Quince Therapeutics Inc. is scrapping work with dexamethasone sodium phosphate encapsulated in autologous erythrocytes (eDSP) for patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), and Boral analyst Jason Kolbert said “the core value driver has been effectively removed, and the equity appears fully impaired at this stage.”
Humanwell Pharmaceutical US Inc. has disclosed prodrugs of somatostatin SST4 receptor agonists described as potentially useful for the treatment of visceral and neuropathic pain.
DFNB16, a recessive form of mild-to-moderate human deafness, is caused by mutations in the STRC gene, which encodes stereocilin, a protein essential for the effective function of outer hair cells as cochlear amplifiers. Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and Sorbonne Université in Paris, France, have developed and evaluated the efficacy of an Strc gene therapy in a mouse model of DFNB16.
Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have identified oxyheteroaryl compounds acting as sodium channel protein type 10 subunit α (Nav1.8) blockers. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of pain, urinary incontinence, multiple sclerosis, cough, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and arrhythmia.
Bexorg Inc. has been awarded a research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) through the Targets to Therapies initiative to identify translational biomarkers for TRPML1-targeted therapies.
The SCN2A Foundation has entered into a research collaboration with Unravel Biosciences Inc. to advance preclinical research for SCN2A-related disorders caused by loss-of-function mutations, a subset of SCN2A conditions driven by insufficient functional protein.
Several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy, are classified as tauopathies due to the pathological accumulation of tau protein in specific brain nuclei. Researchers in Argentina have proposed the use of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated therapies using viral vectors to target tau.
Zylox-Tonbridge Medical Technology Co. Ltd. plans to expand globally with M&As, company chairman and CEO Jonathon Zhong Zhao told BioWorld, starting with a stepwise acquisition of Optimed Holding GmbH and its subsidiaries, including Optimed Medizinische Instrumente GmbH.
Janssen Pharmaceutica NV has identified compounds targeting TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TARDBP; TDP-43) acting as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. They are designed for use in the diagnosis of neurological disorders.
Voltage-gated sodium channels, particularly Nav1.7, are highly expressed in peripheral sensory neurons and are crucial for pain signal conduction and signal transmission in the spinal dorsal horn. Because of their role in triggering pain, these channels are considered critical targets for analgesics. Systemic inhibition of Nav1.7 has been shown to abolish pain perception.