Onco3r Therapeutics BV has obtained clinical trial application (CTA) approval by the Belgian regulatory authorities for its SIK3 inhibitor O3R-5671. A first-in-human trial will be conducted in Belgium and is expected to open enrollment in the coming weeks. Final data are expected in the first half of next year and will inform subsequent patient trials across a range of autoimmune diseases, which are planned to commence next year.

The addition of photoisomerizable moieties in drugs opens the possibility of rapid and reversible light-dependent switching between an active and inactive form. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Barcelona have developed MRS-7787, a photoswitchable adenosine A3 receptor (A3R) agonist that controls A3R through topical skin irradiation.

Neucore Bio Inc. announced it has been awarded a US$304,000 National Science Foundation Small Business Technology Transfer grant to evaluate scalable manufacturing of exosome-based gene delivery methods.

When injured, the human skin is repaired through a wound-healing process that forms fibrotic scar tissue. Scarring burdens patients at both the functional and esthetic levels, and scars in the craniofacial region in particular can be psychologically damaging for the individual. The principal limitation to developing effective scarring treatments is the limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind scar formation and the mechanisms that drive repair without scarring.

Eluciderm Inc. has received clearance from the U.S. FDA for its IND to conduct a phase I/IIa open-label study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ELU-42, a topical spray-on solution for open wound healing, in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Chinese investigators have published data from studies investigating CYT-997 for the treatment of hypertrophic scars. CYT-997 is a tubulin polymerization inhibitor that reached phase II clinical development for the treatment of multiple myeloma and glioblastoma multiforme.

At the ongoing International Society for Stem Cell Research meeting, Chinese researchers reported they demonstrated that SPT6 homolog, histone chaperone and transcription elongation factor (SPT6) promotes epidermal stem/progenitor cells differentiation by facilitating transcriptional elongation, but its role in vivo in skin homeostasis is not well defined.

Deepcure Inc. has nominated DC-15442, an oral selective STAT6 inhibitor, as its second development candidate. DC-15442 is designed to replicate the safety and efficacy of dupilumab, while offering an oral alternative to regular subcutaneous injections.