Hillstar Bio has successfully closed a $67 million series A financing round to support its development of next-generation precision immunology therapies for autoimmune diseases. The company’s approach selectively targets and depletes pathogenic immune cells with the potential to reset the immune system.
Dengue virus (DENV) is a member of the flavivirus family causing dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can be life-threatening. Despite DENV’s widespread presence in over 80 countries and the significant health burden posed by the infection, there is still a critical need for therapeutics and vaccines, with current treatment options only providing supportive care.
Marengo Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a multiyear research collaboration in oncology and autoimmune diseases with University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The research collaboration will provide deeper insights into the mechanism of action of Marengo’s selective dual T-cell agonists in oncology.
CEPI is partnering with Astrazeneca plc to advance VHH-based multispecific antibodies targeting influenza, while Harbour Biomed Ltd. has entered into a global strategic collaboration with Astrazeneca to discover and develop next-generation multispecific antibodies for immunology, oncology and other diseases.
Ampersand Biomedicines Inc. has secured $65 million in series B funding from investors including Ampersand’s founder, Flagship Pioneering, to support advancement of two lead programs and a new discovery partnership in obesity.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a serious disorder that develops after SARS-CoV-2 infection, could arise from latent infection of another pathogen, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Rheumatology Research Center (DRFZ) have linked the inflammatory effect of this co-infection with transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), ruling out the possibility that MIS-C is caused by an autoimmune reaction, or persistence of the coronavirus in the body.
In atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and other dermatologic diseases, T cells lose tolerance to self-antigens, triggering the autoimmune response that leads to abnormal skin cell proliferation and inflammation. The use of Nck modulators may help correct dysregulated T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling, potentially restoring immune tolerance and reducing subsequent inflammatory responses.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is impacted by genetic, environmental and immunological factors, where the imbalance in T-cell immune responses significantly promotes its progression. In recent years, the role of RNA modifications in epigenetic regulation has caught significant attention in research; among these, N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) is the only acetylation process in RNA and plays a role in several biological processes, but its implication in the functioning of immune cells is largely unknown to date.
A combination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies and genetic factors may be linked to an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study led by scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Stanford University. “The Epstein-Barr virus has been a suspect for many years for having a role in causing MS. The evidence for it has increased though one has not really reached complete proof of its role,” Tomas Olsson told BioWorld.
Patients with psoriatic arthritis exhibit high levels of both IL-17A and IL-17F cytokines in the synovium. Bimekizumab, a biologic that targets both IL-17A and IL-17F, was recently approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
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