SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yuyu Bio and Mervyn’s Petcare, pet-focused subsidiaries of Yuyu Pharma, have opened a new office on the UCLA campus, strengthening the company’s presence in the United States pet and animal health market.

The two companies are now based at Magnify, the startup incubator housed within the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. Magnify provides office space, meeting facilities, and access to a dynamic innovation ecosystem. The new office will serve as Yuyu Pharma’s North American base for pet-related ventures, enabling closer collaboration with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders.

Yuyu Pharma has identified animal health and pet care as a next-generation growth engine and is advancing this strategy through Yuyu Venture Studio (YVS), its investment and venture-building platform that operates independently from the company’s core pharmaceutical business. Through YVS, Yuyu Pharma incubates and invests in emerging companies focused on veterinary biologics, pet nutrition, and animal wellness.

At UCLA, Yuyu Venture Studio has spun off two subsidiaries. Yuyu Bio is a biotechnology company developing feline-specific biologics for chronic and underserved conditions, while Mervyn’s Petcare is a cat-only health supplement company focused on science-backed wellness products. In addition to these UCLA-based companies, Yuyu Venture Studio has made strategic investments across the animal health ecosystem, including VETmAb Biosciences in canine biologics, Dalan Animal Health in shrimp vaccines for sustainable aquaculture, DOG PPL, a community and wellness platform centered around dog parks.

“The animal health sector is emerging as a major global growth area, driven by advances in biopharmaceutical science and rising demand for high-quality companion animal care,” said Robert Wonsang Yu, CEO of Yuyu Pharma. “Through Yuyu Venture Studio, we are building a diversified portfolio of animal health businesses while maintaining strategic independence from our core pharmaceutical operations. Establishing a presence at UCLA allows us to accelerate innovation and scale globally.”

About Yuyu Pharma

Founded in 1941, Yuyu Pharma is a Korea-based healthcare company focused on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health supplements that improve quality of life. As part of its global growth strategy, the company invests in early-stage and high-growth innovators across biotechnology, sustainability, and animal health through Yuyu Venture Studio.

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SINGAPORE, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kerry, a global leader in taste and nutrition, today unveiled its 2026 Global Taste Charts, providing the food and beverage industry with its most comprehensive and forward‑looking view of flavour evolution. Built on research from more than 1,200 scientists, 100 flavourists and extensive consumer studies across regions, the Charts offer manufacturers a data‑driven roadmap for fast‑moving flavour trends.

This year’s edition expands from six to eight categories: Refreshing Beverages; Alcohol & Alcohol‑Inspired Drinks; Tea, Coffee & Cocoa; Savoury Snacks; Sweet; Soups & Dressings; Meat & Meals; and Supplements, capturing the growing interplay between indulgence and wellness, global inspiration and local identity.

Flavour Trends Across Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA)

The Rise of “Swicy”
Sweet‑and‑spicy combinations are surging, especially among Gen Z. Southeast Asia sees spicy fruit drinks and chilli‑laced confectionery, while South Africa showcases sweet‑chilli sauces, hot honey snacks and spicy tomato crisps.

Nuanced Heat & Global‑Local Blends
Greater Africa embraces paprika‑driven blends in snacks, sauces and grilled meats. In Australia and New Zealand, fajita spice is emerging as a fast‑growing favourite in meal kits, marinated meats and savoury snacks.

Fruit‑Forward Refreshment:
Watermelon continues leading beverage innovation across Southeast Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, mandarin is the fastest‑growing citrus flavour in Australia and New Zealand, expanding into alcoholic, alcohol‑inspired, tea and coffee formats.

Tradition Reworked
Traditional flavours are being reimagined in modern applications, from nasi uduk cheesecake and avocado brownie ice cream in Southeast Asia, to date mustard, za’atar ice cream and camel milk pistachio iced coffee in the Middle East.

