Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. has exercised an option to obtain an exclusive license from Columbia University for the development of a portfolio of fully human (TNX-3600) and murine (TNX-4100) monoclonal antibodies for the treatment or prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Scientists at the University of Sydney have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body. Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15) is an inbuilt receptor that binds the SARS-CoV-2 virus without passing on the infection. The discovery opens a new area of immunology research around LRRC15 and suggests a pathway to develop new drugs to prevent viral infection from coronaviruses like COVID-19, but also to deal with fibrosis in the lungs.
Japan's National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) has divulged 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections (COVID-19).
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. has announced it plans to develop the TNX-3900 series of oral antivirals as monotherapy or in combination with other antivirals, following an agreement whereby it has acquired all of the assets of Healion Bio Inc., including its entire portfolio of next-generation antiviral technology assets.
Greenlight Biosciences Holdings PBC has received regulatory approval from the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) to start a first-in-human phase I/II trial of its mRNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19, GLB-COV2-043, as a booster for previously vaccinated individuals.
Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have synthesized amide compounds reported to be useful for the treatment of dengue virus infection, skin inflammation, inflammatory joint disease, inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune disease.
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Alithea Genomics, Asahi Kasei, Genetik, Ginkgo Bioworks, Medicines Discovery Catapult, Minxray, Pamgene, Seno Medical Instruments, Smi Drug Discovery, Theralink, Xwell, Zoll.
Scripps Research has synthesized 3C-Like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19).
The success of the U.K. COVID-19 genomics consortium in large-scale sequencing, tracking variants of concern, establishing rates of transmissibility and informing public health decision-making during the pandemic, is to be extended to the monitoring of other respiratory viruses.
