Confo Therapeutics NV has secured a 2-year €1 million (US$1.2 million) grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to advance research and development of ultra-long-acting medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including bi- and multispecific antibody formats for obesity and other metabolic and endocrine disorders.

Fractyl Health Inc. has announced data on RJVA-002, a dual GIP/GLP-1 gene therapy candidate.

As the many challenges facing cell therapies are being addressed, the CAR T field continues to evolve beyond its original design of T cells engineered to target hematological malignancies. During the 32nd Annual Congress of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), held in Seville Oct. 7-10, several studies showed how this technology is being redefined as programmable and adaptable immune cells with expanded functional versatility.

A major contributor to obesity-related pathology is inflammation involving a shift in macrophage polarization toward the inflammatory M1 phenotype and accumulation of such macrophages in the liver and adipose tissue. Activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on macrophages leads the downstream adaptor protein MyD88 to promote M1 polarization through altered gene expression mediated by the transcription factor NF-κB.

Faeth Therapeutics Inc. has launched a new R&D initiative aimed at preserving neurocognitive function in children with tyrosinemia type 1 (TT1).

KAYO-1732 is a novel, orally available, small-molecule inhibitor of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) enzyme, being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.