After a decade of research, the NIH 4D Nucleome program on July 23 delivered a wealth of new insights into how spatial changes in chromatin structure and DNA methylation regulate gene expression in health and disease. In a collection of eight papers published in Science and Science Advances, researchers describe how they have applied single-cell level multi-omics data and tools and techniques developed in the first part of the 4D Nucleome program to track changes in the noncoding part of the genome that are involved in heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain aging, retinal health and immune cell development.

Evogene Ltd. and Eleo Inc. have established a strategic scientific collaboration to discover and develop next-generation oral small-molecule inhibitors targeting the PCSK9 pathway for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal condition characterized by abnormal vascular remodeling from excessive proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Recent evidence has suggested that structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 (SMC4) is upregulated in pulmonary tissue from patients with PAH and may be a potential target for therapy, since it has been tied to modulating pathological cell proliferation.

Atrium Therapeutics Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for ATR-1072 for the treatment of protein kinase AMP-activated non-catalytic subunit γ2 (PRKAG2) syndrome.

FAM3D is a protein mainly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, but also detectable in vascular endothelial cells. It is known to worsen intestinal inflammation by recruiting neutrophils, but its role in atherosclerosis is not well understood.