Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and cerebral small vessel disease are among the leading causes of dementia, where inflammation is known to play a crucial role. Researchers from Augusta University in the U.S. hypothesized that inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC-950 may improve cognitive decline and cerebral blood flow in a murine model of VCID.

At the recent International Stroke Conference, researchers from VST Bio Corp. and Yale University presented preclinical data regarding VB-001, a monoclonal antibody that targets syndecan 2 (SDC2) and is also known as VST-002.

The malfunction of lymphatic drainage that occurs in lymphedema leads to excessive cholesterol accumulation in the affected skin and lymphatic vessels, causing inflammation and fibrosis. However, surgery and the chemical reduction of accumulated cholesterol with cyclodextrin reduce inflammation and regenerate lymphatic vessels. Cholesterol is a potential therapeutic target for treating lymphedema, according to this study published on Feb. 11, 2026, in Nature by Veronique Angeli and her colleagues.

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is a condition affecting neonates and is a leading global cause of perinatal neurological morbidity, with limited therapeutic options. Regarding its pathogenesis, the ion channel-kinase transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) is a known contributor to HIBI pathology and was the focus of a recently reported study.

The neural and neuroimmune mechanisms behind myocardial infarction-triggered cardiac events, immune responses and activation of the nervous system remain largely unexplored. The heart and the brain talk to each other in what is known as cardioception. This communication between the two organs is orchestrated through neurons of the vagus nerve or the dorsal root ganglia, among others. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego have now shown that the dynamics of these interactions may play a crucial role in modulating inflammation, repair and cardiac functioning.

Insilico Medicine Cayman Topco has nominated ISM-5059, a peripherally restricted small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitor, as a preclinical candidate.

Solute carrier family 2, member 5 (GLUT5) is known to be upregulated in metabolic disorders and cancer, but its potential role in ischemic stroke is not well defined. Japanese researchers have now explored the association of GLUT5 expression with oxidative stress in ischemic stroke.

Affinia Therapeutics Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for AFTX-201, an investigational genetic medicine for the treatment of BAG3-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The phase I/II UPBEAT trial will begin in the first half of this year.