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(RNS) — Earlier this month, the IRS announced it would not seek to remove the tax exemption of houses of worship that endorse political candidates, thereby making an apparent exception to the so-called Johnson Amendment, a 1954 provision of the tax code that bars nonprofit organizations from engaging in political activity. The announcement came in the form of a consent decree proposed to a federal court in Texas in a lawsuit challenging the Johnson Amendment on religious liberty grounds. There’s no reason to think that the court will reject it. Why shouldn’t pastors, in obedience to their religious values, be able to tell their congregation whom to vote for (or against) with tax-liability impunity? Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued a predictable denunciation and was in turn pooh-poohed by the National Catholic Reporter’s Michael Sean Winters as making much ado about nothing. Indeed, as the consent decree itself points out, the IRS has long made a practice of not enforcing the Johnson Amendment against houses of worship. To be sure, a law may be useful without having to be enforced. It cannot be doubted that clergy throughout the land have raised the threat of losing nonprofit status to silence calls for partisan pulpiteering. That they’ll no longer be able to do so may, as the Texas Monthly pointed out, serve to deepen political polarization in our religious life. Come what may, it’s important to recognize what the consent decree does and doesn’t do. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump seized upon the Johnson Amendment as a great evil and, in deference to the desires of a segment of his activist religious base, vowed to “totally destroy” it. Sure enough, during its mark-up of the 2017 tax-cut bill, the GOP-controlled House Ways and Means Committee exempted all nonprofits from the purview of the Johnson Amendment “solely because of the content of any statement” made in the “ordinary course of the organization’s regular and customary activities in carrying out its exempt purpose.” What this meant was that any nonprofit organization could support or oppose political candidates without losing its 501(c)(3) tax status, which allows individuals to make tax deductible contributions to nonprofits to support (or oppose) political candidates. The individual donors could even condition their support of a nonprofit on its support of (or opposition to) a particular candidate. Nonprofits do sometimes establish 501(c)(4) organizations to engage in such direct politicking, but any contributions to such organizations are not tax-deductible.  “No question it’s an end run about campaign finance reform,” the American Jewish Committee’s General Counsel Marc Stern told me at the time of the original Trump tax cut. “It will lead to all sorts of shenanigans.” Fortunately, the Senate refused to go along, and the Ways and Means Committee’s provision never made it into the final bill. The current consent decree limits a non-profit’s permissible political activity to “(b)ona fide communications internal to a house of worship, between the house of worship and its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith.” (Italics mine.) Far from totally destroying the Johnson Amendment, the decree would interpret it in a way that maintains the ban on a house of worship publicly endorsing or opposing a candidate.  In fact, it would permit the IRS to do exactly what it did the last (and just about only) time it penalized a house of worship for violating the Johnson Amendment. That was four days before the 1992 election, when a non-denominational church in New York State, the Church at Pierce Creek, took out full-page ads in the Washington Times and USA Today opposing Bill Clinton’s candidacy for president of the United States. The IRS proceeded to lift the church’s tax exemption, a decision upheld by federal district and appeals courts in Washington. If the IRS did likewise in a similar case, would the current Supreme Court follow suit and uphold its decision? That, notwithstanding the consent decree, must still be considered an open question. As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That’s why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!) But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That’s why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we’re a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS. Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher Donate today Read More

