‘Adopting a critical stance': Educators at Western launch project to get people talking about AI
Western's generative AI challenge is attracting participants from around the globe, helping people understand AI's impact. CTV London's Bryan Bicknell reports.
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Globe and Mail
41 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Islet cell transplant trial outcome ‘major milestone' toward cure for diabetes
When Amanda Smith learned at the age of 25 that she had late-onset Type 1 diabetes, she considered the diagnosis a death sentence. The nurse, from London, Ont., had a particularly dim view of the disease because she grew up watching her mother struggle with it. Her mother would slur her words and lose consciousness when her blood sugar bottomed out. Once, Ms. Smith's grandfather had to break a window to reach her mother, who was passed out in her home holding a banana she had tried to consume to raise her blood sugar. 'It literally eats you from the inside out,' said Ms. Smith, now 36. 'It rots your teeth, it destroys your body, your vision. The complications that come with Type 1 diabetes are so extreme.' Ms. Smith is confident now that those complications won't be in her future. In February of 2023, she became the first Canadian to receive a transplant of islet cells – the cells in the pancreas that make insulin – derived from embryonic stem cells. The transplant freed her from insulin and gave her blood sugar control akin to a non-diabetic. It was performed at Toronto General Hospital, the institution where insulin was first tested more than 100 years ago. On Friday, the results of the clinical trial in which Ms. Smith participated were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The early-phase trial was small, and the procedure has a significant downside in that patients must take anti-rejection drugs for life, just like recipients of organ transplants. For people living with diabetes, the push for medical coverage isn't political, it's personal Nonetheless, the study's outcome counts as 'spectacular,' according to James Shapiro, who holds the Canada Research Chair in transplant surgery and regenerative medicine at the University of Alberta and was not involved in the study. Ten of the 12 participants who received a full dose of the cells were insulin-independent one year later. 'This is a major advance and a major milestone along the journey towards a cure,' he said. Dr. Shapiro was himself responsible for an earlier breakthrough on that path. In 2000, he and his colleagues at the University of Alberta published a seminal paper on a method they developed for safely and effectively transplanting islet cells from deceased donors into patients with Type 1 diabetes. They dubbed their regimen the 'Edmonton Protocol.' 'We used to call it the drive-through transplant,' Dr. Shapiro said, because giving patients islet cells was less risky and burdensome than a whole pancreas transplant. The cells are infused into patients under mild sedation with an IV-drip into the portal vein of the liver. The breakthrough described in the new paper is that the islet cells transplanted into Ms. Smith were derived not from deceased donors but from embryonic stem cells, which function as a type of source code that scientists can coax into becoming any cell in the human body. The supply of such lab-created islets could, in theory, be limitless, unlike the supply of deceased donor islets. Semaglutide, or Ozempic, reduces symptoms of feared diabetes' complication, study finds Trevor Reichman, director of the pancreas and islet transplant program at the University Health Network's Ajmera Transplant Centre, said the most encouraging result is that the islet-cell transplants eliminated dangerous blood sugar 'lows' that can cause confusion, seizures and unconsciousness. He ran the study site at UHN and is an author of the new paper. 'All of them, essentially, were able to get rid of their hypoglycemic episodes,' Dr. Reichman said, 'so all of the real risks to them, all of the lows, were essentially eliminated.' Still, the international trial, funded by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals, wasn't without its challenges. The company paused it temporarily last year after two participants died, though not from taking Zimislecel, the brand name of the new islet therapy. Vertex expects to apply for regulatory approval of Zimislecel starting next year. One participant died of severe dementia 30 months after the infusion. That patient had pre-existing neurocognitive impairment and, before joining the trial, had suffered a brain injury during a motor-vehicle accident caused by a severe blood sugar low. The other died of cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection caused by a sinus surgery. The death was related to the immunosuppressant medication that the participant was taking to preserve the islet transplant, the study said. That death underscores the tradeoff that people with Type 1 diabetes would have to make with Zimislecel, said Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, director of the Metabolic Diseases Research Unit and The Diabetes Clinic at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. He wonders how many people with Type 1 would be willing to take anti-rejection drugs for life, especially now that advances such as insulin pumps have made diabetes easier to manage for some patients. 'It's probably going to be a very narrow population,' Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret said. The next step for scientists is finding a way to genetically engineer or encapsulate islets so the immune system won't view them as hostile invaders. In the meantime, Ms. Smith said taking three pills, three times a day to suppress her immune system is a breeze compared with the round-the-clock work of keeping her blood sugar in check. Her 10-year-old daughter, Draya, used to say she wanted to become a doctor to cure diabetes. Now, she talks of being a pilot or engineer. 'I would do this a million times over compared to the maintenance I used to have to do to keep myself alive,' Ms. Smith said.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Montreal teen tops global chemistry competition
