Author's Contributions
DeepSeek: the Sputnik moment for AI?
A new AI model is making headlines and causing US tech giants to falter. Developed by a Chinese start-up, DeepSeek is now forcing us to fundamentally question some of the assumptions made during the AI boom. Find out what this could mean for the tech and chip industry in the article 👉
Artificial Intelligence – Tool or Toy?
There is hardly any getting around artificial intelligence (AI). Are we only at the beginning of an AI hype or has it already peaked? For whom is AI good business at all and what can the new technology actually be used for?
Miracle drug semaglutide: slim by injection
Originally, the Danish company Novo Nordisk wanted to develop Semaglutid as a drug for diabetes 2 patients. However, the appetite-reducing effect of the drug soon became apparent, making semaglutide a miracle cure for obesity. While Novo Nordisk’s share price has risen significantly since then, possible side effects of the drug are now also being examined.
Covid vaccinations: Apathy follows euphoria
If you ask around in your own circle of acquaintances, you will find that the vaccination coverage rate is now significant. In Austria, it seems, everyone who really wants a vaccination has already received at least a partial vaccination – regardless of prioritization, age or medical history. The EU vaccination rate lags about 6 weeks […]
Covid Vaccines – From Race to Chase
Covid vaccine distribution has begun in much of the developed world. Politicians, commentators and citizens criticize the slow start to immunizations. But like the Tour de France: What counts is not who wears the yellow jersey during the first stage, but who crosses the finish line first at the end. Three factors are crucial to that: vaccine supply, vaccine distribution and, most importantly, vaccination acceptance.
COVID-19 Update: Moderna reports preliminary results from phase 3 vaccine trial
U.S. biotech company Moderna reported positive results from the first interim analysis of its Covid mRNA vaccine candidate. The IA found that of the 95 identified Covid cases in the study population 90 occurred in the placebo group, thus yielding a vaccine efficacy of 94,4%.
Covid Vaccine: Pfizer, BioNTech and the beginning of the end?
In a press release on November 9, Pfizer gave a first taste of the results of the Phase 3 study of the Covid vaccine, which was jointly developed with German biotech company BioNTech. With an estimated efficacy of 90% and the start of the vaccination campaign possibly as early as January 2021, there is light at the end of the tunnel. But some hurdles still remain.
A Black Mink Event – COVID-20
In the USA the fight for the White House is still raging. Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, 9,000 kilometers away, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared that all minks in the country would be killed to contain the spread of a new SARS CoV-2 variant. What is a Black Min Event?
COVID-19 Update from the Investment Division: Russia to the Rescue?
Researchers from Moscow-based Gamaleya institute, an offshoot of the Russian Ministry of Health, published detailed phase 1/2 results of their COVID-19 vaccine in the Lancet. If true (remember that we are talking about Russia), these results imply that their vaccine is both effective and has a tolerable safety profile which would make it a strong contender in the international race to defeat COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 is mutating. Barely.
Since the start of the current pandemic researchers and policymakers have worried about possible mutations of SARS-CoV-2. A recent paper based on over 18 500 virus genome samples collected thus far concludes that these worries are unfounded.