Overexpression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has been observed in several types of cancer, including gastric, esophageal and colorectal cancers. Several FAK inhibitors have advanced to clinical evaluation for the treatment of cancer, however, none have entered the market.

Simcere Zaiming Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has received clinical trial approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the company’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), SIM-0686, for FGFR2b-positive, locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

1st Biotherapeutics Inc. has joined The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) LRRK2 Investigative Therapeutics Exchange (LITE) program.

Researchers from AC Immune SA recently presented the discovery of ACI-21018, a novel α-synuclein aggregation inhibitor developed using AC Immune’s proprietary Morphomer platform.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG and Cue Biopharma Inc. have signed a strategic research collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize Cue Biopharma’s CUE-501, a differentiated B-cell depletion therapy for autoimmune diseases.

Researchers from Pretzel Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Gothenburg have published new insights on how mutations in the POLG gene affect its functionality and are tied to PolG diseases. They have also presented a compound for its potential treatment, PZL-A. They published their results in Nature on April 9, 2025.

In a roadmap to change animal testing requirements for INDs, the U.S. FDA said its new approach will improve drug safety, hasten the evaluation process, and lower costs for companies and patients. It’s another step in a process of changing rules put in place decades ago.