University of Cagliari

The Cagliari bridge under construction. Photo Credit: Sireg Geotech, Manini Prefabbricati SpA Sireg Geotech (Arcore MB, Italy), a manufacturer and exporter of non-metallic and composite products for geotechnical and civil engineering sectors, is working alongside Manini Prefabbricati SpA (Umbria, Italy) for the reconstruction of a reinforced concrete bridge in Europe prestressed with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar. Additional technical support is being provided by Italy-based University of Cagliari, the University of Miami’s Antonio Nanni and ASDEA srl. Reconstruction of the bridge in Fontanamare-Gonnesa (Cagliari) is the result of its collapse under the weight of a lorry (i.e., truck) in 2020. Sireg designed and produced the pultruded Glasspree rebar for its rehabilitation — which the company claims is the only ones in GFRP composite material with ETA European certification available on the market to date — for the Manini precast elements. These materials ensures that the bridge now has an estimated life twice that of steel (i.e., 100 years), a lower weight and greater resistance to corrosion in a salty environment, reduced lifecycle costing and a lower environmental impact. According to Sonja Blanc, CEO of Sireg Geotech, as reported by JEC Composites, the company hopes that “this bridge will soon become a model for the reinforcement of reinforced concrete infrastructures and structures exposed to particularly aggressive environments or subject to constant degradation.” The bridge is said to be the first of its kind, having both the slab and the deck beams prestressed with stirrups and flexural reinforcement made of glass fiber rebar. The deck is 23.30 meters long and 9.10 meters wide. A cycle of load, shear and bending tests on a main beam was scheduled to take place this month at Manini Prefabbricati’s premises in Umbria. The performance of the girder is to be monitored by sensors and sophisticated AI algorithms developed by ASDEA. Designers, students and journalists interested in learning about the potential of GRFP for civil engineering can contact Sireg at ufficiotecnico@sireg.it

Growing body of data supports Ampligen’s potential as both a prophylactic and an early-onset therapy against human Ebola virus disease outbreaksOCALA, Fla., March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM) (“AIM” or the “Company”), an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders, and viral diseases — including COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus — today announced a late-breaking presentation at the 36th International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) detailing Ampligen’s mechanism of action in the treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD). The presentation was given by Angela Corona, PhD, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy, and one of the published authors of a recent manuscript titled “Ebola virus disease: In vivo protection provided by the PAMP restricted TLR3 agonist rintatolimod and its mechanism of action.” Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly infectious and lethal pathogen responsible for sporadic, self-limiting clusters of EVD in Central Africa capable of reaching epidemic status. Highlights of the recently published Ampligen data that was presented include: As a TLR3 agonist, Ampligen induces and enhances innate immunological responses to EBOV infection.Ampligen appears to inactivate the EBOV lethal factor (EBOV VP35), which is believed to be responsible, in part, for the high mortality rate observed in humans, by acting as a “competitive decoy.” VP35 is understood to sequester the dsRNA produced by EBOV during its replication, which inhibits the normal innate immune responses to viral infection.Ampligen protected mice from a lethal challenge by mouse adapted EBOV-Zaire and its associated weight loss.The 6 mg/kg doses, frequently used in AIM’s clinical trials, used in mouse model is easily achievable and well tolerated in humans.Overall, the data suggest Ampligen’s potential as a viable candidate to protect against exposure to EBOV. The corresponding slides from the presentation at ICAR are now available on the Company’s website (aimimmuno.com) on the “Events and Presentations” page. AIM CEO Thomas K. Equels commented, “In vivo pre-clinical analysis shows that Ampligen has potential as both a prophylactic and an early-onset therapeutic in Ebola virus disease. Animal studies with Ampligen at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Biosafety Level 4 laboratories demonstrated 100% protective survival, as compared to 100% mortality in Ebola virus disease. Those animal studies are indicative of the drug’s high potential for efficacy. The analysis presented at ICAR now provides a clear understanding of why Ampligen is achieving such a high level of efficacy in these animal models, signaling its potential as a human therapy.” Ampligen has been granted Orphan Drug status for Ebola virus disease by the European Medicines Agency and the FDA. Ampligen is not currently approved for the prevention or treatment of EVD. The Company intends to file Investigational New Drug applications to study the use of Ampligen (1) as an early onset therapy for the treatment of EBOV, and (2) for the prevention of Ebola virus reactivation. Ultimately, the Company's goal is to seek a Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher for new drug applications associated with these indications. About the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) The International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) is an internationally recognized organization for scientists involved in basic, applied, and clinical aspects of antiviral research. The Society main event is the annual International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), a truly interdisciplinary meeting which attracts the interest of chemists, biologists, and clinicians. About Ampligen Ampligen is AIM’s dsRNA product candidate being developed for globally important cancers, viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. Ampligen is currently being evaluated as a combinational therapy for the treatment of a variety of solid tumor types in multiple clinical trials – both underway and planned – at major cancer research centers around the country. Ampligen is being used to treat pancreatic cancer patients in an Early Access Program approved by the Inspectorate of Healthcare in the Netherlands at Erasmus Medical Center. Additionally, Ampligen is also approved in Argentina for the treatment of severe chronic fatigue syndrome and is currently being evaluated in SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Post COVID Conditions. About AIM ImmunoTech Inc. AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders, and viral diseases, including COVID-19. The Company’s lead product, an investigational new drug called Ampligen® (rintatolimod) is an immuno-modulator with broad spectrum activity being investigated for globally important cancers, viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. For more information, please visit aimimmuno.com and connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Cautionary Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). Words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate” and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The clinical study and other matters discussed above are subject to a number of unknowns including, but not limited to, that significant additional testing and trials will be required to determine whether Ampligen will be an effective treatment for Ebola virus, comments and additional testing requested by the FDA if and when the Company files the Investigational New Drug application and whether the Company will be able to obtain a Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher for the new drug application. Among other things, for those statements, the Company claims the protection of safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Two of the authors of the manuscript are officers or directors of the Company. The information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included for reference purposes only.

