BioWorld - Sunday, December 28, 2025

Gastrointestinal
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Single strand RNA

Airna’s $155M series B advances RNA editing drug AIR-001 for AATD

April 1, 2025
By Karen Carey
As it prepares to advance its lead RNA editing candidate, AIR-001, into a phase I/II trial for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Airna Corp. Inc. closed an oversubscribed $155 million series B financing less than a year after completing its series A round. The company, based in Cambridge, Mass., with research operations in Tübingen, Germany, focuses not only on repairing harmful genetic variants found in rare genetic disorders, but also on introducing beneficial variants that improve health in common conditions.
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Liver illustration
Gastrointestinal

ABHD17B identified as a target in liver fibrosis

March 31, 2025
Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have revealed how chronic liver injury alters hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), triggering the formation of fibrotic scarring in the liver. The researchers have shown that this cell type transdifferentiates into myofibroblasts, which generate excess extracellular matrix, driven by the activation of ABHD17B, an enzyme that could be investigated as a therapeutic target to inhibit liver fibrosis.
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Gastrointestinal

FAP inhibitor AZD-2389 is a strong candidate for MASH treatment

March 31, 2025
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease, the expression of which increases with pathogenic fibroblasts in the fibrotic liver during metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and might induce fibrosis by cleaving several proteins that regulate extracellular matrix turnover and metabolism, including α2-antiplasmin (α2-AP) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Astrazeneca plc recently presented new results on their research regarding their oral small-molecule FAP inhibitor, AZD-2389, as a candidate drug for treating MASH.
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Abstract illustration of pig and human with medical motifs
Drug design, drug delivery & technologies

Ten days of normal survival of a pig liver in a human being

March 28, 2025
By Mar de Miguel
Transplanting an animal organ into a human is now a closer reality following the successful xenotransplantation of a genetically modified pig liver into a patient diagnosed with brain death in China. The operation was intended to evaluate organ function over a 10-day period. This is a complex experimental trial that did not involve removing the patient's liver and still requires further study. However, the positive preclinical results suggest this strategy could save the lives of those waiting for a human organ, at least in certain cases.
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Illustration of gastrointestinal organs floating about hands
Cancer

Unlocking early genetic drivers of stomach cancer

March 28, 2025
By Coia Dulsat
Research published online in Nature on March 19, 2025, closely examines the changes occurring in the gastric epithelium during the progression toward cancer development. Certain mutations that occur in normal, nonreproductive cells over time can make these cells more prone to becoming cancerous later. The project began as a collaboration between the labs of Mike Stratton at the Sanger Institute and Suet Yi Leung from the University of Hong Kong, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation.
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Abstract illustration of pig and human with medical motifs
Drug design, drug delivery & technologies

Ten days of normal survival of a pig liver in a human being

March 26, 2025
By Mar de Miguel
Transplanting an animal organ into a human is now a closer reality following the successful xenotransplantation of a genetically modified pig liver into a patient diagnosed with brain death in China. The operation was intended to evaluate organ function over a 10-day period. This is a complex experimental trial that did not involve removing the patient's liver and still requires further study. However, the positive preclinical results suggest this strategy could save the lives of those waiting for a human organ, at least in certain cases.
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Doctor pointing at liver

Hepatic stellate cells shape and control liver function

March 20, 2025
By Coia Dulsat
Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) and their collaborators have cast new light on the mechanisms by which hepatic stellate cells control liver metabolism and regeneration. The work builds on the concept of angiocrine signaling, established 15 years ago.
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