Recent findings unveiled that high serum levels of the molecular marker microRNA 371 correlate with the clinical stage and metastasis of seminomas (tumor of the testis germ cells) and nonseminomas. The expression of miR-371a-3p was evaluated in a cohort of patients with stage IIA/B seminoma and nonseminoma. Expression of miR-371a-3p was found to be positive in all 12 metastatic patients with seminoma or nonseminoma and was negative in 3 out of 4 nonmetastatic cases.
NRG Therapeutics Ltd. has been awarded a second US$500,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), to support its lead drug discovery program and the development of a novel treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Antibodies against tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-6 receptor are the most effective available therapies against rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, no cure for RA exists. In work published in Science Translational Medicine, scientists from Sanofi R&D (Sanofi SA) investigated whether dual inhibition of TNF and IL-6 could improve the therapeutic efficacy against RA.
Researchers from the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas aimed to identify pathways that contribute to the metabolic reprogramming ability of cancer cells upon resistance to ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) inhibition. Metabolism-centered CRISPR screening identified Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), which is an oxidative stress sensor that controls the Nrf2-regulated antioxidant pathway, as a key factor involved in desensitizing cancer cells to ATM inhibition.
An international team of researchers has created two bat stem cell lines that reveal an unusual number of viral sequences in bat cells compared with those of other mammals. Writing in an article posted online Feb. 21, 2023, in Cell, the scientists suggested that the unusual amount of viral genetic material found in the bat stem cells could explain why these mammals are largely unaffected by most viral infections, despite being able to transmit them.
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. has described new muscarinic M4 receptor antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of tremor, dystonia and parkinsonism.
Beigene Co. Ltd. has divulged proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase binding moiety covalently linked to a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 1 (MAP4K1; HPK1; MEKKK1)-targeting moiety reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Grey Wolf Therapeutics Ltd. has identified phenyl-sulfamoyl-benzoic acid derivatives acting as endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, viral infection, inflammatory and immunological disorders.
Hebei Feinisi Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has synthesized shared epitope-containing HLA DR molecule (SE-DR) affinity peptides reported to be useful for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.