Humanwell Pharmaceutical US Inc. has disclosed new potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 2 (KCNQ2; Kv7.2) and Kv7.3 activators. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of epilepsy, pain, depression, bipolar disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neurodegeneration.
Activation of cannabinoid receptors in the peripheral nervous system may help treat inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders as well as pain, and several full agonists have been reported but they present safety concerns. Partial agonists, such as those that activate receptors to 20%-50% of full activity, may be safer, yet so far such agonists have emerged serendipitously.
Dem Biopharma Inc. has divulged G-protein coupled receptor 84 (GPR84) agonists and phagocytosis inducers reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, infections, neurological disorders and rheumatoid arthritis.
Neuron23 Inc. has identified non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune disease, endocrine disorders, inflammatory disorders and multiple sclerosis.
Medtronic plc’s Brainsense adaptive deep brain stimulation system has been shown to be tolerable, effective and safe for long-term use at home in people with Parkinson’s disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology found that the majority of participants who received aDBS with the Percept neurostimulator achieved good ‘on-time’ without troublesome dyskinesia compared to standard continuous DBS therapy.
Taho Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced an NDA submission to the U.S. FDA for TAH-3311, developed as the world’s first oral dissolving film formulation of apixaban, marking a regulatory milestone for the Taipei-based biotech.
Synendos Therapeutics AG has delivered initial clinical data demonstrating the potential of its lead compound to selectively modulate the endocannabinoid system in the brain and to relieve anxiety symptoms without triggering a psychoactive response.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is neuroinflammatory disease characterized by optic neuritis and myelitis with presence of anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies. Satralizumab is an anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) humanized antibody approved for preventing relapses in NMOSD (AQP4 IgG positive) in adults and children in Japan.
Mercury Bio Inc. has released promising results from a preclinical study that successfully utilized its extracellular vesicle (EV) drug encapsulation platform (yEV) to deliver proteins, in the form of nanobodies, into neurons across the blood-brain barrier. The yEV platform utilizes yeast-derived exosomes, a subtype of EV.
Pop Biotechnologies Inc. has been awarded a $2.46 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue development of a ‘mosaic’ active immunotherapy against Alzheimer’s disease.
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