A tangle of DNA can look like a knotted ball in the cell nucleus. However, the genetic machinery has a complex and regulated structure. Its long repetitive sequences also seemed to have no function. They were called junk DNA, although they were not. The same happened with proteins and low-complexity domains, disordered chains of amino acids that were poorly understood. Nevertheless, that protein noise has turned into music for the 2025 Lasker Awards. These prizes have recognized the work of scientists who were able to see order in chaos.
Researchers from Sungkyunkwan University and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have patented compounds reported to be useful for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections.
Researchers from the University of California, Davis have designed a novel gene therapy vector that selectively targets and kills cells infected with Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV).
Work at Blacksmith Medicines Inc. has led to the identification of new bacterial UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase (LpxC) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, lung diseases and infectious pneumonia.
Oregon Health & Science University and Washington University have jointly developed new tetrahydrobenzothiophene and tetrahydropyridothiophene derivatives reported to be useful for the treatment of flavivirus and alphavirus infections.
The envelope (E) proteins of Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) present a high degree of homology, which can lead to cross-reactive antibodies that exacerbate disease through antibody-dependent enhancement. This enormously challenges the development of effective ZIKV vaccines.
Several French institutions, including the University of Rennes, have prepared and tested disubstituted ferrocene complexes acting as viral replication inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of viral infections.
In a recent study published in Cell Reports, a team of scientists from Gilead Sciences Inc. and the University of Cincinnati detail the discovery and engineering of potent bispecific antibodies that can significantly reduce lesion development in a guinea pig model of recurrent genital herpes.
Gilead Sciences Inc. has identified 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19).
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