Dengue virus (DENV) is a member of the flavivirus family causing dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can be life-threatening. Despite DENV’s widespread presence in over 80 countries and the significant health burden posed by the infection, there is still a critical need for therapeutics and vaccines, with current treatment options only providing supportive care.

Entrada Therapeutics Inc. has received authorization from the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and research ethics committee to initiate a phase I/II study of ENTR-601-45 for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients with a confirmed mutation in the DMD gene amenable to exon 45 skipping.

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in the U.K. are developing a technology that analyzes, in vitro, how the 3D morphology of cancer cells changes when exposed to a compound, using AI to predict their response to new treatments. The researchers estimate that their methodology could accelerate drug development by 6 years, by ruling out unsuccessful drugs and thus reducing the number of preclinical trials.

Researchers from Anew Therapeutics Pte Ltd. recently detailed the discovery of novel oral IL-17A small-molecule inhibitors as candidates for the treatment of psoriasis.