While people living with HIV can lead virtually normal lives thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV persists in a latent state within cellular reservoirs that scientists do not know how to eliminate. “Transcription is a critical step in the viral life cycle. … But there are currently no drugs suppressing HIV transcription, and that may be one of the reasons why current antiretroviral therapy is not curative,” Melanie Ott told the audience at the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science this week in Kigali, Rwanda.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age and characterized by obesity, insulin resistance and renal injury.

GIPR/GLP-1R-targeting agents have demonstrated significant efficacy in appetite suppression and weight reduction; however, their adverse effect profiles and tolerability issues highlight the need for alternative or complementary therapeutic strategies in the management of obesity. Researchers from Juvena Therapeutics Inc. reported on the preclinical profile of JUV-112, discovered using Juvena’s proprietary JuvNET platform.

Single agonists of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) have been a success in the treatment of obesity, but monomeric dual or triple agonists have demonstrated improved efficacy on energy intake, appetite or metabolic function.

Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is a peptide hormone released by intestinal L cells after food intake. It acts as a dual agonist of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptors, regulating appetite, energy expenditure and glucose metabolism. However, its short plasma half-life limits its therapeutic potential.

“Loss of synapses and dysfunctional synapses in a region-specific way is important in Alzheimer’s. It’s actually the strongest correlate of cognitive decline, far more so than plaques and tangles, which are the pathological hallmarks,” Soyon Hong told the audience at the XVII Meeting on Glial Cells in Health and Disease, which was held in Marseille last week.

At first blush, the brain’s extracellular matrix (ECM) seems like the opposite of synaptic plasticity. Plasticity is the ability to change; the ECM is stable, to the point that it is often described as a scaffold – something to lend stability. “ECM proteins have some of the longest lifetimes of any protein in the brain,” Anna Molofsky told her audience at the XVII Meeting on Glial Cells in Health and Disease, which is being held in Marseille this week.