Researchers have used gold extracted from electronic waste as catalysts for reactions that could be applied to making medicines. Researchers have used gold extracted from electronic waste as catalysts for reactions that could be applied to making medicines. Re-using gold from electronic waste prevents it from being lost to landfill, and using this reclaimed gold for drug manufacture reduces the need to mine new materials. Current catalysts are often made of rare metals, which are extracted using expensive, energy-intensive and damaging mining processes. The method for extracting gold was developed by researchers at the University of Cagliari in Italy and the process for using the recovered gold was developed by researchers at Imperial College London. The study is published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is typically sent to landfill, as separating and extracting the components requires a lot of energy and harsh chemicals, undermining its economic viability. However, WEEE contains a wealth of metals that could be used in a range of new products. Finding ways to recover and use these metals in a low-cost, low-energy and non-toxic way is therefore crucial for making our use of electronic goods more sustainable. Lead researcher Professor James Wilton-Ely, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, said: "It is shocking that most of our electronic waste goes to landfill and this is the opposite of what we should be doing to curate our precious elemental resources. Our approach aims to reduce the waste already within our communities and make it a valuable resource for new catalysts, thereby also reducing our dependence on environmentally damaging mining practices." "We are currently paying to get rid of electronic waste, but processes like ours can help reframe this 'waste' as a resource. Even SIM cards, which we routinely discard, have a value and can be used to reduce reliance on mining and this approach has the potential to improve the sustainability of processes such as drug manufacture." Professors Angela Serpe and Paola Deplano, from the University of Cagliari, developed a low-cost way to extract gold and other valued metals from electronic waste such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), SIM cards and printer cartridges under mild conditions. This patented process involves selective steps for the sustainable leaching and recovery of base metals like nickel, then copper, silver and, finally, gold, using green and safe reagents. However, the gold produced from this process is part of a molecular compound and so cannot be re-used again for electronics without investing a lot more energy to obtain the gold metal. Seeking a use for this compound of recovered gold, the team of Professor Wilton-Ely and his colleague, Professor Chris Braddock, investigated whether it could be applied as a catalyst in the manufacture of useful compounds, including pharmaceutical intermediates. Catalysts are used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction while remaining unchanged and are used in most processes to produce materials. The team tested the gold compound in a number of reactions commonly used in pharmaceutical manufacture, for example for making anti-inflammatory and pain-relief drugs. They found that the gold compound performed as well, or better, than the currently used catalysts, and is also reusable, further improving its sustainability. The researchers suggest that making it economically viable to recover gold from electronic waste could create spin-off uses for other components recovered in the process. For example, in the process, copper and nickel are also separated out, as is the plastic itself, with all these components potentially being used in new products. Sean McCarthy, the PhD student leading the research in the lab at Imperial, said: "By weight, a computer contains far more precious metals than mined ore, providing a concentrated source of these metals in an 'urban mine'." Professor Serpe said: "Research like ours aims to contribute to the cost-effective and sustainable recovery of metals by building a bridge between the supply of precious metals from scrap and industrial demand, bypassing the use of virgin raw materials." The teams are working to extend this approach to the recovery and re-use of the palladium content of end-of-life automotive catalytic converters. This is particularly pressing as palladium is widely used in catalysis and is even more expensive than gold.