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.
The serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) plays a multifunctional role through its involvement in multiple signaling pathways. Because of its relevant role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, regulating GSK-3β activity has been proposed as a potential approach to target AD-related pathology.
Nader Pourhassan, the former president and CEO of Cytodyn Inc., was sentenced Jan. 23 to 30 months in prison for his role in a securities fraud scheme to deceive investors about the Vancouver, Wash.-based company’s development of leronlimab as a treatment for HIV and COVID-19.
Following a clinical hold last October of Intellia Therapeutics Inc.’s Magnitude and Magnitude-2 phase III trials of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing therapy nexiguran ziclumeran (nex-z) to treat transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and polyneuropathy (ATTR-PN), respectively, the U.S. FDA lifted the hold on Magnitude-2, pushing the company’s shares up by 22% in early trading Jan. 27.
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