CSL Ltd. is out-licensing its interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibody, clazakizumab, to Eli Lilly and Co. in a deal that brings CSL $100 million in up-front fees. A CSL spokesperson told BioWorld the deal includes undisclosed milestone payments and sales-based royalties. CSL will retain rights to develop and commercialize clazakizumab for prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage kidney disease, while Lilly will explore the MAb in all other indications.

SLAMF6 is an immune cell receptor whose function was not clear. Does it activate or inhibit cells? The results so far have been contradictory. Now, scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal have unveiled evidence that SLAMF6, a protein of the SLAM family that binds to copies of itself, is regulated by interactions between molecules of the same receptor within the same cell.

In the inflamed joints of rheumatoid arthritis, CD4+ T lymphocytes accumulate lipid droplets that make them vulnerable and promote their death, thereby amplifying joint inflammation. A study led by scientists at Mayo Clinic and Stanford University suggests that blocking the formation of these lipid droplets or their contents could offer a therapeutic strategy for this condition.

Cue Biopharma Inc. has reported preclinical safety and tolerability data on CUE-401, the company’s lead asset for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. CUE-401 is designed to act mechanistically both as a regulator of pro-inflammatory mechanisms, and as a master switch for regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation to induce tolerance.

Alchemedicine Inc. and Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp. have entered into an exclusive license agreement on lead HiSAP (high solubility and permeability) compounds owned by Alchemedicine.

SLAMF6 is an immune cell receptor whose function was not clear. Does it activate or inhibit cells? The results so far have been contradictory. Now, scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) have unveiled evidence that SLAMF6, a protein of the SLAM family that binds to copies of itself, is regulated by interactions between molecules of the same receptor within the same cell.

A circuit formed by tumor, immune and nervous systems triggers cancer cachexia and anorexia, the excessive loss of weight, muscle and fat experienced in some cancer types. A new study is the first showing these three actors of a triangle interaction that initiates and feeds the process.

After closing an oversubscribed $85 million series B round, Quantx Biosciences Inc. is gearing up to begin clinical trials of its two lead immunology compounds, a STAT6 oral small-molecule inhibitor and an IL-17 oral small-molecule inhibitor.

The use of DNA scaffolds could mark a turning point in HIV vaccine design. Scientists at Scripps Research and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a new vaccine platform based on DNA origami, a material that the immune system does not recognize as a threat, avoiding unwanted responses.