Abbvie Inc. and Tentarix Biotherapeutics Inc. have established a multiyear collaboration focused on the discovery and development of conditionally active, multispecific biologic candidates against one target in oncology and another in immunology.
Proto-oncogene Vav (VAV1) is a guanine exchange factor that is crucial for T- and B-cell receptor signaling. Assays in Vav1-knockout murine models had previously demonstrated diminished effector functions and resistance to autoimmune disease. Monte Rosa Therapeutics AG has presented data on the VAV1 inhibitor MRT-6160, a first-in-class molecule that targets VAV1 for proteasomal degradation, thought to potentially treat autoimmune diseases through the degradation of VAV1.
Autoantibodies call to mind disease – autoimmune disease, to be exact. But the physiological roles of autoantibodies are, at the very least, more complex than this view accounts for. “The autoantibody reactome is extraordinary,” Aaron Ring told BioWorld. “Nearly everyone has autoantibodies, whether they know it or not.”
The biological processes giving rise to the central nervous system symptoms of long COVID remain a mystery. But multiple studies suggest they do not appear to be a result of a direct viral infection of brain tissue. The latest such research, which appeared online in Nature Neuroscience on Feb. 16, 2024, demonstrated that local immune response in brain tissues persisted long after SARS-CoV-2 virus had disappeared.
A vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology against four surface proteins of the envelope and the inner membrane of the mpox virus (MPXV) demonstrated its efficacy in two animal models. Biontech SE scientists designed and tested two different combinations of antigens in mice and macaques for the two infective forms of the virus. One of them showed better results for its evaluation in clinical trials preventing the disease.
Alys Pharmaceuticals Inc. has launched with a focus in the field of immuno-dermatology. Supported by $100 million in financing from Medicxi, Alys was formed through the aggregation of six asset-centric Medicxi companies: Aldena Therapeutics Inc., Graegis Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Granular Therapeutics Ltd., Klirna Biotech Sàrl, Nira Biosciences Inc. and Vimela Therapeutics Inc.
Guangzhou Fermion Technology Co. Ltd. has received IND approval by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its TYK2 JH2 inhibitor, FZ-007-119.
Previous research has shown that the three isoforms of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) have distinct cellular expression patterns, with TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 expression being specifically elevated in human fibrotic lung and liver tissue. Since pan-TGF-β inhibition had proven to be toxic for chronic use, in recent work, researchers from Genentech Inc. aimed to assess whether specifically targeting one of the TGF-β isoforms could represent a novel therapeutic option for patients with chronic fibrotic disorders.
Japanese researchers have presented data from the biggest Asian genome-wide association study (GWAS) regarding susceptibility loci for systemic sclerosis (SSc), comprising a total of 1,428 cases and 112,599 controls and with an imputation reference panel containing more than 3,000 Japanese whole-genome sequencing data.
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