One of the major obstacles to treating neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease is the blood-brain barrier: drugs that are injected into the circulation usually do not enter the brain effectively. Researchers at Denali Therapeutics Inc., Biogen Inc. and the University of Minnesota have devised a vehicle for transporting antibodies against amyloid-β that can bypass the blood-brain barrier by binding to the transferrin receptor, which is expressed much more abundantly in capillaries than in arteries.
Neuroone Medical Technologies Corp. expanded into treatment of chronic pain with a new U.S. FDA clearance for use of its Onerf system to treat trigeminal nerve pain. The system uses radiofrequency ablation to disrupt pain signals from the nerve to the brain.
“Our mission is to apply our protein-protein interaction (PPI) big data-generation platform to create novel antibody therapeutics,” Proteina Co. Ltd. CEO Yoon Tae-young recently told BioWorld. “We have been working to build a proprietary technology platform for more than 15 years,” Yoon said, “and we take pride in the fact that we made our own technology platform, instead of running a company based on licensed-in technology.”
A U.S. appeals court schooled the FDA as it handed Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. a “technical knockout” of sorts in yet another regulatory bout with the agency – this one over the FDA’s refusal to grant the company’s request for a hearing after it had received a complete response letter (CRL) for a jet lag supplemental indication for Hetlioz (tasimelteon).
Adding another name to an impressive roster of partners assembled over the past few years, Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. inked a neurology-focused deal with Merck KGaA aimed at discovering small-molecule RNA-targeted drugs that could be worth more than $2 billion.
Maplight Therapeutics Inc. has synthesized G protein-coupled receptor GPR6 inverse agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, schizophrenia, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.
Siteone Therapeutics Inc. has disclosed sodium channel protein type 10 subunit α (SCN10A; Nav1.8) blockers reported to be useful for the treatment of pain.
Microglia are the brain’s innate immune cells that maintain brain health and play a key role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) acts as a regulator of microglial cells and restores neuronal functioning.
A little-known tissue composed of a cluster of immune cells could offer novel insights into the development of neurological disorders. Meninges' immune system changes with age and neurodegeneration. Are they protecting the brain or fueling disease?
G2Gbio Inc. debuted on the Korea Exchange with a ₩52.2 billion (US$37.7 million) IPO Aug. 14. Nearly half of the funds raised will be used to expand Cheongju-si, South Korea-based G2Gbio’s manufacturing plants and help mass produce sustained-release injectable drug products such as GB-5001, its lead candidate in development as a once-monthly formulation of donepezil (Aricept; Eisai Co. Ltd.) for Alzheimer’s disease.
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