(RNS) — On our  podcast “Saved by the City,” launched back in 2021, my co-host Roxanne Stone and I had a lot to say about our evangelical Christian upbringings. We critiqued teachings we had heard growing up about purity and gender, and laughed about our teenage selves feeling compelled to prevent the goth kids in our youth group from going to hell. Our memories, and our process, which in evangelical circles is known as “deconstruction,” struck a chord. An early episode, “How We Survived the Great Evangelical Betrayal,” which was one of our most popular, covered the disorientation and sadness we felt on seeing much of the U.S. evangelical movement embrace a political leader who embodies the opposite of what we had been taught about Christianity. We interviewed popular former evangelicals who were deconstructing, some still within the faith, some beyond it. But after a season or two, Roxy and I realized we didn’t want to be another “deconstruction podcast.”  First, that’s a crowded market. According to a 2024 Barna survey, 2 in 5 American Christians say they have deconstructed, and to serve them there are deconstruction podcasts for every niche interest: politics, gender, race, theology, youth group culture and more. (Here are two lists of deconstruction or deconstruction-adjacent podcasts.) It sometimes seems as if for every media option tailored to mainstream evangelicals — about the Bible, marriage and family, leadership or an overt or covert social and political conservatism — five others examine or reject aspects of that world.  Beyond the gaze of the algorithm, deconstruction is a personal, often painful, process of re-examining elements of Christian teaching and upbringing. The process leads different people to different relationships with the faith. Some leave one church or denomination for another; some leave the institutional church altogether but still love Jesus and (although usually with a more complicated love) the Bible; and some move into a post-Christian spirituality.  In the past few years, though, deconstruction has become more than a personal process: it’s a brand. In a crowded digital media market, it’s a way for content creators to identify their niche and reach a growing audience. Look up the hashtags #deconstruction or #exvangelical, and you’ll get a feel for what I’m trying to describe. In 2020, in a highly popular episode of their video-recorded podcast, “Ear Biscuits,” Rhett and Link (Rhett MacLaughlin and Charles ‘Link’ Neal) shared their stories of leaving Christianity. This February, they shared a five-year update.  When I say “brand,” I don’t mean to say that people writing or talking about deconstruction haven’t genuinely done the work. Many of them have, at great cost. Nor am I saying that people working in this world are only or primarily in it for a platform boost and financial gain.  But I am saying that internet culture and consumer culture undeniably shape, and misshape, how religion and spirituality are practiced today. Just as evangelicalism has become a brand — a media matrix of books, podcasts, conferences and TikTok reels meant to be consumed to provide clear answers or shore up a consumer’s evangelical identity — so has much of the exvangelical world. Daniel Vaca, a religious historian at Brown, wrote a great book on this, called “Evangelicals Incorporated: Books and the Business of Religion in America,” that I found helpful for my own book on celebrity. “Evangelicalism exemplifies what I describe as ‘commercial religion,’” he writes. “Religion that takes shape through the ideas, activities, and strategies that typify commercial capitalism.” That is, one way we can understand evangelicalism is as a consumer marketplace. One way evangelicals practice faith is through buying, selling and consuming content tailored to their felt needs.  In this way, it seems to me that the deconstruction world is at risk of becoming like the very thing it’s rejecting. The content may be different, but in many cases, the form — easy, and easily shareable, answers from experts (some credentialed, others less so) — remain the same.  When genuine faith experiences are translated into the world of hashtags, search engine optimization and soundbites, it can cheapen the experience of deconstruction, or any spiritual pursuit. Writing starts to sound like marketing copy. And for those of us who care about good writing and thinking, we might start seeing ourselves rely on shorthands and easy answers — because they “work” to retain an audience in a crowded space. Let’s say a MAGA-fried (a term I just came up with) pastor somewhere outside Dallas posts a video saying something awful about immigrants or trans people, and the responses start coming in: The Bible doesn’t justify hate. Jesus identified with the powerless, not the power-hungry. If your faith causes you to hate your neighbor, you’re doing it wrong. Jesus was a Jewish socialist from Palestine. And so on. It’s not that these statements aren’t true (although the Jesus-was-basically-Bernie-Sanders one feels like a stretch to me), but their slogan-y form saps the statements of their power. This feels like years ago now, but the night in June when we learned that the U.S. military had deployed strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran and that the country may be going to war — a night of great uncertainty and fear for many — someone I follow on X shared a link to T-shirts and other wares that feature a slogan about peace. And while the slogan was true, and while the proceeds go to a peace-building organization and not to the creator, my first thought that night was, Too soon.  There should be moments, and experiences, that are off-limits to quickly produced Internet content. Yes, we do need people speaking truth to power and calling out unrighteousness in high places and pointing out the hypocrisy of religious leaders. We need people naming the ways that bad teaching has harmed precious image bearers and created a mockery of the Christian faith. We also need people who can be still and silent, who know when to speak and when to listen, who are working out their relationship

