A Gene Solutions study published in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG) Global Reports finds cell-free DNA fragmentomic patterns associated with spontaneous preterm birth, pointing to a potential path toward earlier pregnancy-risk assessment.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gene Solutions, a global biotechnology company providing precision cell-free DNA solutions through multi-omics and artificial intelligence to improve pregnancy care, cancer detection and precision medicine, today announced the publication of a study showing the potential to assess the risk of spontaneous preterm birth from cell-free DNA fragmentomic signals already present in routine first-trimester non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) data.

Published in AJOG Global Reports, the study, “First-Trimester Non-Invasive Prediction of Preterm Birth Using Cell-Free DNA Fragmentomics,” examined whether sequencing data already generated for NIPT could also provide an earlier molecular indication of spontaneous preterm-birth risk.

Over the past decade, NIPT has become a widely used first-trimester screening option that is both safe and highly accurate. By analyzing cell-free DNA circulating in maternal blood–predominantly maternal cfDNA, with a minor fetal-derived fraction – NIPT has transformed prenatal care by enabling screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and selected genetic disorders.

Since launching triSure in 2018, Gene Solutions has expanded its prenatal portfolio from chromosomal screening to include maternal carrier screening in 2022, followed by selected dominant single-gene disorders and microdeletions in 2023. Now supporting millions of pregnancies, triSure is the NIPT platform from which Gene Solutions is investigating a new frontier: whether the same cell-free DNA data can also reveal signals associated with pregnancy complications.

The discovery was enabled by DNAsphere.AI, Gene Solutions’ proprietary precision data and AI platform, which integrates large-scale, well-annotated datasets with multi-omic analysis and machine learning to uncover clinically meaningful cell-free DNA signals across multiple precision-health applications.

The study analyzed fragmentomics, including the length, positioning and molecular ends of cfDNA fragments, for biological patterns associated with spontaneous preterm birth.

“NIPT demonstrated that a maternal blood sample can provide meaningful genetic information about a pregnancy. Our research asks the next question: What additional insights can the same cell-free DNA data provide?” said Dr. Cuong Nguyen, Principal Investigator at Gene Solutions. “By combining routine NIPT data with the multi-omic and machine learning capabilities of DNAsphere.AI, we can investigate biological signals that extend beyond what DNA encodes and explore how cell-free DNA fragments are formed.”

AI-driven signals in routine NIPT data

Using machine learning, researchers identified recurring patterns at the ends of cell-free DNA fragments that differed between pregnancies that ended in spontaneous preterm birth and those that reached term. These patterns, known as end motifs, may reflect biological changes during pregnancy.

“Just as the first and last letters of words can reveal recurring linguistic patterns, the molecular ends of cfDNA fragments can reveal patterns in how DNA is released into the bloodstream,” said Dr. Hoa Giang, Co-founder and Chief Data Science Officer at Gene Solutions. “Our machine learning model analyzes these end motifs as a system-level readout of biological processes that may be associated with spontaneous preterm birth.”

In the study’s held-out validation cohort, the end-motif model achieved an AUC of 0.970, with 94% sensitivity at a specificity above 90%. The findings remain preliminary and require confirmation in larger, prospectively enrolled populations. Importantly, the AI analysis used existing first-trimester NIPT data and did not require another blood draw or additional sequencing.

Advancing toward multinational prospective validation

Gene Solutions is advancing prospective research to assess the model’s performance across diverse populations, sequencing settings, and models of prenatal care. The program will evaluate real-world clinical performance, appropriate risk thresholds, integration with established maternal and obstetric risk factors, and how an early signal could support more personalized pregnancy monitoring.

A prospective observational study registered in Vietnam is evaluating cfDNA and clinical information for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, with an estimated enrollment of 1,105 participants.

Additional prospective research collaborations are being established with multiple clinical centers in India to support validation across ethnically and geographically diverse populations.

“Our ambition is not simply adding another score to an NIPT report,” said Dr. Sang Hung Tang, Medical Director at Gene Solutions. “It is to establish whether an earlier molecular warning can help physicians provide more informed surveillance and, ultimately, give more babies the opportunity to be born at a healthier gestational age. That requires strong prospective evidence, responsible clinical implementation, and close collaboration with obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and healthcare systems.”

Building the next generation of pregnancy intelligence

The research demonstrates how the DNAsphere.AI precision data platform can transform large-scale multi-omic and clinical data into new biological insights from cell-free DNA across pregnancy care and precision medicine.

