As interests and competition in the intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) market heats up, Shockwave Medical Inc. said it believes that its latest coronary IVL catheter, the C2 Aero, and other projects in the pipeline, will help it to maintain its leadership in calcium modification.

A subgroup analysis of data from Boston Scientific Corp.’s Champion-AF trial, which looked at the outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation treated with a left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device compared to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), found that the efficacy and safety of LAAC compared to DOAC are not affected by age. The data were presented at the EuroPCR conference in Paris.

Data from the All Women clinical trial, which looked at the Allegra transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system compared to balloon-expandable valves (BEV) in women with aortic stenosis, showed that Allegra delivered lower mean gradients and less prosthesis-patient mismatch than BEVs. The data presented at the EuroPCR conference in Paris was the first randomized head-to-head comparison of different TAVR platforms conducted exclusively in women.

A new strategy aims to improve gene therapy for Pompe disease by optimizing both the genetic component that restores the function of a deficient lysosomal enzyme and the vector that delivers it to the target tissue while avoiding the liver. The findings suggest that combining an optimized transgene with a targeted capsid could significantly enhance the effectiveness of gene therapy for Pompe disease.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a dual payload, which deliver two distinct cytotoxic agents via a single antibody, are emerging therapeutics developed to address the limitations of classic ADCs. Primelink Biotherapeutics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. recently presented data for their dual-payload ADCs, highlighting PLB-015, which carries a TOP1 inhibitor and an ATR inhibitor with an anti-HER2 antibody and is designed to inhibit the DNA damage response activated by cancer cells when harmed.

Netherton syndrome is a rare disease caused by loss of activity of the lympho-epithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor (LEKTI) protein, which in turn is caused by mutations in its encoding gene, SPINK5. This deficiency leads to the triggering of the kallikrein (KLK) signaling cascade resulting in skin barrier dysfunction, inflammation and atopy. At the recent Society for Investigative Dermatology meeting, Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. presented early data on BCX-17725, a KLK5/KLK14 inhibitor fusion protein developed to restore LEKTI functioning in patients with Netherton syndrome.

Transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (TACC3) is a core member of multiprotein complexes that regulate microtubule- and centrosome-related processes. Its aberrant expression is found in several cancer types with poor prognosis, thus highlighting it as a candidate therapeutic target. Researchers from Beijing Konruns Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have presented data for KC-1101, a TACC3 inhibitor for treating aggressive cancers with centrosome amplification.

Type 2 diabetes is marked by insulin resistance coupled with insufficient insulin secretion due to early β-cell dysfunction and progressive loss of β-cell mass. Pdx1 and MafA, critical for maintaining β-cell function, are progressively reduced under metabolic stress and in patients, driving disease progression. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have reported efficacy data demonstrating successful pancreatic delivery of GPX-002, an AAV-Pdx1/MafA construct, in HFD mice.