News

Alexandria, Va. – September 21, 2026 -- The Water-AI NexusTM Center of Excellence marked its first anniversary by adding Veolia, WaterISAC, the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturer's Association, and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to its Advisory Council, bringing the total of 2026 additions to 20 organizations.

The Center was founded by the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Amazon, The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leading Utilities of the World to address competing pressures between AI infrastructure water demand and municipal utility resilience.

Providence, R.I. – September 21, 2026 -- Nabsys 2.0, LLC has published the first study combining CRISPR/Cas9 with its proprietary Electronic Genome Mapping (EGM) technology, demonstrating a method to both evaluate CRISPR/Cas9 activity and direct EGM to target specific genomic regions rather than only genome-wide analysis.

The preprint, titled 'CRISPR/Cas9 Optimization Using Electronic Genome Mapping: Potential Role for Studying Human Genetic Disease,' was led by John F. Thompson, Ph.D., Principal Application Scientist at Nabsys, and posted on bioRxiv.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – September 21, 2026 -- HEVO Inc. is contributing coil engineering and technical analysis to a bench-testing program run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and BMW to evaluate next-generation polyphase wireless vehicle charging technology.

HEVO supplies circular coil topologies for BMW's compatibility testing with ORNL's proprietary polyphase system

The New York-based Tier 1 supplier is applying its patented Rezonant wireless charging hardware expertise to help BMW assess how its circular coil designs interact with ORNL's polyphase coil architecture. HEVO holds a technology license from ORNL and is providing engineering support to the joint evaluation effort.

New York – September 21, 2026 -- Lazard, Inc. (NYSE: LAZ) has appointed Matt Spence as Head of Defense Technology and Emerging Technology within its Technology Group, based in San Francisco.

Spence brings a defense-tech banking franchise he built at Barclays

Spence most recently served as Managing Director and Global Head of Venture Capital Banking at Barclays, where he established and led the firm's defense-tech and dual-use technology investment banking practice. He will advise defense, security, and emerging technology companies on M&A transactions and financings at Lazard.

Career spans government, venture capital and banking

Before Barclays, Spence held senior roles at Guggenheim Partners and served as a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He spent seven years in senior U.S. national security positions, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy and on the White House National Security Council.

Doha – – September 21, 2026 -- Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a USD 20 billion strategic partnership spanning public and private markets in equities and credit.

QIA Allocates $15 Billion To Customized Global Equity Mandates

The larger of the two tracks is a USD 15 billion public equities mandate under which JPMAM will manage bespoke global equity portfolios for QIA, drawing on the firm's active equity capabilities, global investment platform and research infrastructure.

$5 Billion Private Credit Push Targets U.S. Middle-Market Firms

A second USD 5 billion initiative will see QIA and JPMAM jointly provide senior financing to established middle-market companies in the United States, with sector focus on industrials, services, healthcare and technology.

Tokoname, Japan – September 21, 2026 -- Tencent Esports Competition Solution (ECS) is providing end-to-end technical support across all 11 esports events at the 20th Asian Games, running September 22 to October 2 at Hall D of the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.

Esports Programme Spans Six Game Categories and Multiple Publishers

The 20th Asian Games features esports' largest programme in the event's history, with 11 events across six game categories requiring coordination across different game engines, version management systems and device formats. ECS was built to give referees, competition operations staff and monitoring teams a consistent technical framework across this fragmented environment, covering pre-match equipment checks, real-time match monitoring and post-match review.

Beijing – September 21, 2026 -- T-MAXIMUM Pharmaceutical reported that two of three evaluable patients with refractory brain metastases from lung cancer achieved partial responses with roughly 80% tumor shrinkage after treatment with its allogeneic B7-H3-targeted CAR-T therapy, MT027, according to early data presented at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2026) in Seoul.

Two of three evaluable patients hit 80% tumor shrinkage in dose-escalation trial

In the prospective, investigator-initiated trial (ChiCTR2500107346), five patients with heavily pretreated, guideline-exhausted brain metastases completed treatment. Of the three with measurable disease, two achieved partial responses and one achieved stable disease. As of the company's September 2026 follow-up, the two responders have survived more than 11 and 13 months, respectively, since their first MT027 dose, and all three evaluable patients remain alive.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – – September 21, 2026 -- VIO Med Spa has signed a three-unit development agreement to enter South Carolina for the first time, with the first Charleston-area location targeted to open in 2027. Site selection is currently underway.

Former CVS Health Executive Leads Local Development

Ted Loya, who spent more than 23 years at CVS Health in its pharmacy benefits business working with national employers, will spearhead the brand's build-out across the Charleston area. New to franchising and medical aesthetics, Loya cited VIO's established infrastructure, financial backing, and existing East Coast footprint in North Carolina and Georgia as deciding factors in bringing the brand to South Carolina.

Deal Extends Brand's East Coast Footprint

Ryan Rao, Chief Development Officer at VIO Med Spa, said the Charleston entry strengthens the company's presence in the Southeast and supports further expansion along the East Coast.

Las Vegas – September 21, 2026 -- IGT and Everi will present a combined portfolio of slot games, casino management systems and FinTech products at the 2026 Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, running Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, at booth 4455.

New titles debut on RISE32 and RISE55 cabinets

IGT will launch Lightning Rails and Split 'N' Win Link Boost on its RISE32 cabinet, both offering player-selectable denomination configurations. The RISE55 cabinet will host premium evolutions Money Gong Divine and Tiger and Dragon Power Sphere, alongside Piggz Link base games Frankenswine and Prince of Porkness, and Triple Coin Link themes Grand Buddha and Grand Cat.

Mesquite, Texas – September 21, 2026 -- Ernest Health has secured development sites in six North Carolina markets for freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, marking Phase 1 of a statewide expansion program. The company controls parcels in Winston-Salem, Mooresville, Gastonia, Hickory, South Asheville/Arden and Goldsboro through development partner Summit Healthcare Group.

Six sites move from announcement to construction-ready status

Summit Healthcare Group, a Winston-Salem-based healthcare real estate firm founded in 2008 with more than 750,000 square feet of ground-up healthcare delivery experience, now holds control of all six parcels. The sites span the Piedmont Triad, the Lake Norman and Gaston County submarkets of Charlotte, the Catawba Valley, Western North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina. Each location was chosen for proximity to acute care referral sources, transportation access and local older-adult population density.