With a modest $7 million up front but an ultimate payout potentially topping $1 billion on the line, Modex Therapeutics Inc. will collaborate with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. to find and develop multispecific antibodies for treating multiple indications.

Confo Therapeutics NV has secured a 2-year €1 million (US$1.2 million) grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to advance research and development of ultra-long-acting medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including bi- and multispecific antibody formats for obesity and other metabolic and endocrine disorders.

Cartography Biosciences Inc. has closed a $67 million series B financing to support its pipeline of T-cell engaging bispecific and multispecific antibody therapeutics that target novel and highly specific tumor antigens.

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.

Experts agree that the earlier Alzheimer's disease is detected, the sooner action can be taken. And so, the key to preventing deterioration is identifying the most effective early biomarkers, those that can spot the disorder and help halt its progression. Recent advances in the field have pushed a new era of early detection through blood-based biomarkers and personalized medicine strategies based on each patient’s genetic, immunological and clinical profile.

Although the development pipeline for obesity treatments is expanding rapidly, weight loss is often accompanied by a concurrent reduction in lean muscle mass, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches that promote fat loss while preserving muscle. Activin type II receptors (ACTRIIA/B) are regulators of muscle homeostasis, while the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) plays a role in energy balance and adiposity.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting over 12 million patients worldwide. PKD arises from mutations in the polycystin-1 (PC1) or PC2 genes. PKD is characterized by the formation of fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys, leading to inflammation, fibrosis and organ damage, ultimately resulting in renal failure.

In a recent study published in Cell Reports, a team of scientists from Gilead Sciences Inc. and the University of Cincinnati detail the discovery and engineering of potent bispecific antibodies that can significantly reduce lesion development in a guinea pig model of recurrent genital herpes.

Researchers from Mount Sinai Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues have developed a therapeutic humanized antibody that blocks the action of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a pituitary hormone previously thought to only play a role in fertility.

Jynneos, a current vaccine against orthopoxviruses such as smallpox and mpox virus, elicits only modest antibody responses, highlighting the need to search for more immunogenic vaccines or treatments. The global outbreak of mpox virus infections in 2022 lent urgency to this challenge.