Research into the regulation of gene expression experienced a significant breakthrough with the discovery of microRNA, small RNA molecules that do not code for proteins but control their translation. This finding has earned its discoverers – Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun – the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.”

At the European Federation for Medicinal chemistry and Chemical biology’s International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC) held this week in Rome, Novartis Biomedical Research reported the discovery and evaluation of NVP-EVS-459, a low molecular weight folate receptor (FR)-targeting radioconjugate, for the potential treatment and diagnosis of cancer.

Researchers from Shandong University and affiliated organizations reported the discovery and preclinical characterization of novel 68Ga-labeled PSMA-targeting tracers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

By combining both tumor diagnosis and treatment in entities such as fluorescent probes, theranostic represents a new avenue in the development of selective, safe and low-risk resistance strategies.

“Do dreams predict the future?” Abidemi Otaiku asked his audience at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, currently being held in Helsinki. Most audience members, being hard-boiled scientists, did not believe they did. But Otaiku, whose work won the award for best clinical abstract at the conference, presented data indicating that in some cases, they can.

Hypoxia, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment (TME), promotes malignant progression and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and hence, should be delimitated before treatment initiation. 

Researchers from BC Cancer Research Institute (Provincial Health Services Authority) and the University of British Columbia have presented the discovery and preclinical characterization of [68Ga]LW-02050, a 68Ga-labeled hydroxamate derivative of SB3.