leukemia
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Samsung reaches final settlement with cancer-stricken employees
After 11 years of controversy, Samsung has apologized for creating an unsafe work environment that resulted in a number of former employees contracting leukemia and other cancers, according to the Associated Press. The company has vowed to compensate ill workers by 2028, per Reuters. The announcement comes weeks after Samsung reached a final settlement with Banolim, a group representing ex-Samsung workers and their families.
First FDA-approved genetic therapy fights leukemia
The first gene therapy treatment has been approved for use in the United States. The FDA greenlit a procedure that uses a patient's own cells to combat a particular type of leukemia, but will only permit it for children and young adults up to age 25.
Microsoft hopes AI will find better cancer treatments
Google isn't the only tech giant hoping that artificial intelligence can aid the fight against cancer. Microsoft has unveiled Project Hanover, an effort to use AI for both understanding and treating cancers. To begin with, the company is developing a system that would automatically process legions of biomedical papers, creating "genome-scale" databases that could predict which drug cocktails would be the most effective against a given cancer type. An ideal treatment wouldn't go unnoticed by doctors already swamped with work.
IBM's Watson AI saved a woman from leukemia
IBM's Watson has done everything from winning at Jeopardy to cooking exotic meals, but it appears to have accomplished its greatest feat yet: saving a life. University of Tokyo doctors report that the artificial intelligence diagnosed a 60-year-old woman's rare form of leukemia that had been incorrectly identified months earlier. The analytical machine took just 10 minutes to compare the patient's genetic changes with a database of 20 million cancer research papers, delivering an accurate diagnosis and leading to proper treatment that had proven elusive. Watson has also identified another rare form of leukemia in another patient, the university says.
Samsung lets inspectors into its factories following deaths
Samsung has agreed to allow inspectors into its plants as part of a deal with plant workers who contracted cancer and other workplace maladies. The company signed the document with two groups that represent ailing workers and their families. All three sides chose a labor law professor as ombudsman to head up and choose the inspection team, and checks will run for three years, with an option for three more. The company also agreed to disclose more info on chemicals it uses in its chip and display plants, and will open a clinic for workers.
Doctors treat drug-resistant leukemia with 'gene editing'
Doctors at Britain's Great Ormond Street Hospital believe that they're on the cusp of a breakthrough in how to treat genetic diseases. Researchers have successfully -- so far -- implemented a method of editing genes that can seek out and eliminate conditions without the use of drugs. It's very early days as yet, but the procedure has already been used to save the life of a one-year-old with a terminal case of drug-resistant leukemia.
Samsung agrees to compensation for employees that contracted cancer
After admitting that it didn't do enough to prevent illnesses and deaths of workers at its Korean semiconductor plants, Samsung has launched a new fund to put things right. Reuters reports that the company has set aside 100 billion won ($85.8 million) to compensate employees after it was revealed that hazardous working conditions had caused workers to contract leukemia and other incurable diseases.
Daily Roundup: a popular GoPro song, Tesla autopilot mode and more!
In today's edition of the Daily Roundup, find out why a certain song is used in so many GoPro videos, learn about Tesla's new "autopilot mode" and get the scoop on Stanford scientists modifying leukemia to eat itself. Get the details on these stories and more past the break.
Stanford scientists make leukemia 'grow up' and eat itself
A team at Stanford's School of Medicine has reportedly uncovered a potent new treatment method for combating one of leukemia's most aggressive forms -- and they did it pretty much by accident. While survival rates for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a particularly nasty form of white blood cell cancer, have risen to about 85 percent over the past decade thanks to the advent of stem cell therapies, the prognosis for this disease in the presence of a Philadelphia chromosome mutation remains quite poor. But thanks to a chance observation by Dr. Scott McClellan, the Stanford team believes it's figured out way to neutralize the disease using its own cancerous cells against it.
Samsung issues 'deep apology' over illnesses and deaths of factory workers
Samsung has admitted it didn't respond quickly enough to deal with illnesses and deaths of workers at its Korean semiconductor plants, Yonhap News reports. Following a string of recent accidents at its manufacturing facilities and an ongoing dispute over hazardous working conditions, which may have caused over fifty employees to contract leukemia and other incurable diseases, Samsung CEO Kwon Oh-hyun has gone on record to issue an official apology. "We should have settled the issue earlier," admitted Kwon. "We are deeply heartbroken that we failed to do so and express our deep apology." In a bid to put things right, Samsung says it will employ a third party to "make due compensation" to victims and their families. The company also intends to bring in a outside agency to conduct health and safety inspections of its chip plants to stop similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Samsung launches investigation of chip lines following cancer allegations
Here's an odd one. Samsung, which has been known to be on better-than-average terms with the South Korean government in the past, is launching independent investigations in response to reports that "toxic materials used in chip making may have caused cancer in some of its employees." In one of the more bizarre stories of the year, Samsung has recently come under fire from social and civic groups to actually look into the incidents, which were reported over a decade ago but were found to not be Sammy's fault by the aforesaid government. This week, the company admitted that 22 of its employees (who worked at a chip facility outside of Seoul) had been diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma, and 10 of them had perished. Cho Soo-in, president of Samsung's memory division, told the media that the firm is "deeply sorry about the loss of loved ones," and that it "actively cooperated on epidemiologic investigations, which concluded there were no leaks of radiation." We've got a feeling we know exactly what will be concluded here, but we'll certainly keep an ear to the ground for anything atypical.
Blizzard employee offering a lifetime pass to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Here's a cool way to donate some money to charity and have a chance at probably the best prize a WoW player could want. Katherine Allen (our own Michael Sacco, formerly known as "Belfaire," says she's a friend) is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and she's offering a contest with each donation: by giving at least $25 and putting an Alliance or Horde comment on the donation page, she'll enter everyone who does so in a drawing to win one of three one-year timecards for the game. And because donations have already topped $5500 (as of this writing, they're at $7,420), she's picking one more name out of the hat, to win a lifetime subscription. That's right -- donate, win, and you'll never have to pay for WoW again.Very nice -- not only is that an amazing prize, but it's awesome that because of the generosity of WoW fans, they've already met their fundraising goal for the society, and then some. Donations are being accepted until January 5th, so there's still time to get your name in the pot if you'd like. Even if you don't pick up a prize, you'll be helping to try and save the lives of 145 people a day, and while trouncing the Lich King is definitely a thrill, helping people in real life is even better.
