Month: 2026-04

KARIYA, JAPAN, Apr 2, 2026 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - DENSO CORPORATION and FoodVentures announced that DENSO has acquired a partial equity stake in FoodVentures and made FoodVentures a consolidated subsidiary. Through this capital partnership, DENSO and FoodVentures will strengthen their collaboration to globally deploy the One-Stop Solution, which enables stable and predictable agricultural production through an integrated approach.In recent years, changes in social conditions—such as the progression of climate change, a declining farming population in some areas, and growing importance of food security—have accelerated efforts around the world to secure agricultural production and improve food self-sufficiency. As a result, new entrants into the agricultural sector are emerging, and there is a growing global demand to realize sustainably local-grown agricultural production.Since 2017, DENSO has positioned agriculture as a new pillar of its business and, in 2022, further strengthened this commitment by incorporating it into its articles of incorporation. Leveraging technologies developed through automotive component manufacturing—including production process design, sensing, and image processing—DENSO has been advancing environmental control and automation technologies for greenhouse horticulture.In addition, DENSO has been strengthening collaboration with partners that possesses expertise in greenhouses, seeds and seedlings, and cultivation technologies—key element for sustainable agricultural production. In 2023, DENSO welcomed Certhon, a provider of advanced horticultural greenhouses, into the DENSO Group. In 2025, DENSO also welcomed Axia, a developer and distributor of tomato seeds and seedlings, and entered into a joint development agreement with Delphy, a global cultivation consulting company.FoodVentures, newly joining the DENSO Group, has worked for more than 10 years to provide solutions that combine cultivation technologies with operational support, with a view to grow vegetables closer to its consumers. In recent years, FoodVentures has offered one-stop proposals to new entrants, covering everything from business planning to cultivation, farm operations, and crop sales, and has also provided services that undertake actual farm operations. FoodVentures has extensive expertise, and a proven track record built through supporting greenhouse horticulture operators in many countries across all climates.Going forward, through FoodVentures, the DENSO Group will offer integrated solutions of technology and know-how globally that maximize customer’s profitability. Through these efforts, DENSO will accelerate initiatives toward enabling stable and predictable agricultural production.DENSO CORPORATIONFood Value Chain Business UnitExecutive OfficerYasushi Mukai“In recent years, food growers have faced an increasing number of challenges, and agriculture is at a major turning point. By welcoming FoodVentures—which provides end-to-end support from business planning to cultivation, farm operations, and sales—into the DENSO Group, we have built a structure that enables us to deploy a One-Stop Solution globally that support the entire farming operation, beyond simply providing technology. Together with FoodVentures and our partners, we will work to realize the vision of providing safe, delicious, and environmentally friendly food anytime, anywhere, and for everyone.”FoodVentures B.V.CEODirk Aleven“After more than a decade of experience growing vegetables in greenhouses around the world, we see that projects are becoming larger and more complex. Exciting new opportunities are emerging, such as the use of residual heat from data centers and other co-location opportunities for greenhouses. These combinations enable safe, affordable, and fresh vegetable production close to consumers.”“We share DENSO CORPORATION’s ambition to offer a holistic solution to the horticultural industry by combining technology, data, and know-how. This new partnership creates an opportunity to unite technology, expertise, and scale to better meet the needs of our customers.”＜Overview of FoodVentures＞ 1. Company Name FoodVentures B.V. 2. Established 2010 3. Head Office Europa 1, 2672 ZX Naaldwijk, The Netherlands 4. CEO Dirk Aleven 5. Revenue €2.9 million (2024) 6. Number of Employees 22 Representatives of both companies shaking handsFrom left: FoodVentures CEO Dirk Aleven,DENSO CORPORATION Executive Officer (Food Value Chain Business Unit) Yasushi Mukai About DENSO CORPORATIONDENSO is a global automotive parts manufacturer that provides advanced automotive technologies, systems, and products. Leveraging the technologies it has cultivated through automotive component development as its core strengths, DENSO is expanding the scope of its value offerings into areas such as factory automation, food distribution, and agriculture. Among these, DENSO positions agriculture