Investigators from the University of Science and Technology of China and RNAlfa Biotech have described a novel mRNA-based vaccine candidate against Dabie Banda virus (DBV), which has fatality rates of up to 30% in some East Asian countries.
South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable “precision microbiome medicine” for the industry, Lee told BioWorld.
Bluejay Therapeutics Inc.’s lead compound, the fully human monoclonal antibody brelovitug (BJT-778), produced positive virologic response data in the company’s phase II study of chronic hepatitis D virus, a condition with no approved treatment in the U.S.
Aligos Therapeutics Inc. and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuken) have synthesized antiviral compounds reported to be useful for the treatment of coronavirus acute respiratory syndrome, norovirus and picornavirus infections.
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has divulged imidazopyridine derivatives reported to be useful for the treatment of Acinetobacter infections, particularly A. baumannii infections.
Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive bacterium that is ubiquitous on human skin and normally does not cause problems, but when it enters the body, it can cause serious infections. The growing prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) highlights the need for next-generation antibiotics against it.
Industry watchers were surprised when Eli Lilly and Co.’s oral GLP-1 candidate, orforglipron, did not appear among the first nine recipients of the U.S. FDA’s commissioner’s national priority voucher (CNPV) program aimed at shortening regulatory review times, boosting domestic manufacturing and improving affordability. But orforglipron, which recently nailed endpoints in a second phase III trial and has been hailed a potentially best-in-class compound, was among the second batch of six drugs added to the CNPV list.
Adaptor protein-2 associated kinase 1 (AAK1) is key in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, which diverse viruses hijack in order to infect cells. Inhibiting AAK1 has been shown to block the entry of hepatitis C, dengue and rabies viruses into cells.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc and Biomérieux SA launched Ampore-TB, a research use only test that can rapidly detect mutations linked to antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis. With multidrug-resistant TB affecting an estimated 400,000 people annually and increasing risks of morbidity and mortality, this assay could help with earlier diagnosis of drug resistance in patients.
Current treatments for herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) mainly target the viral DNA polymerase, but resistance is becoming an increasing problem. By understanding how HSV-1 initiates replication, scientists hope to find new ways to intervene before this stage, which could potentially contribute to avoid resistance.