The pressure to replace animal testing with human-relevant assays that are more predictive of human-drug responses has now reached a tipping point, and there is a movement toward greater acceptance of these potentially more translatable tests.
The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor predominantly expressed in the liver, intestine and kidney. FXR is crucially involved in regulating bile acid homeostasis, controlling inflammatory responses in the liver, and regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. Therefore, FXR plays a role in regulating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and has been proposed as a promising target for MASH drug development.
Microbiome specialist Microbiotica Ltd. announced positive data from a phase Ib study of MB-310, an orally administered live biotherapeutic product for treating ulcerative colitis, with 12 of 19 treated patients achieving clinical remission, compared to three of 10 patients in the placebo arm.
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed an exclusive global license agreement with Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. Ltd. and its subsidiary Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB for six preclinical small interfering RNA (siRNA) programs.
Iambic Therapeutics Inc.’s multiyear technology and discovery pact with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. could help the San Diego-based firm advance its own pipeline in a big way.
Iambic Therapeutics Inc.’s multiyear technology and discovery pact with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. could help the San Diego-based firm advance its own pipeline in a big way.
Beijing Innocare Pharma Tech Co. Ltd. has gained IND clearance in China to conduct clinical trials of ICP-538, an orally administered molecular glue degrader targeting VAV1, which is a key protein downstream of T-cell and B-cell receptors. ICP-538 is being studied for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis.
Another two biopharma companies priced IPOs on Nasdaq to raise a combined $350 million, becoming the fourth and fifth firms to debut on U.S. markets in 2026.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder with limited long-term therapeutic options. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) offer a promising strategy for IBD by enabling selective degradation of disease-relevant proteins and potentially improving efficacy and safety.
Wuxi Biologics Co. Ltd. and Sinorda Biomedicine have established a strategic collaboration for the development and manufacturing of SND-006, a novel bispecific antibody, for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and other autoimmune diseases.
RSS