as an important business domain in order to help realize stable and predictable production, which is essential to people’s daily lives. Going forward, DENSO will further strengthen the technologies and know-how required for cultivation and will work toward realizing sustainable agricultural production by providing optimal support to greenhouse horticulture operators around the world. https://www.denso.com/global/en/About FoodVentures B.V.FoodVentures is a global operator of greenhouses. It works with developers and investors to develop the right-tech solutions to grow vegetables near to its consumers, in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. The operators of FoodVentures support businesses with boots on the ground, and with the support of the expertise center in the Netherlands. With FoodVentures growers and tools it has proven to grow vegetables profitably in all various climates world-wide. FoodVentures wants to accelerate the success of CEA globally by supporting investors and business owners with their greenhouse operational knowledge and experience. https://foodventures.eu/ Copyright 2026 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

TOKYO, Apr 2, 2026 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Japan Radio Co., Ltd. ("JRC"), SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation ("SKY Perfect JSAT"), and Sharp Corporation ("Sharp") will collaborate to develop and demonstrate a next-generation communications system in support of the Ministry of Defense (Japan) program titled "Development and Demonstration of Resilience-Enhancing Technologies for Multi-Orbit(1) Communications Systems", for which JRC was selected on February 4, 2026.This solicitation is intended to enhance the resilience(2) and reliability of communications infrastructure, in light of expanding communications demand in the disaster prevention and defense domains and the growing need to secure stable communications under a variety of circumstances, including natural disasters and unforeseen events. It aims to build a next-generation communications system that leverages a combination of GEO, MEO and LEO satellites(3), and to enable multi-orbit operation by establishing control technologies that allow seamless switching among satellite links—where satellite communications are currently operated through separate systems optimized for each orbit.During the project period through March 31, 2028, JRC will oversee overall project coordination, SKY Perfect JSAT will lead the development of a seamless communications network, and Sharp will primarily drive the development of a multi-orbit-capable satellite communications user terminal(4), as the three companies develop a communications system supporting multi-orbit operations across GEO, MEO and LEO satellites and validate improvements in communications network resilience.Through this demonstration, the three companies will strive to improve communications reliability under various conditions, including disasters and emergencies, and will contribute to maintaining critical social functions and ensuring safety and security.Outline of the Announcement Awarded to JRCOrdering PartyProject TitleProject DetailsImplementation PeriodThe successful bidder and cooperating companiesMinistry of DefenseDevelopment and Demonstration of Resiliency Technology for Multi-Orbit Communication Systems・Development and ground demonstration of a communication system compatible with multi-orbit and equipped with seamless switching functionality across communication links・Verification of the resiliency of communication infrastructure utilizing multi-orbit satellite communicationUntil March 31, 2028Japan Radio Co., Ltd.SKY Perfect JSAT CorporationSharp Corporation■ Company ProfilesCompany Name: Japan Radio Co., Ltd.Representative: Kaichiro Sakuma, Representative Director President and CEOHead Office: NAKANO CENTRAL PARK EAST,10-1, Nakano 4-chome, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-8570, JapanURL: https://www.jrc.co.jp/en/Company Name: SKY Perfect JSAT CorporationRepresentative: Eiichi Yonekura, Representative Director, President and CEOHead Office: Akasaka Intercity AIR, 1-8-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, JapanURL: https://en.skyperfectjsat.space/Company Name: Sharp CorporationRepresentative: Tetsuji Kawamura, President and Executive Officer, CEOHead Office: 2-1-25 Kyutaromachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 541-8522, JapanURL: https://global.sharp/(1) Multiple types of satellite orbits in which artificial satellites operate, such as geostationary, medium, and low Earth orbits.(2) The ability to maintain function and ensure stable use by providing alternative means or rapid recovery in the event of unexpected incidents.(3) Abbreviations for Geostationary Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit, and Low Earth Orbit.