(RNS) — The executive committee and board of the largest teachers’ union in the country announced late last week that it would not cut its ties to the Anti-Defamation League, despite a resolution by its members to do so. The National Education Association assembly in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month passed a measure to bar its members from using, endorsing or publicizing any materials from the Anti-Defamation League, the antisemitism watchdog that offers K-12 schools a self-directed, student-led program on countering different forms of hate. The boycott vote from among more than 6,000 members of the teachers’ union came amid growing criticism of the ADL for its staunch pro-Israel advocacy at a time when the country is engaged in a prolonged and brutal war in the Gaza Strip that some groups are likening to a genocide of Palestinians. But the executive committee and board, which must approve boycott proposals, said Friday (July 18), that the NEA does not have any formal partnership with the ADL — schools decide on their own whether to use its curricula — so a boycott would have “constituted a forward-looking declaration.” It also made clear its decision was not a statement of support for the ADL. “Not adopting this proposal is in no way an endorsement of the ADL’s full body of work,” said NEA President Becky Pringle in a statement. “We are calling on the ADL to support the free speech and association rights of all students and educators.” RELATED: National teachers’ union votes to sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League The union vote faced backlash from Jewish establishment institutions. Some 400 Jewish organizations across the country, including the leadership of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements, condemned the boycott resolution. They quickly issued a statement welcoming the executive committee decision. “We welcome the NEA Executive Committee and Board of Directors’ decision to reject this misguided resolution that is rooted in exclusion and othering, and promoted for political reasons,” a joint statement from Jewish organizations said. The ADL has been accused of inflating its antisemitic incident statistics by counting anti-Israel speech in its reports and calling defenses of Palestinian rights “hate speech.” Some Jewish groups have also taken issue with the ADL’s position. J Street, the liberal American Jewish organization that seeks a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, opposed the teachers’ union vote to boycott the ADL while saying that “charges of antisemitism must not be wielded to quash legitimate criticism of Israeli policy.” And earlier this month, a group of Boston-based Jewish educators recommended that the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism reject draft findings for K-12 education in Massachusetts, in part because the draft relied on the ADL’s “unreliable data about antisemitism,” the group said.  The ADL partners with K-12 schools primarily through No Place for Hate, its self-directed, student-led program that allows students to survey their school’s climate, sign a petition and implement other activities to challenge bias and bullying. The ADL’s website says the program has reached more than 2,000 schools and 1.8 million students. Over the past two years, the ADL eliminated its signature anti-bias education program, A World of Difference. RELATED: The ADL quietly eliminated its anti-bias educational program As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That’s why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!) But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That’s why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we’re a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS. Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher Donate today Read More

(RNS and NPR) —  On any given Sunday, churchgoers settle into pews as a clergy person takes an ancient holy text and figures out what it has to say about our lives today. But how would worshippers feel if they found out that sermon was written by Artificial Intelligence?  While it’s hard to measure how widespread faith leaders’ use of the technology is, in an online survey of senior Protestant clergy by Barna Group last year, 12% described being comfortable using AI to write sermons, and 43% said they saw its merits in sermon preparation and research.  “It’s like a mini research paper you have to prepare every week,” said Naomi Sease Carriker, pastor at Messiah of the Mountains, a Lutheran church in Burnsville, North Carolina. “And some weeks … life is just a lot.”  