Latest news with #AXL
UPI
5 hours ago
- Health
- UPI
Science seek to tap amazing healing powers of the mouth's interior
1 of 2 | The amazing ability of the mouth's lining to quickly heal itself without scarring is likely due to a specific cellular action that could be applied to skin wounds sustained elsewhere on the body, according to a study released Wednesday. File Photo by Molly Riley/UPI | License Photo ST. PAUL, Minn., July 2 (UPI) -- The cellular action that enables the mouth's interior lining to heal quicky and without scarring has always been a mystery but a new study suggests it may be linked to a specific "signaling pathway." That new knowledge is raising hopes the mouth lining's healing powers could be applied to other skin wounds, which take far longer to heal and often leave permanent, unsightly scars, according to a preclinical study published Wednesday by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of California-San Francisco researchers. The study on mice provides evidence that the "Gas6/AXL" protein/enzyme signaling pathway is likely responsible for the mouth's amazing ability to heal itself completely from even deep bite wounds within a matter of days with no leftover scarring, the authors wrote in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Known as the oral mucosa, the mouth's interior lining heals fast and cleanly, even though it is continuously exposed to different types of microbes, abrasion from foods, motion and tension. This unique regenerative capacity is made possible by specialized gene programs activated during injury, but just how those mechanisms work has been unknown. In the study reported Wednesday, a research team led by Dr. Ophir Klein, executive vice dean of Children's Health at Cedars-Sinai and executive director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's in Los Angeles, found that by manipulating levels of the AXL enzyme they could affect how wounds healed. For instance, if they inhibited AXL in mice, the healing of oral mucosa wounds worsened, making them more like skin wounds. Conversely, when they stimulated AXL in facial skin wounds, they healed more efficiently and with reduced scarring, much like the oral mucosa. Boosting the levels of AXL suppresses the expression of another protein called Focal Adhesion Kinase, or FAK, which plays a significant role in scar formation during wound healing. Should future research validate the benefits for humans, the new knowledge could aid in developing new therapies to heal skin wounds with reduced scarring, Klein said. "We are actively thinking about harnessing AXL-driven repair in both the mouth and the skin, and perhaps in other tissues as well," he told UPI in emailed comments. "One application that comes to mind is to improve healing and reduce scarring in the skin for burn victims or those with other cutaneous disorders. "Another is that there are a number of diseases of the mouth, many of them autoimmune, in which severe oral ulcers form and heal poorly or not at all. These are different from canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, which many people get and which typically heal on their own; the more severe ulcers are difficult to treat and cause very significant illnesses, and we currently do not have good therapies for them." A related direction for research could focus on "obtaining a deeper understanding of the effects of AXL signaling on scarring and regeneration at a molecular level, in terms of other components of the signaling pathways," Klein added. "It will also be interesting to explore the role of this pathway in other tissues and organs, and in the context of distinct injuries and perturbations --for example, physical cuts vs heat burns vs irradiation versus chemical insults." Meanwhile, a pair of recent animal studies led by the University of Arizona in Tucson similarly have shown that the use of FAK inhibitors can make skin grafts look more like healthy skin and produce less scarring, raising hopes for a potential new treatment for survivors of blast wounds, burns and other major injuries. Kellen Chen, an assistant research professor in the university's Department of Surgery and lead author of those papers, said the current Cedars-Sinai study appears to add to a mounting list of evidence that "FAK acts as a central mediator of scarring in the oral mucosa gives additional credence to the importance of this factor." Chen was not involved with the new study. "A better understanding of how the oral mucosa heals without scarring through the FAK pathway will allow us to better develop therapies to target FAK for healing in the future," he told UPI. Chen said his team has the funding to pursue Food and Drug Administration approval for a FAK inhibitor, or FAKI, hydrogel therapy and expects to conduct human trials soon. The growing evidence that wound healing can be accelerated at the cellular level "could have strong clinical implications for the treatment of severe injuries for humans and animals, especially because there are zero FDA-approved treatments that reduce scar formation," he added. "Patients with severe injuries or burns can suffer a lifetime of pain and disfigurement from scarring. The potential to heal burn injuries with regeneration, rather than scarring, would dramatically change the lives of these patients."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How Well is Strattec's Business Model Insulated From Tariff Pressures?
One of the most favorable aspects of StrattecSecurity STRT is that more than 90% of its sales in the United States qualify for tariff-free or reduced-tariff rules. This shields Strattec, a focused automotive technology supplier, from additional expenses that other players might face if there is a rise in tariffs on imports, especially if the U.S. tightens trade rules again. Also, this gives the company a cost advantage and more stability. STRT confirmed on its latest earnings call that only 6% of its total sales are expected to be affected by the latest tariffs. This further justifies the solid business model of the company, which is less susceptible to major financial damage from tariffs. Notably, Strattec has already taken actions to deal with even that nominal proportion of its business that might get affected by tariffs. STRT is now changing the way products are shipped so that there is no need to cross borders more than necessary, thereby saving money. Also, to adjust pricing and find better sources for materials, the company is working with suppliers and customers. These actions have already helped Strattec reduce its additional costs by roughly 30%. Both American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. AXL and BorgWarner BWA operate in business lines that overlap as automotive technology suppliers. However, they each focus on different areas of vehicle systems. It's worth noting that while AXL is in a decent position when it comes to tariffs, it isn't as well-prepared as Strattec. About 90% of the products AXL manufactures in the United States follow USMCA trade rules, which help avoid most tariffs. BorgWarner, on the other hand, has made it clear that tariffs will hurt its profits this year, and it has included those costs in its full-year financial forecast. However, instead of finding ways to avoid or reduce these extra costs — like changing suppliers or shipping routes — BWA mainly plans to deal with the impact by passing the costs on to its customers. Shares of STRT have jumped 145.1% over the past year against the 0.6% decline of the composite stocks belonging to the industry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, STRT trades at a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) of 11.18x. This is below the broader industry average of 27.09x. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRT's fiscal 2025 earnings hasn't witnessed any revisions over the past seven days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research STRT stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BorgWarner Inc. (BWA) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AXL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
National Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
Article content TORONTO — Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Article content Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. Article content 'This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI,' said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. 'By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation.' Article content AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. Article content 'We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward,' said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice.' Article content Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in 'think tanks' to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. Article content 'With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one,' said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. 'Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation.' Article content Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. Article content 'The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab,' added Dr. Wigdor. 'Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law.' Article content To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. Article content About Dentons Article content Dentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Article content Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Article content About AXL Article content AXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL's mission is to ensure Canada's top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For Dentons media inquiries, contact: Article content Article content Magatte Diop Article content Article content Dentons Canada Article content Article content Article content Article content Rachael D'Amore Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. 'This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI,' said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. 'By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation.' AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. 'We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward,' said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice.' Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in 'think tanks' to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. 'With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one,' said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. 'Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation.' Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. 'The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab,' added Dr. Wigdor. 'Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law.' To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline, visit their website at About Dentons Dentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information, visit About AXL AXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL's mission is to ensure Canada's top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
TORONTO, June 25, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. "This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI," said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. "By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation." AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. "We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward," said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. "Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice." Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in "think tanks" to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. "With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one," said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. "Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation." Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. "The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab," added Dr. Wigdor. "Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law." To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline, visit their website at About DentonsDentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information, visit About AXLAXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL's mission is to ensure Canada's top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country. View source version on Contacts For Dentons media inquiries, contact: Magatte DiopDentons For AXL media inquiries, contact: Rachael D'AmoreCategory Communicationsrd@ Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