At ISPD 2026, the company also presented emerging research into AI-driven biomarkers for preterm birth and gestational diabetes, describing a potential future in which prenatal testing offers broader insight into genetic conditions and pregnancy health from a single blood draw.

These findings form part of a wider shift in international prenatal cfDNA research. In August 2026, an independent study published in AJOG Global Reports evaluated multimodal first-trimester cfDNA analysis for predicting preterm and term preeclampsia. That same month, a separate study published in Science Translational Medicine analyzed 1,910 first-trimester cfDNA samples and found that fragment-length, end-motif and cell-of-origin signals could help stratify adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with immune-mediated disease. Although these studies examined different complications, populations and analytical approaches, their findings point toward a common scientific direction: cfDNA may provide insight into pregnancy biology beyond fetal chromosomal status.

“We are seeing scientific convergence across independent research groups worldwide,” said Dr. Hoa Giang. “Different teams are finding that cell-free DNA carries biological information beyond chromosomal status. That strengthens the rationale for rigorous prospective validation and for exploring how routine NIPT data could support a broader understanding of pregnancy health.”

Gene Solutions is contributing to this emerging field through its research into spontaneous preterm birth and gestational diabetes mellitus, supported by multinational prospective validation programs. The preterm-birth classifier remains investigational and is not intended to diagnose preterm labor, replace established obstetric assessment or direct treatment without further clinical validation.

About the Preterm Birth Study

The full article, “First-Trimester Non-Invasive Prediction of Preterm Birth Using Cell-Free DNA Fragmentomics,” is available in AJOG Global Reports: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xagr.2026.100692

Read the full Scientific Recap at: https://genesolutions.com/news/gene-solutions-study-in-ajog-global-reports-shows-routine-nipt-data-may-help-predict-first-trimester-preterm-birth-risk

About Gene Solutions

Gene Solutions is a global biotechnology company advancing precision cell-free DNA solutions across cancer detection, precision oncology and pregnancy care. By combining multi-omic science, data intelligence and a scalable technology platform, Gene Solutions brings world-class genomics closer to clinicians and patients, expanding access to clinically meaningful innovation around the world.

For more information, visit www.genesolutions.com.

Media contact:
pr@genesolutions.com

• Whether beneficiaries are ready to manage what they inherit is the biggest concern among those worried their wealth won’t survive, cited by 52%, ahead of market volatility (49%) and family conflict over assets (44%).
• 70% worry their wealth won’t survive the next generation, even as documented plans have doubled since 2025. 
• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of families planning a financial legacy intend to pass on values, knowledge or life lessons alongside financial assets. 
• Asia’s wealthiest families worry less about family conflict and more about investment risk, tax complexity and trust in their advisors.

HONG KONG, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from Sun Life Asia reveals that the biggest threat to preserving wealth across generations may not be market volatility or family conflict, but whether beneficiaries are ready to manage what they inherit. While legacy planning is becoming more common across Asia, only one in five people say they feel fully prepared to pass on their legacy today. 

Sun Life Asia’s latest Passing the Torch: When legacy means more than money report found a significant shift in how people across Asia think about the legacy they want to leave behind. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of people surveyed intend to pass on values, knowledge or life lessons as part of their legacy plan alongside financial assets. At the same time, 70% worry their wealth may not be preserved beyond the next generation and only 20% say they feel fully prepared to pass on their legacy today, reinforcing the growing recognition that a lasting legacy depends not only on what is passed on, but whether future generations are equipped to manage it.

The study also found that legacy planning continues to gain momentum across the region. The proportion of people with a fully documented and communicated legacy plan more than doubled from 10% in 2025 to 22% in 2026, while the proportion with no plan at all fell from 31% to 15%.

David Broom, Chief Client and Distribution Officer at Sun Life Asia, said: “A legacy plan is not complete simply because it’s been written down. It needs to give families a shared understanding of what the wealth is for, what principles should guide its use, and how the next generation can carry that responsibility forward. That is how planning on paper becomes something that can endure in practice.”

Legacy means more than money

For most families, legacy means more than money. Skills and education (33%), family values (32%) and life lessons (31%) rank among the things people most want to leave behind, alongside money and property. Providing opportunity through education carries particular weight, ranking among the region’s top three legacy priorities overall (48%). Even among those planning to leave financial assets, funding education (45%) sits just behind providing financial support to family members during their lifetime (50%) and essential family needs (52%).

What families want their wealth to achieve tells the same story. Six in 10 (61%) want it to create long-term opportunity for the people they love, and 52% want it to cover essentials such as housing and healthcare. The money still matters, but increasingly as a way to pass on security and possibility rather than as the legacy itself.

