Natus Medical Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EU-based neurophysiology solution provider Micromed Group SpA. The transaction is expected to close in early 2023, subject to regulatory approvals from the Italian Council of Ministers’ Presidency and the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. Full terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. “The idea behind this acquisition is to provide a single portfolio of neurodiagnostic and neuromonitoring products in the EU and the whole world,” Thomas Sullivan, CEO of Natus Medical, told BioWorld.

Bristol Myers Squibb Co. has identified nonreceptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and optic neuritis.

The archetypal UbiB protein COQ8 has human homologues COQ8A and COQ8B, both with well-established connection to human disease, with inactivating mutations in COQ8A resulting in autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and affiliated organizations have now recently reported the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of COQ8A.

A strong clinical association has been observed between epilepsy and the development of depression, however, it is difficult to study individual molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these comorbidities in animal models. Researchers from Rutgers University have aimed to develop a cell-type-specific monogenic mouse model of epilepsy and depression comorbidities, which could serve as a tool for identifying disease mechanisms as well as for target and drug screening.