Micro Moments of Indulgence
Bite‑sized, convenient treats are growing across the Middle East and South Africa, from chilli‑lemon snacks and energy balls to mini puddings and ready‑to‑cook proteins.

Healing & Functional Flavours
China continues blending Eastern and Western wellness traditions, incorporating turmeric, astragalus, aged tangerine peel, spirulina and açai into beverages, dairy and snacks.

Maximalist & Botanical Profiles:
Rich, extra‑strong milk teas, intensified matcha and cocoa, and decadent chocolate‑forward launches are rising in China and the Middle East, alongside botanicals such as orange blossom, hibiscus, rooibos and elderflower in South Africa and Asia Pacific.

Turning Insight into Action

The 2026 Taste Charts are supported by KerryNow™, Kerry’s end‑to‑end digital platform that allows customers to instantly order samples, explore the flavour portfolio and receive application and regulatory support, empowering faster innovation from concept to launch.

“The 2026 Taste Charts reflect how consumers are eating and drinking today, seeking contrast, comfort, depth and meaning in flavour,” said Leigh Anne Vaughan, Vice President of Product Technologies, Kerry. “It brings together sensory science, cultural understanding and real consumption data to show where flavours are gaining momentum and how they’re being expressed locally. By connecting these insights with practical application support and rapid sampling through KerryNow™, we’re helping our customers move more confidently from idea to product and keep pace with how quickly tastes are changing.”

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MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rhythm Biosciences Ltd (‘RHY‘, the ‘Company‘ or the ‘Group‘) (ASX: RHY), a transformative, predictive cancer diagnostics technology company is pleased to announce the commercial launch of its updated geneType^TM Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Risk Assessment clinical test (“geneType^TM CRC”), a significant advancement in personalised cancer risk prediction. The updated test incorporates additional clinical and lifestyle risk factors alongside the established 140-SNP polygenic risk score (PRS), delivering improved predictive accuracy across both genders and a wider age range.

The enhanced test is designed to support earlier identification of individuals at elevated risk of colorectal cancer, enabling more targeted screening pathways and complementing Rhythm’s ColoSTAT® blood-based CRC detection test.

Validation data for the updated model has been recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE (Dite GS, et al. 2025), demonstrating improved predictive performance compared to traditional approaches.

Evidence suggests that approximately 50% of colorectal cancer cases could be prevented through healthy lifestyle modifications. By incorporating lifestyle risk factors known to contribute to disease risk, the enhanced geneType^TM CRC test aims to identify a broader cohort of at-risk individuals who may benefit from earlier intervention and monitoring.

Key Clinical Applications

The enhanced geneType^TM CRC Risk Assessment test has several important use-cases for this innovative new clinical test:

1. Improved risk stratification across both genders, with particular benefits for identifying higher-risk women.
2. Identification of younger adults at risk of early-onset colorectal cancer, supporting earlier screening interventions.
3. Potential to encourage greater participation in bowel cancer screening programs by providing personalised risk insights.

In Australia, compliance with recommended bowel cancer screening programs remains below 50%. Individuals classified as higher risk using the geneType^TM CRC test may be candidates for closer clinical monitoring through colonoscopy, FIT testing, or Rhythm’s blood-based CRC detection test, ColoSTAT®. “The enhanced geneType^TM CRC test strengthens our ability to identify individuals at elevated risk earlier, supporting more targeted screening and complementing ColoSTAT’s® role in colorectal cancer detection.” said Dr Erika Spaeth, Director of Clinical Affairs at Rhythm.

About Rhythm Biosciences

Rhythm Biosciences Ltd (ASX: RHY) is an Australian innovative, medical diagnostics company aimed at delivering simple, affordable blood tests for accurate and early detection of cancers. Rhythm is focused on improving patient outcomes through detection at the earliest possible stage, reducing the global burden of cancer, and saving lives. Rhythm Biosciences is committed to working with likeminded global partners to achieve commercialisation and distribution of these simple solutions. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit rhythmbio.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and X.

