Multiple sclerosis (MS) is and remains “a problem in the immune system” Stephen Sawcer told BioWorld. As in other autoimmune diseases, a faulty immune system attacks otherwise healthy tissues that it should be leaving alone. In the case of MS, the tissue in question is oligodendrocytes. And a study published online in Nature on June 28, 2023, suggests that while MS’ beginnings are autoimmune, the path it takes in an individual patient is determined in part by how well the brain can cope with the autoimmune attack.
SARS-CoV-2 and influenza (flu) viruses share similar clinical manifestations, common transmission mechanisms and target tissues, often overlapping during seasonal outbreaks. In addition, co-infection of these viruses worsens disease severity, emphasizing the pressing need for a vaccine that effectively tackles both.
TFF Pharmaceuticals Inc. has been awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to continue development of a novel, mucosal, multivariant influenza vaccine using the company’s thin film freezing (TFF) technology.
Mozart Therapeutics Inc. has reported preclinical pharmacologic and tolerability data for MTX-101, a bispecific CD8 regulatory T-cell (Treg) modulator targeting inhibitory KIR2DL(1/2/3) and CD8 expressed on CD8 Tregs. The autoimmune checkpoint inhibitor aims to restore CD8 Treg function, acting early in the autoimmune disease process to halt downstream inflammation and prevent further complication. The initial therapeutic focus for MTX-101 is gastrointestinal autoimmune disorders.
Interactions between the gut microbiome and immune system influence cancer immune surveillance, though the mechanism through which these gut-primed immune cells regulate peripheral antitumor immune response is not well understood. Now, two recent studies in Science and Science Immunology using mouse models and human tissue samples have highlighted a group of intestinal T cells with the gut-homing α4β7 integrin receptors that play a critical role in mediating response to immune checkpoint blockade cancer immunotherapy.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13th leading cause of death in the world, and it is rising together with the increased prevalence of drug-resistant TB in many countries. The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is the only available TB vaccine, and it has been given to more people than any other vaccine. While the BCG vaccine has saved tens of millions of lives, it confers suboptimal protection against pulmonary TB as it is limited to providing protection only until early childhood. Significantly, the BCG vaccine is administered intradermally to confer exceptional mucosal immunity as compared to most other vaccines, which are more commonly administered intramuscularly. Novel strategies to improve the duration of TB mucosal immunity are urgently needed.
Autotaxin (ATX) is an enzyme responsible for the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), which plays a role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Researchers from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. and colleagues have reported on the preclinical evaluation of MT-5562, a novel oral ATX inhibitor, as a therapeutic option for SSc.
At the recent American Transplant Congress, researchers from McGill University presented the discovery and preclinical evaluation of a novel retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) inhibitor, TF-S14, being developed as a potential therapy to delay skin allograft rejection.
RSS