Planning is developing faster than confidence

Planning is becoming more disciplined, but confidence has not moved with it. The number of people with a fully documented and communicated plan has more than doubled in a year, from 10% in 2025 to 22% in 2026, while the share with no plan at all has fallen from 31% to 15%. Confidence hasn’t moved at the same pace, as only 20% of people feel fully prepared today, almost unchanged from 19% a year ago. Professional advice is closely associated with greater preparedness, with nearly half of those surveyed (46%) having sought professional legacy planning advice, up from 37% in 2025. Among them, 79% feel financially prepared for their legacy, compared with 44% of those who have not sought advice but would like to.

Anxiety is highest among those with the most time to plan. Three-quarters (76%) of Gen Z and Millennials worry their wealth won’t last, against 66% of Gen X and 59% of Baby Boomers. Yet younger people are also the most optimistic about the reach of what they leave, with 65% of Gen Z and 67% of Millennials believing their wealth will have a lasting, multi-generational impact, compared with 51% of Baby Boomers.

Each generation tends to credit the other with better financial literacy. More than half (58%) of Gen X and Baby Boomers think the younger members of their family are more financially literate than they are, while 61% of Gen Z and Millennials say the same of the generation before them.

That mutual regard sits alongside a real worry about readiness. Whether beneficiaries are ready to manage what they inherit is families’ single biggest concern, cited by 52% of those worried their wealth won’t last, ahead of market volatility (49%) and conflict over assets (44%). More than a quarter (27%) name a lack of financial literacy in the next generation as one of the greatest risks to preserving family wealth, and a further 25% worry the next generation will lack the confidence to manage what comes their way. Advisors are increasingly helping families start these conversations. Four in 10 people say communication with the next generation has taken place, at least in part, through a financial advisor, up from 15% in 2025.

David Broom added: “Passing on wealth can be a straightforward decision, but preparing someone to manage it is a much longer process. Families that involve the next generation early can use those conversations to build financial judgment, clarify expectations and reduce uncertainty before responsibility changes hands. A trusted financial advisor can help families navigate those conversations with greater confidence and turn good intentions into a plan that everyone understands.”

For wealthy families, managing complexity matters more than managing conflict

For Asia’s wealthiest families, the picture looks different. Where the general population worries most about family readiness and the risk of conflict over assets, high-net-worth individuals are far less concerned by the prospect of a family falling out. One-fifth (20%) see disputes as a major threat to preserving wealth, compared with 34% across the general population surveyed. Their concerns lie instead with the fundamentals of preserving wealth: making the right investment decisions, managing tax and legal complexity, and having confidence in the institutions that manage it.

Poor investment decisions are seen as a risk by 37% of high-net-worth respondents, compared with 24% of the general population, and 29% point to tax or legal complexity, against 18%. Among those who are worried that their wealth may not be preserved beyond the next generation, 40% cite confidence in the advisors or institutions managing their wealth, versus 25% of the wider group.

More than eight in 10 (83%) of high-net-worth individuals surveyed believe advisors should play a role in legacy planning, and 63% think advisors should take the lead, playing a far more central role compared to the general population. For these families, preserving wealth across generations has become as much a question of governance and trusted counsel as of family harmony.

Sujoy Ghosh, CEO of Sun Life Private Wealth, said: “Preserving wealth for high-net-worth families is not simply about avoiding family conflict. Having confidence in the decisions that shape that wealth, from investments to how it is structured for the next generation, is equally important. That makes trusted advice critical. Families increasingly need advisors who can bring the right expertise together, navigate complexity and help them make sound decisions across borders and generations.”

Across every wealth tier, the research points to the same underlying shift: that families are increasingly considering not just what they will pass down, but whether the next generation is ready to receive it.

The full report is available here.

About this survey

This is Sun Life Asia’s second annual legacy planning survey, following 2025’s Passing the Torch: Building Lasting Legacies in Asia. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2026 across six markets – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam – gathering responses from 3,073 people across wealth levels and generations.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2026, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.70 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars

SHANGHAI, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In the heart of Jing’an District, Alila Shanghai marked its second anniversary with an exclusive event under the theme “Celebrating the world of Alila” uniting the global Alila family for a night of celebration and connection.

This year’s celebration gained deeper significance through the collaboration of all three Alila properties in China: Alila Shanghai, Alila Wuzhen, and Alila Dong’ao Island. The evening featured both a lively cocktail party and an elegant gala dinner, welcoming a curated group of media, VIPs, distinguished guests, owner company representatives, and members of the Hyatt APAC leadership team.

