Crescent Biopharma Inc. has announced a new partnership with Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and reported progress across its pipeline, with three distinct programs set to enter the clinic next year.

Abilita Therapeutics Inc. has developed a novel approach targeting CCR8 – ABT-863 – that works as a potent inverse agonist to block CCL1-dependent and basal receptor signaling.

Vycellix Inc. has successfully completed preclinical development for its universal cell engineering platform (VY-UC) and will now seek clinical trial clearance in Sweden to begin a phase I study of VNK-101, an allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy engineered with VY-UC for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric extracranial solid tumor arising from the sympathetic nervous system. Disialoganglioside GD2-based therapies, including CAR T cells and other immunotherapies, have shown some success. However, GD2 is also expressed on pain fibers and other neurons, raising safety concerns, and relapses after anti-GD2 therapy are frequent.

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most prevalent and highly lethal primary brain tumors and currently rely on limited treatment options. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting cell-surface antigens have shown promise in GBM patients, inducing transient tumor regression. However, the lack of known tumor-restricted antigens in GBM limits further improvement of their therapeutic efficacy.

2025 has been the most challenging year in the efforts to fight HIV since at least the advent of antiretroviral therapy. In a report on “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” released last week ahead of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) described “a global system in shock” by sharply reduced funding from the U.S. and other wealthy nations. Scientifically, for now, progress is ongoing.

IL-2 is clinically validated as an immunotherapeutic, but its use is limited by toxicity issues. AZD-6750 is an approach from Astrazeneca plc that applies cis-guiding to deliver a modified IL-2 mutein to CD8+ T cells.

Treatment in glioblastoma usually fails due to tumor heterogeneity and persistence of glioblastoma multiforme stem-like cells (GSCs) within the tumor margin. Researchers from Trogenix Ltd. engineered TGX-007, an AAV1-mediated therapeutic that delivers both cytotoxic and immunomodulatory genetic payloads to the tumor.

HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have significantly improved cancer therapy in recent decades. However, ADCs can cause toxicity and resistance, while T-cell engagers (TCEs) show promising antitumor activity in solid tumors but are limited by substantial adverse effects.