(4) A terminal integrating components such as a satellite communication antenna and modem functions. Copyright 2026 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Nanbu Relay CenterTOKYO, Apr 2, 2026 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has successfully completed the construction of the Nanbu Relay Center for the Ken'ou-Kennan Clean Authority (comprising the municipalities of Shimabara City, Isahaya City, Unzen City, and Minamishimabara City) in Nagasaki Prefecture. This project is part of the waste transfer facility development and operation contract awarded to MHIEC in 2024.The project involved establishing a new Nanbu Relay Center in Minamishimabara City and managing a total of three relay centers, including the existing Tobu and Seibu Relay Centers. This initiative supports the efficient and stable transportation of combustible waste generated throughout the member municipalities to the second-phase waste treatment facility, the Ken'ou-Kennan Clean Center, newly constructed in Isahaya City and scheduled to commence operations in April 2026.A relay center(Note1) serves as a critical hub where waste collected by refuse collection vehicles is compressed using compactors and transferred to large transport vehicles for delivery to incineration plants or final disposal sites. At the Nanbu Relay Center, approximately 43 tons of combustible waste per day are compressed and volume-reduced by using a compactor-container system before being transported to the Ken'ou-Kennan Clean Center.The total contract value for construction and operation of the facility amounts to approximately 11.375 billion yen (excluding tax). MHIEC, in joint venture with MHI Group's Jukan Operation Co., Ltd., has been entrusted with the 20-year operation and management of all three relay centers under a DBO(Note2) scheme.MHIEC took over the waste treatment plant business in 2008, acquiring MHI's technological development capabilities in environmental systems and broad-ranging expertise in the construction and operation of waste management facilities both in Japan and overseas. Based on this robust track record, MHIEC is well positioned to propose comprehensive solutions encompassing all aspects from plant construction to operation and maintenance. Beyond new facility development, MHIEC actively addresses after-sales services and DBO projects. Moving forward, the Company will continue to promote proposals aimed at energy conservation, advanced incinerator operations through AI and IoT-enabled remote monitoring and automated support, and lifecycle cost reduction, thereby expanding its footprint both domestically and internationally.(1) Relay centers are facilities where collected waste is compressed and transferred to larger transport vehicles for efficient delivery to incineration or disposal sites. For more details, please visit:https://www.mhi.com/jp/products/environment/wastes-transfer-facility.html(2) DBO stands for Design-Build-Operate. Under this scheme, public entities retain ownership of the facility while outsourcing its design, construction, and operation to private-sector partners.About MHI GroupMitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com Copyright 2026 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

HONG KONG, Apr 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Across the landscape of global biotech companies, the appointment of a senior executive often serves as a "barometer"—offering insights into a company's pipeline potential and reflecting how industry veterans gauge the sector’s future.A clear signal of the company’s growth arrived in February 2026, when HighTide Therapeutics (2511.HK) announced a high-profile executive appointment: Dr. Filip Surmont joined the company as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).For professionals in the cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic fields, this is a name that carries real weight. Over a career spanning three decades, Dr. Surmont has held senior medical leadership roles at multinational giants including Wyeth, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. Among his most notable contributions was his role in the global strategic development of the SGLT-2 inhibitor dapagliflozin — a landmark effort that required close collaboration across functions and geographies within a large multinational organization. As part of a talented cross-functional team, he helped shape the strategy that positioned dapagliflozin as a global metabolic blockbuster, ultimately reaching $8.405 billion USD in sales in 2025.Notably, just a few months earlier, HighTide Therapeutics' core product, HTD1801, had outperformed dapagliflozin across multiple key cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic endpoints in a head-to-head Phase III clinical trial for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).For Dr. Surmont, transitioning from managing a reigning "blockbuster" to joining a “challenger” Chinese biotech was far from