Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While multidrug treatment regimens are the standard of care, the lengthy treatment schedule and the emergence of drug-resistant TB highlight the need for new therapeutic options to address these challenges. Inosine-5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (GuaB) is vital for bacterial survival and propagation; therefore, GuaB inhibitors are considered potential compounds to add to first-line TB treatment.

The lung and thrombosis may play a key role in cancer and metastasis progression, according to a collaborative study led by Cornell University scientists. In the nonmetastatic lung microenvironment of several cancer types, the development of a prothrombosis niche promotes metastasis formation through the release of small extracellular vesicles loaded with an integrin protein.

The former head of the U.S. NIH has sounded a warning that the uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and layoffs is blocking “critical work” and “paralyzing” biomedical research. “Every time we launch a new program, every time we continue to commit resources to ongoing work, those are important decisions that we make every single day, and in times like this, that decision-making is paralyzed,” said Monica Bertagnolli, who stood down as director of the NIH on Jan. 17.

Researchers from Morphic Therapeutic Inc. and affiliated organizations published data from a study that aimed to assess the potential of using arginylglycylaspartic acid (RGD) integrins for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).