Aligos Therapeutics Inc. has identified programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1; PD-1; CD279)/PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1; CD274) interaction inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) and hepatitis B (HBV).
Avenzo Therapeutics Inc. has obtained IND clearance by the FDA for AVZO-103 (formerly VAC-103), a nectin-4/TROP2 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).
In an effort to exploit the advantages of therapeutic bacteria and viruses while avoiding their disadvantages, researchers at Columbia and Rockefeller Universities have developed an anticancer platform called CAPPSID (Coordinated Activity of Prokaryote and Picornavirus for Safe Intracellular Delivery).
Scientists at National University of Singapore and Agency for Science Technology & Research Bioprocessing Technology Institute have identified MAPK-interacting kinase (MNK) inhibitors, particularly MNK1 and MNK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) metastatic to the brain.
Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has disclosed compounds acting as Myt1 kinase (PKMYT1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Researchers from Cardiff University have discovered a new class of highly potent and selective inhibitors targeting the LIM domain kinases (LIMKs), a family of enzymes that play a critical role in regulating actin filament turnover. This turnover is involved in the cytoskeletal remodeling, proliferation and migration.
Charm Therapeutics Ltd. has closed an oversubscribed series B funding round, raising $80 million to advance its next-generation menin inhibitor into clinical development. Current menin inhibitors show promise in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment but are limited by the rapid emergence of resistance mutations that cause treatment failure.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor. Non-muscle myosin II (NMII) paralogues (NMIIA, IIB and IIC) have multiple roles in normal cell physiology, but also contribute to pathological states, including GBM. Because oncogenic kinase inhibitors often fail in GBM due to pathway redundancy, targeting NMIIs, which are common downstream effectors, may offer a more effective strategy.
Mitochondrial transfer is known to occur from the tumor microenvironment into cancer cells, but now, Swiss researchers have shown a possible precursor to this is that cancer cells smuggle their mitochondria into healthy connective tissue cells, prompting their reprogramming to cancer-associated fibroblasts.