coincidental. What drew him out of his comfort zone was not just HTD1801's strong glucose-lowering performance, but also the breakthrough potential this new molecular entity (NME) has shown in cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic (CKM) disease in general, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) more specifically — driven by a fundamentally differentiated pathophysiological mechanisms.I.Challenging Clinical Complacency in CKD: The Quest for True ReversalWithin the medical community, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has long been a source of frustration. Once the kidney function begins to decline, it typically deteriorates progressively and irreversibly over time, leaving most patients facing dialysis or kidney transplantation as an eventual outcome."There has long been a degree of complacency in CKD treatment among physicians, patients, and even caregivers," Dr. Surmont noted pointedly. "A mindset has taken hold that the progressive decline in renal function with age is inevitable. I’ve been striving to change this mindset throughout my career, both during my time at multinational pharmaceutical companies and now."Current standard treatments — including ACE inhibitors/ARBs and the widely used SGLT-2 inhibitors — have demonstrated efficacy in slowing disease progression, yet fall short of halting or reversing the underlying pathology. They can significantly reduce the rate of decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), buying patients valuable time, but fail to alter the terminal trajectory towards kidney failure.Further complicating the clinical picture is the multi-factorial nature of CKD. Taking diabetic kidney disease (DKD) caused by T2DM as an example, besides pathophysiological factors driven by metabolic dysfunction, it is complicated by interconnected and highly complex factors such as hemodynamic perturbances, chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and other non-diabetic factors that fuel each other to worsen disease prognosis.Existing standard-of-care drugs often address only one dimension of the disease by regulating hemodynamics or a single metabolic pathway, making it difficult to comprehensively address the inflammatory damage in the renal microenvironment.II.Inside the Mechanism: Remodeling Renal Architecture via a Dual Metabolic and Anti-inflammatory PathwayThe emergence of HTD1801 provides a new key to breaking this deadlock.As an oral anti-inflammatory and metabolic modulator (AIMM) independently developed by HighTide Therapeutics, HTD1801 demonstrates a unique therapeutic potential at the microscopic level as compared to traditional drugs. Rather than relying on a single mechanism, it takes a "two-pronged" approach by activating AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) and inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome.Dr. Surmont has full confidence in the scientific logic underpinning this mechanism: "This drug acts simultaneously on two critical levels: beyond blood sugar, it improves overall metabolic efficiency at its source; at the same time, it directly suppresses the underlying chronic inflammation that drives organ damage."Taking a deep dive into its mechanism of action, HTD1801's dual mechanism precisely targets multiple microstructures within the kidney. "This is reflected across different renal compartments," Dr. Surmont explained. "From the filtering glomeruli and the structural interstitium to the reabsorptive tubules, and even podocytes—the vital gatekeepers of the filtration barrier, the dual action of AMPK activation and NLRP3 inhibition has demonstrated stronger-than-expected protective benefits."This mechanistic rationale, spanning from metabolic regulation to organ-level protection, has ultimately been validated by clinical data.At the 2025 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Annual Meeting, HighTide Therapeutics presented as a late breaker Phase III clinical study data in T2DM patients with mild renal impairment. The results captured the industry's attention: compared with the placebo group, the HTD1801 group demonstrated a significant and sustainable difference in annualized eGFR slope of +9.81 ml/min/1.73 m²/year.In the eyes of nephrologists, a "positive slope" on the eGFR curve is a strong and unique signal, suggesting the possibility of early structural recovery."What we need to do next is confirm that this eGFR repair effect observed in DKD also holds true for CKD patients not driven by diabetes," Dr. Surmont revealed, indicating that relevant clinical studies are already underway, with more detailed data expected to validate this cross-etiology therapeutic potential.III.From "Rescue" to "Prevention": Advancing a Holistic Cardiorenal Metabolic (CKM) MindsetDr. Surmont brings to HighTide Therapeutics more than just clinical expertise; he brings a “game-changing” mentality that transcends a single-drug