Rama Jamal Alhashemi placed first in the world at the international Avogadro Chemistry Competition. Solutions and gases are no match for 17-year-old Rama Jamal Alhashemi, who placed first in the world in the international Avogadro Chemistry Competition. 'Today we're going to be doing a neutralization reaction with 0.1 molar of NaOH sodium hydroxide and one molar of hydrochloric acid, which is HCL.,' she explained. From the moment she set foot in the laboratory, the recent high school graduate was enamoured with periodic elements. She also took a liking to titration experiments - the process of determining the concentration of solutions. 'To know when our titration is over, we're going to put in some indicator phenolphthalein. So this indicator will make the solution turn pink,' Alhashemi said while demonstrating. Last month, her skills were put to the test in the international Avogadro Chemistry Competition. The exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions on the structure of matter and chemical reactions. 'It's put on by the University of Waterloo and in the past 37 years, there's been about 174,000 students across the world who have written the competition,' said Sarah Howard, a senior school science teacher at The Study. Only '0.2 per cent of those people have achieved what Rama achieved,' Howard added. Alhashemi placed first in Quebec, first in Canada, first in North America and first in the world. Her ranking earned her a certificate of distinction and an elemental tile for outstanding achievement. 'It's an amazing shock,' Alhashemi said. It's a reminder that 'females can be strong in STEM topics and it's something that we should be encouraging more,' Howard told CTV. According to Statistics Canada, women make up less than 30 per cent of those employed in a STEM field. However, as the soon-to-be CEGEP student gears up for Honours Health Science studies at Marianopolis College, she also plans to explore other interests. 'I've been playing the alto saxophone [...] ever since grade six. So I want to continue not only the sciences in the future but keep music on the side as well.'
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Fintech as a Service Market Future Scope: Size, Share, Trends, Opportunities Analysis Forecast Report By 2029
"PayPal (US), Mastercard (US), Fiserv (US), Block (US), Rapyd (UK), Envestnet (US), Upstart (US), Solid Financial (US), FIS (US), Synctera (US), Stripe (US) , Adyen (Netherlands), Dwolla (US), Finastra (UK), Revolut (UK), Fispan (Canada), Nium (Singapore), Airwallex (Australia), Sofi Technologies Inc. (US)." Fintech as a Service (FaaS) Market Size Share, Growth Analysis by Type (Banking, Payment, Insurance, Investment), Technology (AI, Blockchain, RPA, API), Application, End User and Region - Global Industry Forecast to 2029. The Fintech as a Service (FaaS) market is projected to expand at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.6% from USD 358.8 billion in 2024 to USD 806.9 billion by 2029. Digital transformation, regulatory changes, and the need for creative financial solutions are driving the FaaS market's expansion. Financial services that are formed, offered, and mobilized with a strong focus on customer security, data privacy, financial inclusion, and social ethics are being encouraged by the Fintech market. The market tends to focus on creating solutions while upholding strict rules of accountability, openness, and fairness that show that these financial services are not only accessible and advantageous for all, but also safe. Download PDF Brochure@ FaaS solutions enable organizations to access pre-built financial technology solutions that can be integrated into existing systems, enabling businesses to provide innovative financial services, reducing the cost of new in-house development technology and the investment needed for resources, which makes it cost-efficient financial services, making high-tech tools available without a high upfront cost. With FaaS, companies can focus on competition and innovation with their core operations, delivering cutting-edge financial services to their customers. Based on the type, Payments in the FaaS market accounts for the highest market size during the forecast period. Payments are expected to maintain the highest market share in the FaaS market for various reasons. Their ubiquitous nature, being important to daily transactions and serving a vast customer base involving individuals, businesses, and governments, and rapid technological advancements like digital wallets, biometric authentication, upgraded security on real-time payments, convenience, and efficiency play a crucial role in financial inclusion by providing services through mobile payments in the emerging market. It acts as a boon by providing solutions and services to a major segment of the population through digital platforms. It is enhancing the customer experience by integrating payment methods to various platforms such as e-commerce, ride-sharing, and digital commerce, driving the popularity of subscription-based models, and its regulatory evolution, such as open banking payments and Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2), creating strong authentication and open API's. By application, KYC Verification segment will grow at the highest CAGR during the forecasted period. The Know Your Customer (KYC) verification segment is growing faster than any other part of the fintech-as-a-service market. This growth comes from a few key factors. Companies need to follow stricter rules, like those against money laundering and funding terrorism, as well as laws about data privacy, such as GDPR and CCPA. More cases of identity theft and financial scams make it crucial to have accurate and reliable KYC to keep customers safe. KYC also helps make signing up new customers online smoother and quicker, improving their first experience and letting companies assess risk better. As the fintech world grows and technology improves, like fingerprint scans and smart computer analysis, the need for solid KYC checks increases. This builds customer trust and protects the good name of financial companies. By region, Asia Pacific will grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is forecasted to grow at the highest CAGR due to the rapid adoption of digitization, rising internet penetration, and widespread use of smartphones in countries like India, China, and Indonesia, which have a large customer base. These regions are one of the largest