Researchers from Merck & Co. reported the development of MK-7762, a novel oxazolidine with antitubercular activity designed to overcome the off-target effects of linezolid.
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-positive bacteria can evade last-line therapies, such as vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid, through the development of sophisticated resistance mechanisms that include inactivation of target enzymes, mutations in binding sites, alterations in membrane permeability and overexpression of efflux pumps.
Smartbax GmbH has in-licensed a new compound class from the antibacterial portfolio of Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG to expand its proprietary pipeline of small-molecule antibiotics.
The range of effects caused by rhinoviruses – the pathogens responsible for the common cold – motivated scientists at Yale University to study the human nasal epithelium and uncover a previously undescribed defense mechanism. The interferon-mediated protective response in these cells can limit infection, whereas a maladaptive response tends to worsen it. Based on these findings, the researchers have identified potential therapeutic targets to reduce inflammation associated with rhinovirus infection.
In earlier work, researchers from the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology (Beijing, China) and collaborators identified a small-molecule inhibitor (IMB-H4) of the BamA-BamD interaction. By binding to the intracellular domain of unfolded BamA, IMB-H4 disrupts the BamA-BamD assembly, leading to outer membrane damage and filamentation in gram-negative bacteria.
Using machine learning as an innovative tool for analyzing complex biological systems, researchers integrated bioinformatics with adaptive algorithms and identified dynein light chain LC8-type 2 (DYNLL2) as a key modulator of sepsis progression. Mechanistically speaking, DYNLL2 interacts with p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) to regulate bacterial outer membrane vesicle (OMV) internalization and caspase-11 activation.
In recent years, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have shown significant success in preventing viral and bacterial infections, as well as in cancer immunotherapy and other disease applications. In particular, the development of lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-encapsulated mRNA has revolutionized vaccine development thanks to several advantages, including elevated immunogenicity, rapid manufacturing and a generally favorable safety profile compared to viral vectors and traditional adjuvant-based vaccines.
Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe febrile illness that frequently leads to death within 10 days of infection due to multiorgan failure. Different therapeutic strategies have been developed against EBOV infection, including small-molecule drugs, monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccine vectors. Despite their promise, all these strategies have significant limitations that limit their clinical application. Researchers from Mayo Clinic recently presented a novel molecular therapy, which they called “therapeutic minigenome,” using EBOV’s own proteins to combat itself.
Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming soil bacterium that becomes metabolically active when taken up by a host, causing anthrax. Research efforts are now focused on developing new classes of antibiotics effective against both wild-type and fluoroquinolone-resistant B. anthracis.
The treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is significantly challenged by the pathogen’s diverse resistance mechanisms, with biofilm formation being a key driver of antibiotic tolerance. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa pathogenicity is amplified by virulence factors that both evade host defenses and facilitate biofilm development.
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