Scientists at the University of Sydney have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body. Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15) is an inbuilt receptor that binds the SARS-CoV-2 virus without passing on the infection. The discovery opens a new area of immunology research around LRRC15 and suggests a pathway to develop new drugs to prevent viral infection from coronaviruses like COVID-19, but also to deal with fibrosis in the lungs.
Blueprint Medicines Corp. presents mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 1 (MAP4K1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and viral infections.
Biomedical Research & Bio-Products (Bio&Bio) AG is laying plans for a phase III trial of its vaccine for preventing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections from sparking toxic shock syndrome, after delivering phase II data showing good safety and immunogenicity.
Zhimeng Biopharma Inc. found a global partner for its hepatitis B virus (HBV) program, licensing rights to GSK plc for CB-06, an oral small-molecule Toll-like receptor 8 agonist. Pending positive data from an ongoing phase I study, GSK will gain rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the drug for chronic HBV infection, either for use in combination or as a sequential treatment with bepirovirsen.
Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center Inc. has described novel bis-amide containing compounds reported to be useful for the treatment of fungal infections.
Japan's National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) has divulged 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections (COVID-19).
Two papers in the Feb. 8, 2023, issue of Cell Host & Microbe have reported new insights into the relationship between myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and alterations in the gut microbiome, and how those relationships change over time. A reliable way to diagnose ME/CFS would be a huge step forward for the study of ME/CFS. Currently, the condition is diagnosed purely by symptoms, which are assessed via questionnaire.
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. have divulged imidazole derivatives reported to be useful for the treatment of bacterial infections.
Changchun Bcht Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has obtained marketing approval for its live attenuated zoster vaccine in China, making it the first approved shingles vaccine developed by a Chinese company. An injectable of 0.5 ml per dose, it is designed for adults ages 40 and older and will go up against GSK plc’s Shingrix vaccine.
Using a near-atomic resolution cryo-electron microscope and imaging techniques that prevent loss of information, scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. have obtained the complete 3D structure of the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus and that of the drug that neutralizes it, Inmazeb, the first FDA-approved treatment for this deadly virus. “The challenge was embracing the inherent asymmetry, the heterogeneity that is really there in biology, understanding it and collecting enough data to get all the images without needing to force any symmetry averaging,” senior author Erica Ollmann Saphire told BioWorld.
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