populations, which provides an opportunity for fintech companies for financial inclusion. The government's support and praise for fintech solutions is being heavily backed up, showing a positive future aspect of growth in the FaaS market. The region also attracts a large number of investment interests from various sources due to its population and growing demand for digital financial services, mostly among middle-class earning entities. The market is also a rising hub of digital platforms, which further enhances the strong entrepreneurial ecosystem and the fintech landscape. Request Sample Pages@ Unique Features in the Fintech as a Service Market The Fintech as a Service market is distinguished by its modular design, enabling businesses to adopt and scale individual financial functionalities such as payments, lending, KYC, or compliance independently. This flexibility allows startups and enterprises to integrate only what they need, reducing time-to-market and operational complexity. A key characteristic of FaaS is its API-first approach, which facilitates seamless integration with existing digital ecosystems. This interoperability enables banks, e-commerce platforms, and other non-financial companies to embed financial services directly into their platforms without overhauling legacy systems. FaaS enables broader access to financial tools for underserved markets. By offering cloud-based financial services at a lower cost and with minimal infrastructure, FaaS supports financial inclusion for SMEs, gig workers, and individuals in developing regions. Compliance-as-a-service is a unique layer within the FaaS landscape. Providers often offer built-in support for AML, KYC, PSD2, and GDPR regulations, making it easier for clients to operate across borders while minimizing regulatory risks. FaaS allows businesses to launch new financial products quickly by outsourcing complex backend operations such as fraud detection, transaction monitoring, and credit scoring. This agility fosters innovation and accelerates go-to-market strategies. Major Highlights of the Fintech as a Service Market The Fintech as a Service market is witnessing rapid expansion due to rising demand from both financial institutions and non-financial enterprises aiming to offer embedded financial solutions. Increased digital transformation initiatives and the need for cost-effective financial operations are key drivers fueling this growth globally. One of the most prominent trends is the surge in embedded finance, where retailers, marketplaces, and SaaS providers integrate FaaS solutions to offer services like BNPL, micro-lending, or digital wallets. This trend is transforming customer engagement and expanding revenue models across industries. Small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly adopting FaaS platforms to access sophisticated financial infrastructure without heavy capital investment. This democratization is enabling them to compete with larger players and innovate faster in financial service delivery. The market is marked by increasing strategic alliances among banks, fintech startups, and technology vendors. These collaborations are essential to co-develop robust FaaS ecosystems and deliver end-to-end solutions tailored to specific business needs. Inquire Before Buying@ Top Companies in the Fintech as a Service Market PayPal (US), Mastercard (US), Fiserv (US), Block (US), Rapyd (UK), Envestnet (US), Upstart (US), Solid Financial (US), FIS (US), Synctera (US), Stripe (US) , Adyen (Netherlands), Dwolla (US), Finastra (UK), Revolut (UK), Fispan (Canada), Nium (Singapore), Airwallex (Australia), Sofi Technologies Inc. (US), Margeta (US), Finx (US), Synapse (US). PayPal (US) PayPal (US) has a stronghold in FaaS due to its diversified offerings in payment management in the FaaS market. Paypal provides online secure payments, money transfers, and digital wallets, which are preferred by buyers and sellers. With the acquisitions of Honey Science Corporation and investments in MercadoLibre and Uber, PayPal has increased its strategic growth. These strategic partnerships, continuous investments in technologies, and adaptability to evolving market dynamics make the customer bases loyal, providing them with user-friendly services. Paypal's growth in the FaaS market is fueled as the result of its growing initiatives in fintech as a service market with advanced technology adoption to comprehensive payment solutions and its global reach of customers. Mastercard (US) Mastercard partnering with the top digital payment and neobank fintechs listed by CNBC. The company provides solutions, including Mastercard Smart Data. Mastercard's relationships with fintech companies are strategic in nature, as they can access its payment network and services. Leader in finance Mastercard allows API-first tech companies to provide more financial services efficiently. Mastercard uses technology to provide digital payments and loans to its customers. Leadership fueled by regular investments in new tech like blockchain, AI, and cloud computing and acquire companies like Baffin Bay Networks. Mastercard's global scale, supportive regulatory framework, and agility in responding to changing customer demands with frictionless, tailored financial solutions. The Mastercard For Fintechs Program equips fintechs with the tools, insights, and network necessary to build a safe and more resilient world. Fiserv (US) Fiserv (US) is a leading provider in the Fintech as a Service (FaaS) market, delivering innovative payment processing, digital banking, and financial technology solutions. Its platform empowers businesses to streamline transactions, enhance customer experiences, and leverage advanced analytics for financial decision-making. Block (US) Block (US), formerly Square, is a leading player in the Fintech as a Service (FaaS) market, providing innovative financial solutions such as payment processing, point-of-sale systems, and business management tools. Its ecosystem empowers businesses of all sizes to streamline transactions and enhance financial operations. Rapyd (UK) Rapyd (UK) is a leading player in the Fintech as a Service (FaaS) market, providing a global platform that integrates payments, banking, and financial services. Its solutions enable businesses to accept payments, disburse funds, and manage financial operations seamlessly across multiple
