Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) research over the past century has shown that leukemia may be driven by an invisible hand of inflammation. The bone marrow and inflammation, then, may hold the keys to preventing blood cancers, according to John E. Dick’s plenary session at the 2026 Korean Society of Hematology International Conference (ICKSH 2026), held March 26, 2026. Work in Dick’s lab has found acute myeloid leukemia (AML) HSCs that harbor preleukemic mutations long before any disease diagnosis. These insights have enabled predictive models that could identify individuals at elevated AML risk years before the onset of outright disease, opening the door to new prevention strategies.
Infinimmune Inc. has recently presented results at the annual American Academy of Dermatology conference regarding their anti-IL-22 antibody IFX-101 for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
Dysregulated type 2 immune responses are central in atopic dermatitis (AD) pathophysiology. Key cytokine IL-13 drives epidermal barrier dysfunction and inflammation, while IL-31 mediates pruritus via activation of sensory neurons. Both represent clinically validated, complementary targets addressing both inflammation and itch in AD.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition that limits tolerance to exercise and predisposes people to sudden cardiac death due to mutations in sarcomeric genes. Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have tested TY-1, a chemically modified oligonucleotide-based drug inspired by the previously tested EV-YF1, in mice with HCM.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by dysregulated T-cell-mediated immune responses and suboptimal outcomes with current therapies. Increased expression of OX40 and OX40L in lesional HS skin suggests a contributory role for this pathway in disease-associated inflammation.
Researchers from Blueprint Medicines Corp. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. presented the preclinical characterization of BLU-852, a selective MAP4K1 inhibitor developed as a potential immunotherapeutic agent for cancer treatment.
Using Iambic Therapeutics’ AI/HTE platform, researchers at the company have engineered a next-generation HER2 inhibitor with superb selectivity for HER2, as well as broad mutant coverage and brain penetrance. The compound, IAM-1363, binds to HER2 in a type II DFG-out conformation, which represents the first reported type II HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
In both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and synovial sarcoma (SS), targeting BRD9 disrupts oncogenic transcriptional programs, including MYC, leading to reduced proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Researchers from Pamplona Therapeutics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. reported the discovery and preclinical efficacy profile of XYD-270, a BRD9-targeting PROTAC, in models of SS and AML.
The use of CAR T-cell therapy has transformed outcomes for relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, but access to it remains extremely limited in some countries. Cartogene Therapeutics Pvt Ltd. aimed to address this need by in-licensing CGT-19, a CD19 CAR T construct from Vector Biomed Inc.
Forx Therapeutics AG presented a comprehensive preclinical medicinal chemistry and translational profiling program describing the optimization of potent and selective poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase inhibitors, which led to the identification of FORX-428, currently in phase I clinical trials. The company also disclosed the chemical structure of the compound.
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