Peking University researchers in collaboration with the NIH have discovered a new biochemical pathway related to a bacterium that eliminates nicotine in the intestine. The findings could lead to new ways to improve nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in smokers. In addition to the lung and the brain, nicotine can accumulate in the intestine, where the bacteria Bacteroides xylanisolvens could reduce its concentration and the severity of NAFLD. In their study, published in Nature Oct. 19, 2022, the researchers described the enzymes involved in this process and a new undiscovered pathway.
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have published preclinical data from a study that aimed to assess the role of gut microbiota-reactive Th17 cells in intestinal fibrosis, which is a significant complication of Crohn’s disease (CD).
Loss of Paneth cells and their antimicrobial granules has been linked to a compromised intestinal epithelial barrier, which is a hallmark of Crohn’s disease.
Allorion Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has patented nonreceptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Sironax Ltd. has patented receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and viral infections.
Microorganisms such as bacteria, sperm and microalgae have evolved to develop robust actuation systems that enable autonomous motion, and these natural cellular systems have recently emerged as attractive carriers for transporting therapeutics to hard-to-reach body locations. According to a recent publication, researchers from University of California, San Diego have developed a novel algae-based motor platform, with the aim of addressing limitations of cargo delivery into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
A protein called apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API-5) protects intestinal Paneth cells, which are disrupted in Crohn’s disease, and could lead to a new treatment for the inflammatory bowel disease. Writing in the Oct. 5, 2022, online issue of Nature, Ken Cadwell, a professor of microbiology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and colleagues described testing the protein in a mouse model and in gut organoids with good results. Crohn’s disease is one of two key autoimmune diseases that affect the gut, the second of which is ulcerative colitis. Combined, inflammatory bowel diseases affect around 3 million people in the U.S. While there is currently no cure for these conditions, there are monoclonal antibody therapies available.
Endpoint Health Inc. has announced a new precision immunology program targeting inflammation mediated by tissue factor (TF)-dependent intracellular signaling.
Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc. has patented thyroid hormone receptor β (THRβ) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
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