Kupando GmbH has closed a series A funding round raising €13 million. The funds will be used to complete IND-enabling work and to initiate the clinical development of Kupando's lead candidate KUP-101 in a solid tumor indication.
A Surrozen Inc. research team has reported preclinical data for the novel frizzled class receptor 4 (FZD4) agonist, SZN-413, being evaluated for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. In vitro studies using the Norrin mimetic (SZN-413-p) revealed that SZN-413-p induced Wnt/β-catenin signaling and upregulated blood-brain barrier/blood-retina barrier gene expressions in endothelial cells.
Researchers from Chongqing Medical University have discovered novel anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) dual inhibitors for the treatment of ALK-positive cancer.
A Mayo Clinic study demonstrated how the deficiency of the enzyme CDK12 or its regulation by cyclin K causes the expression of mutations related to resistance to endocrine therapy in prostate cancer. Prostate tumors with CDK12 deficiency are more aggressive, recurrent, produce metastases and are associated with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). CDK12 deficiency impairs DNA repair and increases genomic instability, causing an effect known as homologous recombination deficiency or BRCAness.
Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new genome editing technique than can activate any gene, including those that have been silenced, allowing new drug targets and causes of drug resistance to be explored.
Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and Princess Alexandra Hospital in Australia have shown nucleic acid binding protein 2 (hSSB1), a DNA repair protein, to have prognostic significance for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In an analysis of hSSB1 mRNA levels in NSCLC in online databases, higher levels were associated with poor prognosis.
Seagen Inc. and Lava Therapeutics NV have entered into an exclusive license agreement under which Seagen will work to develop, manufacture and commercialize LAVA-1223, a bispecific T-cell engager designed to target and activate Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing solid tumors.
Scientists at Surface Oncology Inc. described data from a study that aimed to evaluate the role of IL-27, a heterodimeric cytokine that plays a role in controlling the intensity and duration of immune system responses, in cancer therapy resistance.