Temu, an e-commerce app owned by PDD Holdings, has seen rapid growth in the US and globally, offering deep discounts and heavy advertising to compete with Shein and Amazon. Despite its success, Temu faces significant financial losses, with a projected net loss of 23 billion renminbi for 2023. The company is also dealing with logistical challenges, such as warehouse capacity issues. Temu's aggressive expansion and spending have raised concerns about its long-term profitability. The company is also navigating legal disputes with Shein and addressing potential data security and forced labor criticisms from US government bodies. As the holiday season approaches, Temu is preparing for intense competition, particularly with the entry of TikTok shop into the US market.

Chinese venture capitalists, once living a lavish lifestyle in Silicon Valley, are facing a new reality as the US-China relationship deteriorates. The late 2010s saw a surge in Chinese investment in US startups, facilitated by state-linked funds and a welcoming environment. However, the Trump administration's tariffs, investment restrictions, and the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 marked the beginning of a shift. The pandemic and further regulations under the Biden administration have led to a significant drop in Chinese VC investment in the US. Academic collaborations have also been scrutinized, and Chinese tech companies are facing delisting or postponing US market plans. Despite these challenges, some Chinese investors continue to seek opportunities in the US, albeit with a different focus, such as transferring money out of China due to fears of government crackdowns.

The study investigates the elicitation of HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies in humans, analyzing B cells from a phase I clinical trial of the 'DS-SOSIP'-stabilized envelope trimer from strain BG505. Two antibodies, N751-2C06.01 and N751-2C09.01, were identified that neutralize the autologous tier-2 strain, BG505. Derived from distinct lineages, these antibodies target the HIV-1 fusion peptide and are highly strain specific due to partial recognition of a BG505-specific glycan hole and binding requirements for BG505-specific residues. The prefusion-stabilized envelope trimers can elicit autologous tier-2 neutralizing antibodies in humans, with the initially identified neutralizing antibodies recognizing the fusion-peptide site of vulnerability.