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Month: January 2021

CSM signs finance deal with coral molecule maker

by: Cassandra Tanti
11/01/2021

The Monaco Scientific Centre has become the first public establishment in Monaco to take an interest in a private company, signing a financial agreement with local startup Coraliotech, which recreates coral molecules to be used in health products.
The finance deal was signed between the Monaco Scientific Centre (CSM) and Coraliotech on Monday 11th January. It is the culmination of a collaboration that began between the CSM and Dr. Rachid Benchaouir, Founder and CEO of Coraliotech, in 2014.
Dr. Benchaouir had been carrying out joint research with the Departments of Marine Biology and Medical Biology, studying genetic diseases and DNA sequencing of corals. He discovered a coral molecule that can be used in the development of pharmacological and cosmetic products, for both innovative and sustainable purposes. The molecule helps protect skin cells against ultraviolet radiation and particularly toxic chemical agents.
These properties have been patented and the CSM is co-owner.
Mr. Benchaouir created Coraliotech with the support of the CSM, and the Monegasque marine biotechnology startup has been part of the MonacoTech incubator since the end of 2017. Its objective is to produce, promote and market products of interest to human health from these marine organisms, which have been recreated in a laboratory using coral DNA.
“The entry of CSM into the capital of Coraliotech demonstrates that science and the development of new applications are closely linked and makes it possible to capitalise on the benefits of this joint patent through the marketing of patented products or operating licenses,” said the government in a press statement. “With this signature… the CSM becomes the first Monegasque public establishment to enter the capital of a private company.”
 
Photo of Dr R. Benchaouir and Pr P. Rampal signing the financial agreement, by Michaël Alesi/Government Communication Department
 
 

Newly-approved Moderna jab arriving in Nice

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/01/2021

Olivier Veran, France’s Minister of Health, announced on Sunday that the newly approved US-made Moderna vaccine will be available to the country’s hardest hit regions this week, including Nice.

Some good news for France as the vaccine created by US-based Moderna out of Cambridge, Massachusetts hits the streets, giving an additional 50,000 doses to the current arsenal and targeting the areas most affected by the virus. Hard-hit Nice is amongst the cities who will get the new shot, with vaccination centres receiving the doses by Wednesday.

The Minister has also said that by July, there will be nearly eight million of the Moderna shots available.

This is welcome news as the government had been sharply criticised for a slow start to its vaccination programme. As of the end of this weekend, 100,000 people will have received a jab in France, compared to over half a million in Germany. The UK has ramped up its campaign and is saying they will be giving 200,000 shots per day adding to the more than one million already inoculated.

The French medical community is lobbying hard to speed up the programme, though that may not be enough to get the population mobilised. Young people and vaccine sceptics are making noises that they will refuse the jab, meaning roughly less than 40% of French people will willingly take it. This distrust of vaccines runs deep and is an extension of the French tendency to distrust authority in general, especially in its handling of the Covid crisis thus far.

The Moderna vaccine, which was developed in collaboration with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is similar to the other inoculation currently approved by the EU from Pfizer-BioNTech, in that it uses the RNA of the virus to create immunity.

Both consist of RNA molecules encased in lipid nanoparticles. The RNA encodes a modified version of the SARS-CoV-2 protein known as a spike, which allows the virus to infect human cells. The cells then use this RNA to make a protein that prompts an immune response. The Moderna version has a slight advantage in that it can be stored at -20ºC, virtually balmy compared to that of the BioNTech one which must be kept at a frosty -70ºC. This means it can be kept in a normal freezer for up to six months and can be stored in a regular fridge at 4ºC for a month, making it far easier to transport and distribute. Both also require two doses for maximum effect.  

In clinical trials, the jab was 94% effective and saw the same basic side effects as the BioNTech one. These include mild pain at the injection site, headache and fatigue.

 
 

Coach Kovac: “Our best match since the start of the season”

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/01/2021

The Red and Whites secured a huge 3 to 0 victory over SCO Angers on Saturday, catapulting them into a solid fourth place in the Ligue 1 standings and putting a rare smile on Coach Niko Kovac’s face.
For the 19th matchday of Ligue 1 and the first game of the New Year played at home at Stade Louis II, AS Monaco performed like a dream team, crushing Angers 3 to 0.
In a match where they dominated from the get-go, Coach Kovac changed up his defense slightly, notably with the return of Benjamin Lecomte as goalkeeper and putting Djibril Sidibé in the right back spot. Otherwise, he chose a “classic six” for the front, a strategy that worked well for the team.
Though the points don’t show it, the Red and Whites were the ones who had primary possession of the ball in the first half. It took until the end of the first half to see the opening goal, when Chilean defender Guillermo Maripán made a close range shot that eeked past Anger’s goalie Paul Bernardoni at the 40 minute mark.
After the break, and well past the hour mark, there was a bit of excitement when Angers’ Ismaël Traoré made a shot to the corner which was brilliantly stopped by Lecomte. Minutes later, Monaco fought back with a Kevin Volland goal, his ninth this season, making the score a cool 2 to 0.
Finally, it was Stevan Jovetić, freshly on the pitch replacing Wissam Ben Yedder, who made the third and final goal, beautifully assisted by Volland.
“It was our best match of the season, it’s arguably the most complete overall,” Coach Kovac said after the game. “It was a great game. We did some good things in transition, in our pressing. We were very well organised and structured. We had possession of the ball. We deserve the victory, so yes I’m very happy.”
The coach, delighted with the result, knows that they can’t rest on their laurels, though. “We have to keep grabbing the top spots, but it’s not an easy thing,” he went on to say. “We are on the right track. If we play the next matches 100% like tonight, we can claim the first five places. We are happy with the victory, but it’s only half-way through the season. My players can still improve, thanks to work.”
Fans can see that hard work in action when Monaco faces Montpellier at an away game on Friday 15thJanuary for the first match or the season’s second half.
 