Carriker said clergy tend to talk about AI in hushed tones. But recently, during one of those busy weeks, she opened up ChatGPT. She plugged in the Bible reading for the week, along with a few blog posts on the passages she particularly admired. Pastor Naomi Sease Carriker. (Photo courtesy Messiah of the Mountains) “And boom. Literally within not even 30 seconds, I had a 900-word sermon. And I read through it and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is really good,’” she recalled. But she also thought, this feels wrong. It’s an ethical question with which clergy across the country are wrestling. The goal of a sermon is to tell a story that can break open the hearts of people to a holy message. The question is whether it matters where that comes from. Some denominations have issued general guidelines urging thought and caution regarding AI, but they typically don’t give specific rules. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention advises to “develop, maintain, regulate, and use these technologies with the utmost care and discernment, upholding the unique nature of humanity.” The Vatican urges careful use of AI, “not only mitigating risks and preventing harm but also ensuring that its applications are used to promote human progress and the common good.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints probably comes the closest to addressing sermon writing, saying that AI content could be used with attribution.  However, clergy are often left to figure out the intricacies for themselves. While Carriker decided not to preach the AI sermon, she said she does use the technology to get her draft started or wrap up what she’s written with a nice conclusion.  “Why not, why can’t, and why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit work through AI?” Carriker asked. But some say there are reasons not to use AI for sermons. Brad East, who teaches theology at Abilene Christian University in West Texas, argued against it in an op-ed in Christianity Today entitled “AI Has No Place in the Pulpit.”  Brad East. (Photo by Lindsay Boone Photography) “ The church thinks in millennia — not in minutes, hours or days or weeks or years,” East said. “And if it turns out that all of our doomer worries are wrong, then we can start using these in two generations. I don’t need to be an early adopter before I know the full systemic implications.” Beth Singler, an anthropologist who studies religion and AI and assistant professor in digital religion(s) at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, said the full picture is nuanced. “ When you look at the history of all religions, they’ve always engaged with different forms of automation, different forms of technological advancement,” Singler said. “The printing press was put to work, first of all, for religious texts, in the European context.” East acknowledged that AI makes sermon-writing easier but said he doesn’t necessarily want all the struggles surrounding it to be relieved, because that’s part of the vocation. “To me, the drudgery is part of the point,” East said. “I do not want pastors preaching sermons out of Scripture who themselves do not read or study Scripture. I just don’t. It is missing the point of what we are trying to do there.” But some clergy point out using AI isn’t just about avoiding the grind or scholarship, instead arguing it can draw upon far more sources than any one human could access. It can also free up time for pastoral care, allowing clergy to prioritize providing counsel or sitting at a bedside of someone who’s dying. However, some argue sermons are part of those relationships. “Does AI know the stories of your people? Do they know about the miscarriage? Do they know about the divorce? Do they know about the abuse? How can an algorithm comprehend lived human experience?” Paul Hoffman, pastor of Evangelical Friends Church in Middletown, Rhode Island, and author of the book “AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep,” said in an interview.  Much of the debate involves grappling with the question of whether AI is being used as a replacement for a sacred human project or whether it’s a tool in the service of that project.  In addition to questions of religious ethics, there are other real problems with AI. It can be unreliable, fabricating entire biblical quotations. And many of the clergy RNS and NPR spoke with pointed to the huge environmental impact. It’s also hard to answer questions about what could be gained or lost by using AI because the technology is changing so quickly.  “But the core elements of what it means to be a human being have never changed,” said Rabbi Daniel Bogard, rabbi of Central Reform Synagogue in St. Louis. “It has always been about what does it mean to live only a handful of days? What does it mean to be in relationship with difficult human beings? And what does it mean to be a sibling or a child or a parent, and how do we navigate the messiness of life?” Bogard has been teaching other rabbis how to use AI, noting that he can “sit and argue with AI over a text and understand it differently and better than

