Recent decades have brought advances in pharmacological therapies for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but their sustained efficacy is still not enough, and developing novel therapies is an unmet medical need for this condition.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody-mediated chronic neuromuscular disorder leading to fluctuating weakness and early muscle fatigue, with limited treatment options available. In MG, such as other autoimmune diseases, the main pathogenic autoantibody involved is the immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotype.

Recent advances in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, have shown that inhibiting the interaction between the α4β7 integrin and the endothelial ligand mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MADCAM1) has proven useful, safe and effective.

At the United European Gastroenterology Week in Vienna, Redx Pharma plc presented data regarding their ROCK inhibitor RXC-008 for treating fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease. RXC-008 is restricted to the gastrointestinal tract, thus avoiding systemic exposure; ROCK1/2 kinases are involved in fibrosis and their blockade has been efficacious in several rodent models of fibrotic disease.

To recreate in the laboratory the formation of Lewy bodies as they would occur in a Parkinson’s patient, two ingredients are required: the protein α-synuclein and the participation of the immune system. The results could prevent the development and progression of this neurodegenerative disorder and help in the search for new therapies.

Clinical research has shown that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), including cardiac and vascular dysfunction. In the current study, researchers from Medical University of South Carolina developed and characterized a novel preclinical model of SLE-like CVD.