undisclosed amount of funding to accelerate product development

AgroLiquid acquires Monty's Plant Food Company for undisclosed sum

Chinese scientists cure type 2 diabetic patient using cell therapy

TC BioPharm partners with CareDx to monitor cell therapy in ACHIEVE clinical trial

Vivlion launches fixed-pair Alexandria CRISPR library

Space Travel and Exploration Tech

Mitsui establishes Japan LEO Shachu to develop commercial space station module

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