The lung and thrombosis may play a key role in cancer and metastasis progression, according to a collaborative study led by Cornell University scientists. In the nonmetastatic lung microenvironment of several cancer types, the development of a prothrombosis niche promotes metastasis formation through the release of small extracellular vesicles loaded with an integrin protein.
Researchers from Kevirx Inc. and collaborators have described the use of KVX-053, a PTP4A3 inhibitor aimed to be used for the prevention of COVID-19-associated cute lung injury (ALI).
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease predominantly with respiratory symptoms. Most of the subjects with the disease harbor the F508del variant in the CFTR gene that causes the protein to misfold and be prematurely degraded. Despite approved drugs that restore the CFTR protein, the maximal lung function improvement is approximately 14%.
Bambusa Therapeutics Inc. has completed an oversubscribed series A financing of approximately $90 million to support its lead programs through phase I trials and advance its pipeline of long-acting bispecific antibodies for immunological and inflammatory disorders.
Akeso Inc. has received IND approval by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for AK-139, an IL-4Rα/ST2 bispecific antibody under investigation for a number of indications, including respiratory and skin diseases.
Lycia Therapeutics Inc. has reported progress in its immunology pipeline that comprises lysosomal targeting chimera (LYTAC)-based protein degradation therapies. The company is advancing its two lead programs toward the clinic: LCA-0061, a Catalytac degrader that catalytically degrades IgE, and LCA-0321, a Lytac degrader designed to specifically bind and rapidly deplete anti-thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) autoantibodies.
Bioversys AG has announced that its BV500 NTM program has reached its second milestone with the identification of up to five optimized lead compounds, under the CF AMR Syndicate collaborative discovery program agreement.
Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of upper and lower respiratory tract diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma (AS). In the current study, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and affiliated organizations aimed to assess the role of the essential antioxidant enzyme, heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), in these airway diseases.
One potentially serious complication of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is pulmonary hypertension (PH). Based on previous research that revealed involvement of perivascular immune and inflammatory responses in regulation of vascular remodeling and PH processing, researchers from Fudan University investigated the immunologic factors linked to OSA-induced PH.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have tested a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds the stem of a protein against H5N1 avian influenza, which prevented severe disease in nonhuman primates and was effective for at least 8 weeks. The scientists remark on the potential of the design developed by Astrazeneca plc against a possible outbreak of the influenza A virus.