Thetis Pharmaceuticals LLC has presented preclinical data on their BLT1 receptor agonist TP-317 as an approach for treating inflammatory bowel disease. BLT1 activation promotes immune homeostasis and repair; oral therapy with TP-317 was investigated in two preclinical models of colitis and ileitis.

In autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the function of regulatory CD8 T cells (CD8 Treg) is compromised, in part due to the expression of inhibitory KIR receptors (KIR2DL1/2/3) and insufficient inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS) signaling. Mozart Therapeutics Inc. has discovered MTX-201, a new bispecific antibody targeting inhibitory KIR and ICOS that are co-expressed by CD8 Tregs.

Bambusa Therapeutics Inc. has completed an oversubscribed series A financing of approximately $90 million to support its lead programs through phase I trials and advance its pipeline of long-acting bispecific antibodies for immunological and inflammatory disorders.

Stimulating the body’s immune defenses against a tumor can reduce or eliminate it. However, in cancer immunotherapy, when immune checkpoint inhibitors unleash the immune system, severe autoimmunity can result. A hematological technique, extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), could offer a solution. It reduces the therapy-induced inflammation without altering antitumor immunity. According to scientists at the Universities of Basel and Freiburg, the key lies in adiponectin, a hormone produced by fatty tissue.

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and collaborators identified HMGA1 as a key epigenetic regulator that enhances Wnt signaling in colon cancer.

Adrenomedullin, a hormone first identified in an adrenal medullary tumor, disrupts the effect of insulin on the endothelium of blood vessels, leading to insulin resistance linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. The clue to this discovery lies in a molecular pathway that could be blocked to restore insulin function.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder of the colon and rectum characterized by mucosal inflammation that damages the bowel wall surface. Current therapeutic options include 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids or anti-TNF agents, but there is a need for new strategies to obtain higher remission rates and less systemic immunosuppression.

Death receptor 3 (DR3) is the only signaling receptor for TNF superfamily ligand TL1A, the dysregulation of which has been implicated in multiple inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Blockade of TL1A has been shown to induce significant clinical responses in IBD.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by inflammation and necrosis of the pancreatic acinar cells. Mitochondrial homeostasis is key to energy metabolism and redox homeostasis, both of which are essential for pancreatic functioning, where oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) plays a crucial role.