Sail Biomedicines Inc. has received two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the company's Endless RNA (eRNA) platform to develop secreted monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for malaria.

Researchers have identified a new class of antibiotics that works by blocking the transportation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the outer membrane of the gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii. The most advanced member of the class, zosurabalpin (RG-6006, Roche AG), was effective against multiple A. baumannii strains, including carbapenem-resistant and multidrug-resistant strains.

Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative opportunistic bacteria causing nosocomial bloodstream, urinary tract and airway infections, poses a high disease burden worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, A. baumannii is a multidrug resistance (MDR) critical priority pathogen that could contribute up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Therefore, novel antibiotic approaches to treat MDR A. baumannii constitute a critical medical need.

Researchers from Banasthali University and Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) have reported the discovery of novel antimalaria candidates.

Jiangxi Jemincare Group Co. Ltd. has reported that its wholly owned subsidiary company, Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., recently received approvals for clinical trials of five of its drugs in the fields of cancer, kidney and infectious diseases.

Asieris Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. announced that it has received approval to commence phase I clinical trials in Australia of its novel antibacterial drug, APL-2301 (ASN-1733, MET-102), under development for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infections.