A team at the University of Macau aimed to develop a novel peptide targeting the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-TNFR2 interaction as a selective regulatory T cell (Treg) stimulator. Through phage display screening, they identified the peptide UMR2-705 that functions as an agonist that enhances TNF-induced Treg expansion.
Researchers from Aera Therapeutics Inc. reported the preclinical profile of AERA-109, a novel, targeted in vivo CAR T therapy designed to treat B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Researchers at Changzhou Hengbang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hansoh Biomedical Co. Ltd. have described polypeptides acting as C5a anaphylatoxin chemotactic receptor 1 (C5aR; CD88) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, infections, cardiovascular disorders, endocrine disorders and immunological disorders.
Indupro Inc. has announced a strategic equity investment and research collaboration with Sanofi SA. The agreement with Sanofi includes the right of first negotiation for Indupro’s bispecific PD-1 agonist program.
The cardiomyositis that is a rare adverse effect of mRNA-based COVID vaccines is due to immune cell activity as a result of increased levels of the chemokines CXCL10 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Blocking CXCL10 and IFN-γ could prevent muscle cell damage in cell culture, and cardiomyositis in animal models. The findings, reported in the Dec. 10, 2025, issue of Science Translational Medicine, suggest a way of mitigating the risk of cardiomyositis.
Investigators at the Netherlands Hubrecht Institute have developed a novel gut organoid model, and used it to gain insight into the functions on human microfold (M) cells. Their experiments, which were published in the Dec. 10, 2025, issue of Nature, showed that M cells present gluten-derived antigens to T cells, which suggests a role for this cell type in the onset of celiac disease.
A consortium including Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), International Vaccine Institute (IVI), ST Pharm Co. Ltd. and Seoul National University (SNU) is joining forces with CEPI to advance a new AI-designed mRNA vaccine to protect against tick-borne severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, or Dabie bandavirus. CEPI is providing up to US$16 million to the project, led by IVI, to test the vaccine’s safety and ability to generate a suitable immune response in healthy adults in preclinical and phase I/II trials in Korea.
The collaboration brings together Relation’s AI-powered drug discovery platform and human data generation capabilities with Novartis’s expertise in immuno-dermatology to identify, validate and advance potential first-in-class targets in atopic diseases driven by immune dysregulation.
Researchers at the Institut Pasteur have developed a vaccine that spurred the production of autoantibodies to immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, protecting vaccinated mice from anaphylaxis. In their paper, which they published in Science Translational Medicine on Dec. 3, 2025, the authors noted that the polyclonal antibodies generated by their vaccine lasted “for up to 12 months postvaccination with a similar avidity as the approved anti-IgE mAb omalizumab [Xolair, Roche AG].”
Allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy offers several advantages over an individualized autologous CAR T approach, thanks to the use of readily available, higher quality and quantity of starting donor T cells and the potential to generate multiple doses from a single manufacturing process.
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