Graviton Bioscience BV has divulged new Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of arteriosclerosis, cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, metabolic syndrome, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, scleroderma and uveitis, among others.
Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation, vasculopathy and fibrosis, mainly affecting internal organs and the skin. There is still a lack of therapies for SSc-induced skin fibrosis.
Enveda Biosciences (Enveda Therapeutics Inc.) has announced a new series B2 financing round of $55 million. The drug discovery and development company uses artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technologies to translate nature into new medicines.
Santa Ana Bio Inc. has emerged from stealth with $168 million in combined series A and B funding and a focus on developing targeted therapies for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
A Caregen Co. Ltd. patent details new peptides acting as autophagy and phagocytosis inducers potentially useful for the treatment of hyperpigmentation.
Eli Lilly & Co. has patented aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, graft-vs.-host disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and highly prevalent skin disorder with multifactorial pathogenesis that includes mast cell (MC) activation as one of the main players.
Several cancer types are treated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting agents (EGFR inhibitors), but this treatment is associated with dermal toxicity in up to 90% of cases, where 80% of cases have rash, among other issues. This skin toxicity is mainly driven by elevation of Staphylococcus aureus and the proinflammatory cytokine IL-36γ. Skin keratinocytes’ cutaneous immune defense is impaired by EGFR inhibitors.
South Korea’s Hanall Biopharma Co. Ltd., of Songpa-gu, Seoul, agreed to an exclusive licensing deal with San Francisco-based Turn Biotechnologies Inc. to develop novel ophthalmic and optic therapies using the latter’s mRNA-based technology.
Netherton syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic disease caused by loss of functional lympho-epithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor (LEKTI, SPINK5). It was hypothesized that small-molecule inhibitors of KLK5 could replace deficient LEKTI in NS.