Download Full Size Image“> “To Be”, a new book by Arleen Warnock, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. To Be is a guide for those seeking their true purpose in life. Arleen Warnock’s life experiences have helped her to broaden her outlook toward many of her aspirations. Her views and achievements are based on the lessons she has learned from books that are recommended within this writing. Their wisdom and insights are valuable in our journey to enlightenment and in learning To Be. About the Author Arleen Warnock was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She had two parents who were devoted to their three girls and to each other. Arleen has always found great enjoyment in caring for younger children and thought of pursuing a career in teaching. But first came marriage and children. Her plans changed when her father had a stroke. She and her sisters shared the role of caretaker for his many needs. This is when she became interested in working with special needs children. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan College of Human Services before working for the Helen Keller Services for the Blind for many years and then for the NYC Early Intervention Program. Arleen raised four children who are her pride and joy. She is now retired but keeps busy volunteering in her community and teaching Sunday School class for special needs children. Her spirit is at peace as she continues to learn to be. “To Be” is a 52-page paperback with a retail price of $12.00 (eBook $7.00). The ISBN is 979-8-88812-461-1. Published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy or author interview, please visit https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/pages/media-requests or to buy the book, visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/products/to-be Read More

Download Full Size Image“> “Fortunate Me”, a new book by Heather L. Gendall, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. The United States is overflowing with wonderful places to see and explore. Every summer during her childhood, Heather Gendall and her family camped in a tent throughout the US. In this book, she writes about their adventures, the beautiful places they visited, and the ups and downs of tent camping. She was very fortunate, as most people barely leave their home state. Gendall hopes that her adventures will inspire interest in nature, traveling, visiting new sights, and meeting new people. The US has so much to offer when you go off the beaten path and out of your comfort zone. About the Author Heather L. Gendall is an old soul. She enjoys knitting, DIY projects, woodworking, and many other types of creative projects. She has always enjoyed being outside. Nature is her sanctuary. The vacations she went on as a child made her who she is today. Gendall also enjoys history and environmental science. Every summer, she and her two sons go tent camping. They get excited for each vacation because they get to check off more states that they have visited. “Fortunate Me” is a 94-page paperback with a retail price of $29.00 (eBook $24.00). The ISBN is 979-8-89341-015-0. Published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy or author interview, please visit https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/pages/media-requests or to buy the book, visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/products/fortunate-me Read More

Intermountain Health Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, Colo. leader brings wealth of experience and passion for community hospitals Longtime healthcare leader, Noah Knisely, has been named president of Intermountain Health Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, Colo. Knisely has more than 15 years’ experience in healthcare leadership, including five years as a hospital president and CEO. “Noah brings with him a wealth of experience and passion for community hospitals,” said Scott Peek, Front Range Market President of Intermountain Health. “He is exceptionally well-prepared to lead Platte Valley Hospital into its next chapter.” Most recently, Knisely served as Regional Vice President for Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico, overseeing five community hospitals. His leadership has consistently driven a strong organizational culture, strategic growth, and a steadfast commitment to safe, high-quality patient care. He’s also known for building meaningful engagements with providers, staff, and community stakeholders. Before his time at Presbyterian, Knisely led hospital operations, strategy, business development, and provider services in Nebraska and Iowa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and later earned his MBA in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University. “I’m so grateful and excited to join the wonderful team at Platte Valley Hospital and to be a part of such an amazing organization with Intermountain Health,” said Knisely. “As I start, my focus during the first few months will be on getting to know the team and medical staff at Platte Valley Hospital, further understanding all the strengths we have as an organization and beginning to assess where I can help. My focus will always be on our people and supporting the amazing patient care they provide each and every day.” Outside of work, Knisely is a devoted family man. He and his wife, Michelle, have two children—Graham (11) and Reagan (9)—along with a dog and two cats. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, coaching youth sports, staying active, and cheering on his favorite teams. Knisely begins his new role at Platte Valley Hospital on July 21. Visit Intermountainhealth.org for more information about Platte Valley Hospital and its award-winning care across Adams and Weld counties. About Intermountain Health Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. Read More