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MUMBAI, India and DALLAS, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), a leading global provider of business management services and an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, today announced the acquisition of TeleMedik, a Puerto Rico based pioneer in the development and implementation of technological solutions. The acquisition significantly strengthens Firstsource’s end-to-end clinical and utilization management capabilities, expands its footprint across payer-provider networks, and further enriches the company’s fully integrated and differentiated Business Process as a Service (BPaaS++) offering for health plan clients.

As health plans face higher utilization rates and rising financial burdens, the need for cost containment solutions is greater than ever. This, combined with the shift to value-based models requiring more personalized and outcome-focused care, has created a pivotal turning point where health plans are seeking digital solutions to advance capabilities across care coordination, member engagement, and data integration while retaining operational efficiencies.

By integrating digital and generative AI capabilities with clinical operations and utilization management into a unified service model, Firstsource has become a key partner for health plans looking to modernize the full medical management lifecycle—from intake and authorization through care coordination, clinical intervention, and ongoing member engagement without significant in-house investment. The acquisition combines Firstsource’s market-leading AI and automation capabilities with TeleMedik’s operational footprint in Puerto Rico and around the U.S. to help more payers improve quality, reduce administrative costs, and enhance member and provider experiences.

Dr. Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman of RPSG Group and Firstsource, said, “Firstsource remains committed to driving innovation and disruption in the healthcare space with intelligent automation and emerging technologies. Our company has built a significant presence in the U.S. healthcare space as well as an unmatched digital offering, and this strategic acquisition further elevates our capabilities and amplifies our reach across the industry. We welcome TeleMedik to the Firstsource team and look forward to collaborating on achieving greater improvements and efficiencies for payers, providers, and members alike.”

Dr. Joaquín Fernández-Quintero, President & CEO, TeleMedik Group, said, “As an organization with a digital-first mentality, we have worked hard to bring the latest innovations to our members and providers in Puerto Rico and around the U.S. We look forward to joining the Firstsource family and leveraging the company’s global reach, deep technology investments, and expanded delivery capabilities so that together we can best serve our health plan clients and the greater healthcare industry.”

This acquisition will further strengthen Firstsource’s offerings for health plans by:

• Deepening its access to the U.S. payer-provider ecosystem by adding strong relationships and operational presence, especially in Puerto Rico, providing a differentiated delivery and clinical services platform ideally suited to support the rapid growth of Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and dual-eligible populations, including Spanish-speaking and underserved communities.
• Reducing operational risk and ensuring continuity while enabling Firstsource to deliver more enhanced capabilities in Utilization Management (UM), Care Management (CM), Disease Management (DM), and Population Health.
• Driving significant improvements in core administration and UM efficiency with combined technology stacks to enhance speed-to-proficiency for new operations, improve quality, and reduce costs for clients.

The acquisition of TeleMedik significantly enhances Firstsource’s clinical and utilization management capabilities across the full medical management lifecycle. Together, the combined organization will support health plans with integrated clinical review, prior authorization, care and disease management, population health, and telemedicine-enabled interventions—delivered through a unified operating model that improves speed to decision, clinical consistency, and member outcomes while reducing administrative burden.

About Firstsource
Firstsource Solutions Limited, an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809) (Reuters: FISO.BO) (Bloomberg: FSOL:IN), is a global leader providing transformational solutions and services spanning the customer lifecycle across Healthcare, Banking and Financial Services, Communications, Media and Technology, Retail, and other diverse industries. With a global footprint across US, UK, India, Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, and Australia, they ‘make it happen’ for our clients, solving their biggest challenges with hyper-focused, domain-centered teams and cutting-edge tech, data, and analytics. Firstsource’s inch-wide, mile-deep practitioners work collaboratively, leveraging UnBPO™ – their differentiated approach to reimagining traditional outsourcing – to deliver real-world, future-focused solutions that drive speed, scale, and smarter decision, turning transformation into tangible results for clients. (www.firstsource.com)

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