A new study from researchers at Aevisbio Inc. and the National Institutes of Health on the effect of 3,6’-dithiopomalidomide on neuroinflammation adds new detail to what might one day become a significant new therapeutic strategy to treat Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders.

PERTH, Australia – Prota Therapeutics Ltd.’s lead candidate PRT-120 induced clinical remission of peanut allergy in 51% of children in a phase IIb clinical trial. There are currently no curative therapies to treat food allergies, Prota Therapeutics CEO Mimi Tang told BioWorld. Peanut allergy in children can be particularly problematic because the only treatment is avoidance.

PERTH, Australia – After raising AU$7.5 million (US$5.4 million) in a private placement, biopharma company Servatus Ltd. is advancing its microbial biotherapeutics clinical programs targeting serious autoimmune conditions. The Coolum, Queensland-based private company is focused on identifying and developing live microbial biotherapeutics and engineered proteins to treat chronic and autoimmune diseases, as well as non-antibiotic treatments for bacterial infections.

Binhui Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s BS-001, a recombinant human oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-2 expressing GM-CSF for the potential treatment of solid tumors, has gained an IND approval from the FDA.

With a special interest in neurological disorders, Hopstem Biotechnology Co. Ltd. closed a series A++ round to raise nearly ¥100 million (US$15.5 million) to advance hNPC-01, an off-the-shelf induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived human forebrain neural progenitor cell product to treat chronic conditions caused by stroke and traumatic brain injuries.

Immvira Group Co. presented positive phase I data for MVR-T3011 as an intratumoral administration at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, drawing attention to oncolytic viruses developed by Chinese scientists.

PERTH, Australia – Certa Therapeutics Pty Ltd. founder and CEO Darren Kelly knows a thing or two about launching biotech companies. He spun out Fibrotech Therapeutics in 2006 from the University of Melbourne, which was one of the Medical Research Commercialization Fund’s first investments.

Zenas Biopharma LLC launched on March 23 as a U.S. funded cross-border biotech company targeting autoimmune diseases in China. The company, headquartered in Miromar Lakes, Fla., is founded and funded by Tellus Bioventures LLC and Fairmount Funds Management LLC.

CAJICA, Colombia – China’s Anticancer Bioscience, a company focused on developing precision oncology medicines, has raised ¥66 million (US$10.2 million) to expand its small-molecule and natural product screening libraries and move two programs into IND-enabling studies.