Guests enjoyed a culinary journey co-created by the three Chinese properties alongside guest chefs from Alila Villas Uluwatu, Alila Napa Valley and Alila Jabal Akhdar. Their philosophies, rooted in local ingredients and gastronomic heritage, defined the evening. Bespoke cocktails inspired by the three Chinese properties and a custom cocktail menu by a mixologist from HOPE&SESAME – the No. 1 bar on the 2026 ASIA’s 50 BEST Bars list – completed the gastronomic experience. Storytelling sessions on sustainability further enriched the evening’s narrative. Intangible cultural heritage artist Jiang Honglin’s paper-cut art quietly imbues the night’s finer details with the serene essence of Eastern aesthetics.

The event also featured spectacular live performances: a drone light show and a water-mirror dance, adding layers of visual wonder to the celebration.

“Tonight, Alila Shanghai’s anniversary brings together our global family,” said Mr. Jtawen Yap, Area Director of Greater China & General Manager of Alila Shanghai. “Meaningful beauty lies in simplicity, and the most transformative moments can be the quietest.”

This first-of-its-kind gathering among sister properties marked a defining moment for Alila in China, showcasing the brand’s distinctive approach to luxury hospitality.

About Alila Shanghai

Alila Shanghai is a serene sanctuary in the heart of the city, inspiring genuine self-connection and deep inward exploration while guiding guests to discover the vibrant energy of Shanghai’s culture. The hotel features 186 rooms, including 94 suites, along with signature dining venues such as Weihai 500 Chinese Restaurant, Garden Pavilion Japanese Restaurant, Chayan@ 5TH tea house, and Secret Roof bar overlooking the historic Shikumen architecture of Zhangyuan. Committed to fresh, seasonal, and sustainably sourced local produce, the hotel delivers a diverse and health-conscious culinary experience.

With the Asian Games underway and less than a month until the Asian Para Games, Toyota highlights how sport can create opportunities, connect communities and move people forward across Asia.

• Seven Global Team Toyota Athletes from six markets have been confirmed to compete across the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games
• Toyota Motor Asia continues to champion sport as a key expression of its regional Move Your World brand promise
• Through its support for athletes, communities and initiatives such as Move Your World Beat, Toyota demonstrates how movement can inspire participation, connection and progress in different forms

SINGAPORE, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games taking place, and the Asian Para Games to follow in October, Toyota Motor Asia underscores its long-standing commitment to sport and its belief in the power of movement to bring people and communities together.

This year, seven Global Team Toyota Athletes have qualified to represent their respective nations at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games. The participating athletes will compete across six sporting disciplines:

• Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin, Indonesia, Para Cycling
• Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi, Malaysia, Para Athletics
• Toh Wei Soong, Singapore, Para Swimming
• Carlos Yulo, The Philippines, Gymnastics
• Ernie Gawilan, The Philippines, Para Swimming
• Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Thailand, Badminton
• Lê Văn Công, Vietnam, Para Powerlifting

Their participation represents Toyota Motor Asia’s continued partnership with athletes across the region, supporting them not only as they pursue sporting excellence, but also as they inspire others through their journeys on and beyond the field of play.

Sport as a Force That Moves People Forward

Sport has long been an important part of Toyota Motor Asia’s Move Your World promise, reflecting the belief that movement is not only about travelling from one place to another, but also about having the opportunity to participate, pursue ambitions and progress.

Across moments of victory and defeat, the journeys of Toyota’s athletes reflect this in various ways, from adapting to new sporting pathways and reaching new levels of competition, to inspiring the next generation and creating impact within their communities.

Through its partnerships with athletes and sporting communities, Toyota Motor Asia seeks to support this spirit of progress across the region. Since 2018, Toyota has partnered with more than 20 Global Team Toyota Athletes in Asia, supporting athletes across different markets, abilities and sporting disciplines as they work towards their goals on the international stage.

Toyota Group will also support the Games through a range of mobility solutions, providing more than 1,900 rental vehicles to transport athletes and officials, alongside 15 eco-vehicles and more than 100 small mobility units to support movement across competition venues.

“At Toyota Motor Asia, this belief is central to Move Your World and to our continued partnership with the Global Team Toyota Athletes. As they represent their countries at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, we are proud to stand alongside them, celebrate their journeys and support the communities they inspire,” said Preston Tan, Vice President, Toyota Motor Asia.

Moving Through a Shared Beat

Sport is one of the most powerful ways to move people, but the feelings it creates—hope, excitement, belonging and shared pride—can extend beyond the sporting arena. Music carries a similar ability to transcend language, bring together different voices and create shared experiences across communities.

