Experimental drugs that directly inhibit the NSD2 enzyme have shown potential as an effective strategy against hard-to-treat cancers, such as lung and pancreatic tumors driven by KRAS mutations. The therapeutic mechanism involves reversing a histone H3 methylation that promotes open chromatin and the expression of oncogenes.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s zongertinib enters the market as the first oral HER2-targeted therapy for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, following an accelerated approval by the U.S. FDA. Branded Hernexeos, the drug is cleared for use in adults with unresectable disease or whose tumors have HER2 tyrosine kinase domain activating mutations and who have received prior systemic therapy.
Overexpression of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) has been observed in a wide range of tumors, where it is associated with malignant transformation, tumor progression, poor prognosis, and resistance to therapy.
Melanoma is one of the most mutation-prone cancers, with 90% of cases involving the V600E mutation in BRAF kinase. Several therapies are available against melanoma, but each one is associated with substantial drawbacks. Researchers at Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators reasoned that it might be effective to simultaneously inhibit both angiogenesis and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment.
Experimental drugs that directly inhibit the NSD2 enzyme have shown potential as an effective strategy against hard-to-treat cancers, such as lung and pancreatic tumors driven by KRAS mutations. The therapeutic mechanism involves reversing a histone H3 methylation that promotes open chromatin and the expression of oncogenes.
Quantumpharm Inc., known as Xtalpi Inc., announced receiving $51 million up front from a potential $5.99 billion deal with Dovetree LLC on Aug. 6. The collaboration, first inked through a letter of intent between the two parties on June 23, will combine Shenzhen, China-based Xtalpi’s AI-based and robotics-driven discovery platform with Dovetree’s “biological insights.” The goal will be to select and validate potential first-in-class candidates for Dovetree across five areas of oncology, immunology and inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders and metabolic dysregulation.
K36 Therapeutics Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the U.S. FDA for KTX-2001, a selective, oral, small-molecule inhibitor of nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein 2 (NSD2), a histone methyltransferase and oncogene that activates gene expression in some cancers.
Homeobox genes, a conserved family of transcription factors, are key regulators of embryogenesis, cell growth and differentiation, and have been linked to bone mass regulation and osteogenesis. However, their specific roles in postmenopausal osteoporosis and osteoclast development are still not well understood, with limited and fragmented knowledge on which genes are central to these processes.
Quantumpharm Inc., known as Xtalpi Inc., announced receiving $51 million up front from a potential $5.99 billion deal with Dovetree LLC on Aug. 6. The collaboration, first inked through a letter of intent between the two parties on June 23, will combine Shenzhen, China-based Xtalpi’s AI-based and robotics-driven discovery platform with Dovetree’s “biological insights.” The goal will be to select and validate potential first-in-class candidates for Dovetree across five areas of oncology, immunology and inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders and metabolic dysregulation.
Protumoral perivascular tumor-associated macrophages (PvTAMs) are a subset of TAMs that promote a chemotherapy-resistant tumor microenvironment (TME) through the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Consequently, HO-1 represents a promising therapeutic target for reprogramming the TME and enhancing antitumor immune responses.