Written by Stephanie Horsman with a press release from AS Monaco
 
 

Roca Team knocked out of Coupe de France

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/01/2021

The Roca team’s Coupe de France hopes were shattered on Saturday with their 76 to 83 loss against Orleans Loiret at the Palais du Sport in Orleans.   

AS Monaco Basketball had a disappointing night, losing out to Orleans and sending their opponent onto the Coupe de France quarter-finals.

The night started out poorly, with the Roca team boys losing Yohan Choupas to injury only three minutes into the game. This was quickly followed by a time-out from Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, as the team trailed a nearly unprecedented 4 to 12.

Things didn’t get much better from there. Mathias Lessort was handed a penalty and Orleans’s Paris Lee was seemingly unstoppable, scoring a last second three-pointer adding to his astounding 26-point total on the night, to end the first quarter trailing a dismal 14 to 25.

By halftime, they had clawed their way back somewhat, scoring 14 points compared to the opponents two, bringing them within spitting distance at 36 to 40.

After the break, it was a more even match, but only at one point did ASM take the lead by a narrow one point, though they couldn’t hold onto it.

Even though they may have had a not-so-great ending, the Roca team made 28 out of 60 shots on the night, with 5 for 19 in the three point range. They took 32 rebounds, had 16 assists and made 10 steals.

Rob Gray had 18 points on the night, Damien Inglis had 14 and Marcos Knight and Dee Bost each had 10.

Despite the decent numbers, it simply wasn’t enough. The team aren’t completely out of playoff running, though. They are still contenders for the Euro Cup 7, and will be facing Nanterre on Wednesday night for their shot at redemption.

 
 

Bella’s guide to seasonal bargain shopping

by: Isabella Marino
11/01/2021

The end-of-season sales is definitely my favourite time of the year. I love shopping for beautiful designer items, but I consider myself a real bargain shopper.
After finding the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone else, it is time to put yourself first.
If you love shopping as much as I do, you don’t have to cut shopping out of your life. The trick is to buy smart, timeless pieces with great quality instead of wasting money on useless items during the year. It is all about timing and spotting ‘the pearl’.
The ecosystem is also a very important factor for the fashion industry. Sustainability has recently become a significant new driver in consumers’ purchasing decisions. A drop in demand caused by travel restrictions across the world, store closures and national lockdowns have led to excess inventory. Destroying unsold stock is a widely used but rarely discussed technique that luxury companies perform to maintain the scarcity of their goods and the exclusivity of their brand image. But incineration has some very negative consequences. Burning clothes releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which exacerbates global warming. Incineration of clothes made from synthetic fibres may also release plastic microfibers into the atmosphere.
But after receiving a lot of media criticism, some brands have stopped the practice and are now selling part of the unsold inventory in outlets or discounted in stores during the official sales period.
Most of my favourite brands are offering sales on autumn/winter merchandise and I have selected for you a mix of the best designer items which are on sale right now, as well as high street bargains.
Sales items on display can look messy sometimes, so I have found some amazing pieces for you. But hurry up, they’re selling out fast!
And remember, just because it is marked down doesn’t mean you’re getting a bargain. You need to be aware of what the item usually costs, and buying something that you don’t really need is never a bargain, no matter how discounted the price is.

 

 



 
Instagram: _bella_marino_
 

Critical situation as Monaco faces a “rebound of the epidemic”

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/01/2021

The curfew has been brought forward to 7pm and restaurants will no longer be able to open in the evening, in a new round of restrictions designed to pull the Principality back from a record high in Covid cases.
The number of daily coronavirus infections has increased significantly in the Principality, peaking recently at 40. This has led to an increase in the incidence rate which now stands at 410 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The positivity rate (number of positive cases compared to the number of people tested) is now 7.44% compared to 3.5% previously.
As a result, the number of patients hospitalised in Monaco reached a new high of 19 on Saturday, while there are currently nine critical patients in intensive care – the maximum seen since the pandemic began. On the night of 6th January, an 82-year-old resident with Covid-19 died, becoming the Principality’s fifth victim.
Meanwhile, 117 people are being home monitored.
Faced with these figures, the government confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Monaco is facing a “rebound in the epidemic”.
After discussions with the National Council, the government has decided to bring the curfew forward one hour to 7pm. That means all shops, restaurants, casinos and cultural institutions must close their doors by this time and residents should have returned to their homes.
Only the usual exemptions will remain – travel related to professional activity, education or training, for medical reasons, for pressing family reasons, to assist vulnerable people or childcare, or brief outings for pets.
This order will come into force on Monday 11th January and last until Wednesday 27th January.
 
Photo by Monaco Life