As part of Toyota Motor Asia’s regional Move Your World brand platform, Move Your World Beat is a music-led activation that brings together six musicians from across Asia to explore self-expression, connection and collective identity through sound.

Toyota Motor Asia is bringing this idea to life through six original tracks, each created by a different artist using sounds sampled from Toyota vehicles and blending them with the musical influences, instruments and cultural identities of their respective markets. The result is six distinct interpretations of what it means to move, each shaped by a different voice and sense of place.

These individual tracks will ultimately come together in one regional collaboration, bringing different sounds and perspectives into a shared beat. By combining their individual contributions into one composition, Move Your World Beat shows how different voices can retain their distinct identities while contributing to something greater together.

The athletes’ journeys demonstrate how sport can create opportunities, challenge perceptions and bring people together—and how movement, in its many different forms, can help move the world forward.

The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games are taking place from 19 September to 4 October 2026, followed by the Asian Para Games from 18 to 24 October 2026.

About Toyota Motor Asia

Toyota Motor Asia is the regional corporate headquarters and subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, based in both Singapore and Thailand.

Toyota Motor Asia leads and supports the Asia Pacific region in Sales and Marketing activities, Service Parts, Accessories and Customer Services, Product Planning, Production Control & Logistic, and Aftersales thus contributing to the overall development of auto industry and the growing economies in the region.

Toyota envisions the future mobility society to bring freedom of movement to all. Moving forward, Toyota will provide a diverse range of mobility services and transportation solutions to people around the world as we transform Toyota into a mobility company.

About Move Your World

Move Your World is Toyota’s regional brand platform across Asia, built on the belief that mobility is more than movement — it is what allows people to participate, to belong and to thrive. Through music, sport and community, Move Your World invites everyone in Asia to look up, to join, and to move the world forward, together.

Specialized AI agents plan, connect, build, and deploy production-grade connectors in days, dramatically reducing the time and cost to unlock the value of integrations

SYDNEY, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Avalara, Inc., the agentic AI leader in global tax and compliance, today announced the availability of Versori by Avalara, an agentic integration fabric that dramatically accelerates how developers and partners connect enterprise systems to Avalara tax and compliance solutions. The offering is now available through the Avalara Developer Portal and was showcased at Avalara CRUSH, the company’s flagship customer and partner conference.

Invariably, businesses implement and make changes to a complex mix of ERP systems, billing platforms, e-commerce applications, and custom technology. Those changes create significant budgetary and staffing burdens, and can delay critical business outcomes. They can require significant specialized engineering and create cost overruns, complexity, and delays as businesses grow and their technology stacks evolve.

With Versori by Avalara, integration time and expense are no longer sticking points for these projects. AI agents do the complex research, analysis, and coding in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional integration tools. Rather than relying on generic code generation or rigid pre-built templates, Versori by Avalara’s specialized AI agents execute the integration lifecycle.

“Businesses should not have to spend significant engineering time just to connect tax and compliance to the systems where they already work,” said Hugo Sarrazin, Chief Executive Officer at Avalara. “Versori by Avalara changes that equation. Specialized AI agents can research, build, test, and deploy production-grade connectors in days, giving developers and partners a dramatically faster path to bring Avalara into virtually any enterprise system. For customers, that means less integration work, faster time to value, and greater freedom to use the technology that works for their business.”

From integration requirements to production-ready connectors

Versori by Avalara uses four core AI agents to guide developers from initial mapping to certified release:

• Plan: Analyzes endpoint schemas, API contracts, and compliance requirements to scope integration architecture.
• Connect: Establishes secure authentication and automated system-to-system handshakes across ERPs, billing engines, e-commerce systems, and custom databases.
• Build: Generates production-ready transformation logic, mapping rules, and error-handling code. Customers and partners retain access to the generated connector code and business logic.
• Deploy: Runs automated testing, validates against Avalara certification benchmarks, and publishes the live connector.

Rather than relying on generic code generation or rigid pre-built templates, Developers and partners can access Versori by Avalara today through the Avalara Developer Portal. Users can explore API documentation and enroll in hands-on Versori by Avalara training.

About Avalara
Avalara is the agentic AI leader in global tax and compliance. For more than two decades, Avalara’s trusted tax content, deep compliance expertise, proprietary data, and technology have helped customers succeed on a global scale. Avalara now pairs that foundation with agentic AI to help businesses execute complex compliance work while keeping people in control. Avalara processes more than 54 billion AvaTax API calls annually and supports millions of businesses worldwide. For more information, visit Avalara.com.