Scientists from the University of Lisbon have described how telomeres can establish the maximum damage that a cancer cell can suffer. Above this threshold, the cell would stop dividing and die. The damage comes from the transcription of the telomeres themselves of an RNA molecule called TERRA. When TERRA’s levels increase, the cell can no longer multiply. This mechanism occurs in ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres) cells, which do not elongate their telomeres through telomerase.
Jiangxi Jemincare Group Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have divulged tricyclic hypoxia inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF-2-alpha; EPAS1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, von Hippel-Lindau disease, pulmonary hypertension and inflammatory bowel disease.
Insilico Medicine IP Ltd. has described new TRAF2 and NCK-interacting protein kinase (TNIK) and/or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4; HGK; MEKKK4) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and fibrosis.
Lamkap Bio Alpha AG's κλ bispecific antibodies include a κ light chain recognizing one target and a λ light chain recognizing a second target. The company has presented data showing the benefit of combining a bispecific antibody targeting CEA (CEACAM5) on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells, NILK-2301, and a bispecific antibody targeting CEA on tumor cells and CD28 on T cells, NILK-3301.
Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is composed of several subunits, such as EZH2, EED and SUZ12, and is a regulator of cell proliferation and development. Targeting the allosteric subunit EED may be a new approach for fully inhibiting PRC2 complex activity and addressing the limitations of EZH2 inhibition.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are useful for the treatment of solid tumors, but in many tumors, only partial response is achieved. The antitumoral efficacy of Enlivex Therapeutics Ltd.'s Allocetra-OTS, a cellular therapy, was investigated in animal models of solid tumors.
Medshine Discovery Inc. has described gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Researchers from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV reported the discovery of novel potent fluoroallylamide induced myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein Mcl-1 inhibitors for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
GPC3 is an oncofetal antigen highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but minimally expressed in adult normal tissues, except the placenta. Cytovia Therapeutics Inc. has presented preclinical data on CYT-303, a bispecific natural killer (NK) engager targeting NK cell-activating receptor NKp46 and GPC3 expressed in tumor cells.