perspective.Another career-defining milestone for Dr. Surmont was his leadership role in helping reshape global asthma treatment guidelines. Historically, asthma management relied on short-acting bronchodilators for "rescue" only upon exacerbation of symptoms and shortness of breath. Dr. Surmont proposed and validated the "Anti-Inflammatory Reliever (AIR)" strategy a modern asthma management strategy that uses a combination inhaled corticosteroids and a bronchodilator as a reliever — treating both the acute bronchospasm and the underlying airway inflammation with every dose, in contrast to traditional short acting dilator-only relief. This shift ultimately benefited approximately 120 million patients worldwide and reshaped treatment paradigms.Now, facing CKD, he sees the same opportunity for a paradigm-shifting breakthrough.Given HTD1801's strong potential to repair mild renal impairment, future clinical guidelines could reasonably recommend initiating treatments early, when eGFR is still at a relatively high level. By establishing a positive trajectory for renal function recovery early in the disease, there is hope that most patients can completely avoid the looming threat of dialysis.From a health-economics perspective, this would reallocate healthcare spending: shifting funds away from costly late-stage interventions (such as dialysis and heart failure rescue) towards highly cost-effective early treatment, thereby generating substantial healthcare cost savings for society and reducing patients’ financial burden for late-stage interventions.Dr. Surmont also strongly advocates for a holistic management approach to "Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM)" health. As multifunctional drugs like HTD1801 continue to evolve, he believes physicians will move beyond the single-dimensional therapeutic mindset."My ideal scenario is that all physicians managing cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, hepatic, or even obesity issues would evaluate the patient with a holistic mindset," he says, pointing to the current siloed nature in clinical practice. " As an example eGFR monitoring is not always part of routine cardiological assessment, yet at the mechanistic level, cardiac and renal dysfunction are manifestations of the same underlying disease process — making an integrated view essential"He cited a successful experiment he led while promoting dapagliflozin in China: requiring cardiologists at partner hospitals to measure patients' eGFR during their consultations. By merely adding this simple cross-disciplinary action, the number of patients on guideline directed medical treatment tripled within six months.IV.A Buyer's Lens: The Booming BD Activity in CKD and HighTide Therapeutics’ Confidence in Value CreationAs a core member of the company's leadership team, Dr. Surmont also frequently examines HighTide Therapeutics' position through the lens of capital market and industry dynamics.Over the past two years, the global biopharmaceutical market has seen a surge in business development (BD) activity in the CKD field. In 2025, Roche announced a major collaboration with Zealand Pharma valued at up to $5.3 billion; multinational giants like Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Novo Nordisk have also been making significant investments to secure premium assets in the metabolic and renal disease space.Dr. Surmont, drawing on his extensive multinational experience, has a clear read on this "land grab" phenomenon: "The core driver is the massive profit potential and rapid growth in this field. Five years ago, the therapeutic arsenal here was relatively limited. Now, with breakthrough blockbusters like GLP-1RAs and SGLT-2i’s, the kidney disease landscape has been reshaped, yet there remains a residual risk is 60–80% of the original event burden.He further elaborated: "Even when patients are treated with four pillars of therapy (ACEi/ARBs, SGLT-2i’s, GLP-1RAs, MRAs), the complex underlying inflammatory mechanisms remain largely unaddressed, still leaving a significant gap in our ability to fully protect the kidney. This creates substantial pricing potential and broad combination therapy prospects for drugs with fundamentally new mechanisms like HTD1801.""Looking back at the history of SGLT-2 inhibitors, it took over a decade from approval to reaching 20%-25% guideline-directed clinical uptake. The slow progress was partly due to a lack of strong medical education and advocacy, and partly because of physicians and patients’ tendency to yield to the disease's natural trajectory."Now, having taken the helm as CMO of HighTide Therapeutics, Dr. Filip Surmont is poised to challenge the status quo and break this complacency with solid clinical data and a new medical narrative. For this drug—born from Chinese innovation with a global ambition—the voyage in the CKM field has only just begun. Copyright 2026 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com