CD Bioparticles View Our Newsroom Industry: Science CD Bioparticles launches its AAV Vector Design services to support gene therapy and delivery. New York, NY (PRUnderground) July 21st, 2025 CD Bioparticles, a leading manufacturer and supplier of numerous drug delivery products and services, has announced the launch of its enhanced, one-stop AAV Vector Design services to support researchers in accelerating advancements in gene therapy and delivery, including the design, construction, and cloning of custom Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) vectors, as well as professional virus packaging services. Adeno-associated virus vectors are the leading gene delivery platform for treating a wide range of human diseases. Recent advances in developing clinically desirable AAV capsids, optimizing genome designs, and harnessing revolutionary biotechnologies have greatly contributed to the field of gene therapy. Preclinical and clinical successes in AAV-mediated gene replacement, gene silencing, and gene editing have popularized AAV as an ideal therapeutic vector. In fact, two AAV-based therapies have received regulatory approval in Europe and the United States. Ongoing research into AAV biology and a greater understanding of associated therapeutic challenges and limitations will pave the way for future clinical success. CD Bioparticles now offers comprehensive, one-stop solutions for designing, constructing, and cloning custom AAV vectors, as well as specialized viral packaging services. The company’s experienced team of molecular biology and AAV specialists provides end-to-end support at every step, ensuring optimal transgene expression, efficient packaging, and precise in vivo targeting. Key Services Provided: Full Support on AAV Vector Design Design your gene of interest (GOI): Vectors will be designed based on the provided target gene and experimental requirements. CD Bioparticles can provide a wide range of vectors, including those for overexpression, CRISPR gene editing (sgRNA), shRNA, and miRNA. To ensure optimal knockdown or knockout efficiency, CD Bioparticles also offers sgRNA and shRNA selection and validation services. Cis Elements Selection: Assistance with selecting ITRs, Promoters, Enhancers, Introns, and PolyAs. Expression and Labeling Strategies: Options for small tags (HA, His, Flag), large fluorescent tags (EGFP, mCherry, TdTomato, Fluc, Rluc, Gluc, Cluc), and multiple gene expression strategies (multiple expression cassettes, IRES, T2A, P2A, fusion protein). AAV Serotype Selection: A wide range of AAV serotypes are offered, including common ones (AAV1, AAV2, AAV3B, AAV5, AAV6, AAV7, AAV8, AAV9, AAV11, AAV12, AAV13, AAV-DJ, AAVrh.10, AAVrh.74, AAV2-Retro) and engineered AAV capsids to provide distinct tropisms for various applications. Synthesis of DNA fragments Design of gene of interest (GOI) Synthesis of DNA fragments Amplification of requested sequences Molecular Cloning Cloning with standard cloning techniques, Gibson assembly or Gateway cloning. Multiple fragments can be assembled together simultaneously. Strict Quality Control Restriction enzyme digestion to identify correct clones. SmaI/AdhI digestion to confirm two intact ITRs. Sanger sequencing to verify inserts. Whole plasmid sequencing available upon request. Delivery The plasmid DNA (mini scale preparation) is delivered to the customer. Higher plasmid scales are available on request. Corresponding AAV vectors with any capsids can be produced within two weeks under the AAV Packaging Services. To learn more about solutions for AAV Vector Design, please visit https://www.cd-bioparticles.net/services/aav-vector-design-services.html. About CD Bioparticles CD Bioparticles specializes in manufacturing and supplying nanoparticles, microparticles, and coatings for diagnostics and research, alongside developing customized, biocompatible drug delivery systems. We offer diverse formulation technologies (from liposomes to polymer nanoparticles) and comprehensive services, including surface functionalization, antibody immobilization, and contract research for drug delivery. Read More

CD Bioparticles launches Beads Based Multiplex Assay services for preclinical and clinical research. With years of experience in the pharmaceutical and life science sectors, CD Bioparticles has announced the launch and expanded availability of its cutting-edge Beads Based Multiplex Assay services for researchers to simultaneously measure up to 500 analytes from a single sample, significantly enhancing the efficiency and precision of preclinical and clinical research. Measuring soluble cytokines and other analytes in serum and plasma is becoming increasingly important in studying and treating many diseases. Consequently, there is a growing need for the rapid, accurate, and cost-effective measurement of these analytes in clinical and research laboratories. Multiplex bead array assays use an automated 96-well plate format to quantify large numbers of analytes. Although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are the standard for the quantitative analysis of cytokines and other biomarkers, they are not suitable for