Kymera Therapeutics Inc. has patented new proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to an interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK-4)-targeting moiety via linker.
Hinge Bio Inc. has closed a $30 series A financing to support progression of its lead product candidate, HB-2198, into the clinic for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
There are currently three approved vaccines against the H5N1 avian influenza virus. However, they present challenges for large-scale virus cultivation in case of an outbreak and rapid update of vaccine strains to keep pace with the virus’s evolution. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine platforms may offer a promising alternative to traditional vaccine methods to face H5N1 threats.
An experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine with a dual mission – self-destruction after inducing immunity – improved the design of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy, a vaccine also used against cancer. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh engineered this strain with a double break, which is effective and safer after an intravenous administration, according to their results in nonhuman primates and mice.
Odyssey Therapeutics Inc. has reported new receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (RIPK2; RIP-2) inhibitors described as potentially useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, chronic granulomatous disease, neurodegeneration, inflammatory disorders and cancer.
The PD-1 receptor, a major immune checkpoint inhibitor whose signaling is the target of multiple blockbuster anticancer drugs, differs functionally between rodents and humans in previously unknown ways. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and co-authors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute reported these findings in the Jan. 3, 2025, online issue of Science Immunology.
Cyrus Biotechnology Inc. has selected CYR-212, an engineered next-generation reduced-immunogenicity and half-life extended immunoglobulin G (IgG) protease, as a clinical development candidate for chronic IgG-driven autoimmune disease.
Institut Pasteur Korea has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)-affiliated research institutes with the aim of pursuing joint research on mRNA vaccine and treatment development.