Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, is capable of causing severe illness at extremely low infectious doses through inhalation. No licensed tularemia vaccines exist in most Western countries, and current candidates lack efficacy against pneumonic forms. This highlights an urgent need for more effective vaccine strategies.
Quantumpharm Inc., known as Xtalpi Inc., announced receiving $51 million up front from a potential $5.99 billion deal with Dovetree LLC on Aug. 6. The collaboration, first inked through a letter of intent between the two parties on June 23, will combine Shenzhen, China-based Xtalpi’s AI-based and robotics-driven discovery platform with Dovetree’s “biological insights.” The goal will be to select and validate potential first-in-class candidates for Dovetree across five areas of oncology, immunology and inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders and metabolic dysregulation.
The Nipah virus (NiV) from the Henipavirus genus is a bat-borne zoonotic pathogen that causes encephalitis and acute respiratory distress syndrome in humans. NiV infections have a very high fatality rate. No approved vaccine or therapeutics against NiV infection exist for use in humans despite its dangerous potential for causing larger epidemics.
The difference between the origin of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its symptoms is an obstacle to finding effective treatments. Scientists focused on amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and tau aggregates to slow neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Without identifying what causes AD, approved treatments do not provide much benefit. However, new findings suggest that restoring lithium levels in the brain could prevent and treat AD. Not just any lithium would work, just the forms that do not bind to Aβ.
In the tumor microenvironment, cancer cells activate various signaling pathways to promote their growth. This includes the formation of blood vessels. However, the circulatory system is not the only one attracted to the tumor. Researchers at Sanford Research have uncovered a mechanism to circumvent the immune response that would destroy them.
Casi Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the U.S. FDA has cleared its IND application for CID-103, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD-38 for the prevention of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) of kidney allografts. The company plans to initiate a phase I study in adults with active and chronic active renal allograft AMR.
In a recent study in the Journal of Translational Medicine, researchers from Azrieli Research Center (Canada) and collaborating institutions hypothesized that the dysregulation of SMPDL3B may be involved in myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) progression, and investigated its role and clinical relevance in ME pathophysiology.
Chinese scientists have discovered a common mechanism by which structurally distinct proteins elicit an allergic reaction, showing they cause the formation of pores in epithelial airway cells. That allows calcium ions to enter and trigger a type II immune cascade, which results in the release of histamine from mast cells.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co. has prepared and tested proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) targeting moiety through a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders.
Immunitas Therapeutics Inc. has revealed preclinical data supporting development of its potentially first-in-class, fully human anti-CD161 antibody, IMT-380. CD161-expressing T-cell subsets have been implicated in autoimmune diseases due to their production of inflammatory cytokines and presence in inflamed tissues.
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