Domain Therapeutics SA has nominated PAR2 antagonist DT-9046 as a drug candidate with potential to treat various inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis, as well as neuroinflammatory conditions such as migraine.

In work conducted by Jining Medical University investigators, synthesis and optimization of a previously reported ATP-competitive pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine-based glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor led to the discovery of compound [I], a candidate with significant inhibitory activity on GSK-3β (IC50=0.35 nM), with its inhibitory effect being approximately 12-fold greater than that of broad-spectrum GSK-3β inhibitor staurosporine and 189-fold greater than that of the parent compound.

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is an inflammatory myopathy causing proximal and distal muscle weakness. IBM’s cause remains unknown, lacking validated models, biomarkers and effective treatment strategies. Histopathological studies identified inflammatory infiltrates, rimmed vacuoles, and mitochondrial changes in the muscles of IBM patients.

Iqure Pharma Inc. has received institutional review board (IRB) approval for a first-in-human study of iQ-007 in healthy volunteers. This follows recent formal approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in Australia for the phase I study, which is expected to begin next month.

Maxion Therapeutics Ltd. has raised $72 million (£58 million) in a series A financing to support its development of antibody-based Knotbody drugs for ion channel- and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-driven diseases.

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.