high-throughput, multiplexed analysis. CD Bioparticles now offers researchers customized multiplex assays based on Luminex xMAP technology. The CD-Multiplex™ bead-based multiplex system can detect up to 500 analytes in a single sample, meeting the needs of preclinical and clinical research. The system allows scientists to use a smaller sample volume in a high-throughput format, making it easier and more efficient to obtain accurate results. The CD-Multiplex™ system uses magnetic beads modified with unique fluorophores of varying intensities. Individual magnetic beads are distinguished from others by unique numbering, and each group of beads is conjugated to a custom antibody that detects a specific analyte. Multiple color-coded, antibody-conjugated beads are added to a single well of a microtiter plate, enabling the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes in a sample. This CD-Multiplex™ assay undergoes stringent quality control and validation to ensure its reliability and specificity. CD Bioparticles’ multiplex cytokine assay solutions are widely used in various fields, including immunology, oncology and drug development. For example, they’re essential tools for oncology, which enables the detection of markers in tumor environments and the evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Additionally, they are used in toxicology to assess toxicity biomarkers during drug candidate evaluation. They also play a key role in vaccine development by profiling vaccine-induced immune responses. Furthermore, CD Bioparticles’ multiplex bead array assays facilitate translational studies by integrating in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo biomarker data. CD Bioparticles’ custom Luminex bead-based multiplex assay services support all phases of a research project, from panel design, bead conjugation, validation, testing to data delivery. For example, CD Bioparticles offers the Robust Cross-reactivity Validation service through careful optimization of each antibody-bead conjugate to ensure specificity. With flexible panel sizes ranging from two to 500 analytes, CD Bioparticles can support researchers whether they’re validating a few biomarkers or profiling an entire proteome. In addition, CD Bioparticles performs comprehensive quality control on every custom multiplex bead-based immunoassay to ensure sensitivity, specificity, dynamic range, and reproducibility. To learn more about CD Bioparticles’ custom Bead-Based Multiplex Assay services, please visit https://www.cd-bioparticles.com/s/Beads-Based-Multiplex-Assay_29.html. About CD Bioparticles CD Bioparticles specializes in manufacturing and supplying nanoparticles, microparticles, and coatings for diagnostics and research, alongside developing customized, biocompatible drug delivery systems. We offer diverse formulation technologies (from liposomes to polymer nanoparticles) and comprehensive services, including surface functionalization, antibody immobilization, and contract research for drug delivery. Read More

Superior Business Lending reports a surge in debt consolidation requests as businesses seek simpler financial management. Superior Business Lending has observed a sharp increase in debt consolidation requests in recent months. This signals a growing trend among small and mid-sized businesses seeking streamlined financial solutions in an increasingly complex economic landscape. As business owners face rising interest rates, shifting cash flow demands, and layered financing from multiple sources, many are choosing to simplify their capital stacks through debt consolidation refinancing. This move enables companies to replace multiple loans or lines of credit with a single, more manageable financial obligation. “Business owners are being pulled in several directions at once, from inflationary pressure to shifting demand cycles,” said Jeff Gerstner, Owner and Founder of Superior Business Lending. “Debt consolidation is giving them the breathing room and clarity they need to operate more efficiently.” One of the primary advantages clients are citing is the reduced complexity in financial reporting. Instead of juggling multiple lenders and the varying documentation and compliance requirements that come with them, consolidation allows businesses to work with a single private lender for business, making monthly or quarterly reporting significantly less time-consuming and error-prone. Superior Business Lending’s recent growth in this area underscores the importance of financial flexibility and simplification during uncertain economic periods. As the demand for smarter, more strategic financing grows, the company continues to position itself as a trusted resource for businesses navigating capital challenges. For more information about debt consolidation or financing solutions tailored to the needs of your business, visit www.SuperiorBusinessLending.com. About Superior Business Lending Superior Business Lending offers comprehensive financial services including debt restructuring, equipment leasing, unsecured business loans, commercial bridge loans, and more. They combine expert financial guidance with strong lender partnerships to deliver customized funding options efficiently and effectively. Read More