Scientists from the Australian National University have discovered the gene mutation responsible for causing psoriasis, and the findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease. “We were able to identify the gene that could be important in enabling this progression from a skin-only condition to a skin-and-joint condition,” lead study author Chelisa Cardinez told BioWorld.
Stimlabs LLC received U.S. FDA approval for Corplex P, a wound care product that uses placental tissue to facilitate wound healing. “Corplex P is the first particulate device derived from human umbilical cord extracellular matrix indicated for the management of acute and chronic wounds,” Stimlabs CEO John Daniel told BioWorld.
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling regulates gene expression in immune and skin cells and plays a critical role in maintaining skin homeostasis.
Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. presented findings from collaborative work with Medpharm that identified R-209, an interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 and 4 (IRAK-1/4) inhibitor with optimized properties for topical application.
Work at Hangzhou Highlightll Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has led to the development of tyrosine-protein kinase JAK1, JAK2 and non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease with significant diagnostic delay. Type XXII collagen is a fibrillar collagen located in the skin epidermis. Reliable biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of HS and monitor the severity of disease are needed.
In allergic diseases, STAT6 is a critical transcription factor in the IL-4 and IL-13 signaling pathways and the key driver of Th2 inflammation. Because STAT6 functions through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, selectively and potently inhibiting STAT6 with traditional small-molecule inhibitors has been a challenge. However, it is well suited for a targeted protein degradation approach, whereby a binding event is adequate to direct degradation.
Work was conducted at the University of Bialystok to study plasma galectins (1, 2 and 12) plus serum and urinary levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and α1-acid-glycoprotein (α1AGP) in regards to the relationship between psoriasis and its related complications.
Apogee Therapeutics Inc.’s phase I home run put IL-13-targeting antibody APG-777 on an accelerated development path in atopic dermatitis, and the company touted its similarity to further-along IL-13 competitor lebrikizumab, from Eli Lilly and Co., as a likely indicator of further success.