Dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) is an attractive therapeutic target due to its involvement in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers from the National Health Research Institutes and their collaborators have presented a series of DYRK1A inhibitors for reducing neurofibrillary tangle formation in Alzheimer’s disease.
Although CAR T-cell therapies have reached significant clinical success in hematological malignancies, their utility in solid tumors remains limited. One of the main challenges is the scarcity of truly cancer-specific antigens for precise targeting of solid tumors. The use of engineered small, specific antigen-binding domains, such as nanobodies, could be a potential strategy to improve the specificity and efficacy of CAR T cells against solid tumors.
Previous work uncovered the role of the complement system in neuroinflammation and synaptic loss in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The third component, C3, central in all complement activation pathways, has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target in AD.
At this week’s International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders, researchers from Suntec Medical Inc. and collaborators presented a poster introducing a novel biologic (STM-003) targeting several pathological mechanisms involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), aiming to delay disease progression and improve cognitive function.
During the first oral sessions on Translational Drug Discovery at the 19th Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases (ADPD) Conference, Beka Solomon from Tel Aviv University presented her work on the therapeutic potential of bone-marrow-derived microglia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “After working more than 30 years in immunotherapy, I decided to totally change the subject of the work,” Solomon told the audience.
GE Healthcare Technologies Inc. gained full ownership of Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd. after acquiring the remaining 50% stake from Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. on March 31.
At the recently launched Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases Conference held in Vienna, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen from Novo Nordisk A/S, who has extensive experience in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) research, delivered a plenary lecture focused on the role of GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, in attenuating neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
The EMA has rejected the Alzheimer’s disease therapy Kisunla (donanemab) from Eli Lilly and Co., saying the benefits of the anti-amyloid antibody do not outweigh the risks of edema and hemorrhage in the brain, known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).
Alzamend Neuro Inc. recently presented pharmacokinetic data for the lithium-based sparing therapy AL-001, a lithium salicylate/L-proline co-crystal, in 5XFAD mice, a murine model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The first disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s may have limited utility in some senses, but they will be a force for change, providing momentum and altering the way governments as payers, and health systems as carers, think about the disease.
