Pegylated interferon-α (PegIFNα) is a treatment option for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, but it often has undesirable side effects and not all patients respond to treatment. Tripartite motif-containing protein 26 (TRIM26) has been reported to have an impact on hepatitis C virus replication; researchers aimed to investigate the role of TRIM26 in CHB as well as its potential impact on response to PegIFNα in two cohorts of patients with CHB (N=945) treated for 48 weeks with a follow-up period of 24 weeks.
Researchers from Assembly Biosciences Inc. presented the discovery and preclinical characterization of novel small-molecule hepatitis B (HBV) and D virus (HDV) entry inhibitors.
Tuojie Biotech (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. has disclosed boric acid derivatives acting as β-lactamase (bacterial) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of bacterial infections.
Promidis Srl has presented results from preclinical evaluations of potent capsid assembly modulators (CAMs) to prevent abnormal accumulation of empty capsids and associated T-cell-mediated liver injury.
The soluble form of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hsACE2) could prevent SARS-CoV-2 from binding to the host cell receptors through competitive inhibition, which may avoid viral infection. However, the relatively short half-life of the recombinant hsACE2 limits its clinical application.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease in vulnerable individuals, through the consumption of contaminated food. Vaccination strategies against Listeria are unavailable, primarily due to the lack of knowledge of immunodominant vector antigens.
Formycon AG has published preclinical in vivo results for the development of its COVID-19 drug FYB-207. In in vivo studies, data were collected in two different models on the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of various constructs of the ACE2-Fc fusion protein, in order to select the most appropriate candidate to enter the clinic.
Results from a study carried out by the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative show that rare deleterious variants in the immune-system gene TLR7 make carriers more than five times more likely to have a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The TLR7 gene encodes Toll-like receptor 7 protein, which plays a protective role in the immune system by identifying pathogens and activating innate immunity.
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