The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2022 was awarded to Svante Pääbo today "for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution." Pääbo, who is currently the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and his colleagues overcame extreme technical challenges to sequence the DNA of ancient hominids – because after tens of thousands of years, there is no such thing as aging well for DNA.
A research consortium comprised of XL-protein GmbH, Wacker Chemie AG and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) will develop a novel long-acting immunosuppressive anti-CD40 antibody fragment for the selective suppression of organ rejection, in particular in the area of cardiac xenotransplantation.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) expressing the LRRC15 protein (leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15) could be responsible for the suppression of antitumor immunity, according to a study using mouse models of pancreatic cancer. Scientists from Roche Holding AG subsidiary Genentech Inc. demonstrated in vivo that TGF-β type 2 receptor signaling in healthy universal fibroblasts produces cancer-associated LRRC15+ myofibroblasts.
Almirall SA and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for Simcere's IL-2 mutant fusion protein (IL-2 mu-Fc) autoimmune drug candidate, SIM-0278.
Immunovant Inc. has announced a next-generation anti-FcRn, IMVT-1402, for autoimmune diseases. In animal studies, IMVT-1402 has shown deep IgG lowering, similar to the company's lead asset batoclimab, with no or minimal impact on albumin and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
In a study comparing the antibody repertoire of individuals with severe myalgic encephalopathy/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) to that of healthy controls, the majority of individuals with CFS showed antibody responses to specific microbiome proteins. Such responses were largely absent in healthy controls, implicating immune reactions to the microbiome in the development of ME/CFS.
Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are by themselves not enough to set off a full innate immune response to viral infection. Instead, structural changes to the actin cytoskeleton primed the activation of RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), a family of intracellular RNA sensors that detect many types of viral RNA. When primed RLRs then encountered viral RNA, they set off an innate immune response that led to the production of interferons.
A new vaccine that uses the native-like HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer CH505 and a Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist adjuvant, successfully evaluated in macaques, generated potent polyclonal neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and a high protection against the infection of the homologous simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV).
Intravacc BV has announced additional preclinical and toxicology data for Avacc 10, the company's SARS-CoV-2 intranasal candidate vaccine, showing a reduction in upper respiratory tract viral load, broad cross protection against circulating variants of concern and a promising safety profile.
Avalo Therapeutics Inc.'s human B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) agonist fusion protein, AVTX-008, has entered IND-enabling studies, with the company evaluating a number of immune dysregulation disorders to pursue.
RSS
