Rezubio Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has reported new drug conjugates comprising lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1; EDG2) antagonists covalently linked to a hydrophilic moiety through a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of fibrosis.
Mediar Therapeutics Inc. has announced an oversubscribed $76 million series B financing to support its novel anti-fibrotics through clinical studies. The funding will also be used to advance MTX-439 into phase I for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated fibrosis.
Animate Biosciences Inc. has released new preclinical results demonstrating that AI-designed peptides generated by its Animateiq discovery platform significantly reduced hallmark inflammation and fibrosis signals across multiple human cell types, including skin, lung, heart and liver.
Abbvie Inc. has identified lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1; EDG2) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of fibrosis and inflammatory disorders.
Researchers at Calluna Pharma AS, Agiana Pharmaceuticals AS and Roskilde University have developed the first humanized IgG4 antibody that inhibits S100A4, which is a calcium-binding protein that helps drive fibrotic inflammatory diseases.
Xortx Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a binding term sheet to acquire a renal anti-fibrotic therapeutic program from Vectus Biosystems Ltd., including a novel new chemical entity, VB4-P5.
In one of the biggest deals of the waning year, Novo Nordisk A/S is buying Akero Therapeutics Inc. to bolster its metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-treatment portfolio. In the $5.2 billion deal, Akero brings its fibroblast growth factor 21 analogue, efruxifermin, which is in a phase III study for treating those with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis and those with cirrhosis.
More than a decade after the last idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment gained U.S. FDA approval, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Jascayd (nerandomilast) is set to hit the market following the agency’s green light on Oct. 7. While expected to offer a modest benefit over existing therapies, Jascayd, an orally administered preferential inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4B with breakthrough therapy status, is viewed by analysts as the first of several potential advancements in the IPF space over the next few years.
Mitochondrial glutaminase kidney isoform (GLS, GLS1) inhibitors have been detailed in a Sitryx Therapeutics Ltd. patent. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of fibrosis and inflammatory disorders.
The Human Cell Atlas project has delivered a fresh tranche of data mapping fibroblasts in healthy and diseased skin and pointing to drug targets with potential in multiple diseases across a range of tissues. Using single cell sequencing and spatial genomics, a technique for showing how gene expression varies at different locations within a tissue, nine different subpopulations of fibroblasts were identified, six in healthy skin and three in disease samples.
