How severe a viral infection is depends on how much the virus is replicating, damaging cells as it does so, and on the response of the immune system. Or so one would think. “Some of the most severe cases of COVID-19 are happening in the absence of replicating virus,” Joseph Guarnieri told BioWorld. In work published in Science Translational Medicine on Aug. 9, 2023, Guarnieri and his colleagues have described how those severe cases unfold, even as there is no replicating virus to be found.
Lemonex Inc. announced that the IND application for its mRNA vaccine candidate LEM-mR203 has been approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on July 21, 2023. The company plans to evaluate LEM-mR203 as potential treatment for COVID-19, with the planned phase I clinical trial being designed to assess its safety and immunogenicity in healthy adults at Seoul National University Hospital, Korea.
A different class of antibiotics could ease the increasing resistance triggered by some gram-negative bacteria. LpxC inhibitors are not new, but all attempts to develop them have failed due to cardiovascular toxicity or ineffectiveness. A modification of the structure of these compounds may have solved the problem. Duke University scientists demonstrated the preclinical safety and efficacy of an LpxC inhibitor candidate against a wide selection of these pathogens.
Simcere Zaiming Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has divulged 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) (SARS-CoV-2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of respiratory tract infections.
Viruses can evolve and mutate rapidly to establish resistance, making the development of durable and effective antiviral therapies challenging. The innate immune system has the ability to target pathogen membranes through the expression of short antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which exert direct antimicrobial activity and can therefore act as antiviral agents against enveloped viruses. Researchers from New York University and affiliated organizations have presented the discovery and preclinical evaluation of novel family of AMP mimetics, called peptoids, as potential new antiviral candidates.
Researchers from Infex Therapeutics Ltd. have announced the nomination of a clinical candidate for its in-house developed COV-X program. The novel first-in-class small molecule is an oral pan-coronavirus papain-like protease (PLpro) inhibitor, which was selected based on preclinical data that demonstrated in vivo efficacy of the candidate a murine model of SARS-CoV-2.
Cocrystal Pharma Inc. announced the company has selected its broad-spectrum 3CL protease inhibitor CDI-988 for development as a potential oral therapy for norovirus.
Researchers from University of Toronto and affiliated organizations have presented the discovery and preclinical evaluation of novel inhibitors of fungal fatty acid biosynthesis as potential antifungal agents. High-throughput screening of a library of natural products against representative isolates of four major human pathogenic yeast species (Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. auris, C. neoformans) resulted in the discovery of the triazenyl indole NPD-6433.
An experimental vaccine that contained antigens of both lytic and latent phases of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and induced both an antibody and a T cells response, was able to generate broad and long-lasting immunity against EBV in mouse models of infection. Researchers from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and Elicio Therapeutics Inc. reported those results online in Nature Communications on Aug. 8, 2023.
For some viruses, the challenge to developing a vaccine is their rapid mutation rate. This is the major challenge to developing an HIV vaccine or a universal flu vaccine. EBV is different. Its superpower is its ability to hide.
For people living with HIV, the single greatest achievement to date has been the emergence of antiretroviral treatments (ART) that completely block the virus, resulting in reduced mortality and morbidity and improved quality of life. But taking one pill a day for life cannot be the end of this journey, speakers said during the International AIDS Society meeting held July 23 to 26 in Brisbane, Australia.
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