The endocannabinoid system is involved in pain perception, cognition and mood regulation among other functions. The dysregulation in synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids results in anxiety, depression or degenerative diseases.
KAT2A is a histone acetyltransferase that functions as a transcriptional activator which, together with its paralogue KAT2B, is markedly overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared to in hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Over the past few decades, drugs for Alzheimer’s disease development have predominantly focused on targeting β-amyloid but have shown limited clinical efficacy.
Gilead Sciences Inc. and Terray Therapeutics Inc. have entered into a strategic collaboration to discover and develop novel small-molecule therapies across multiple targets.
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that modulates innate and adaptive immune responses. Decoy-resistant IL-18, DR-18, from Simcha Therapeutics Inc., is an engineered IL-18 cytokine able to interact with the IL-18 receptor but resistant to IL-18-binding protein (IL18BP), which is a negative regulator of IL-18 signaling, thus overcoming the antitumoral efficacy limitation seen with recombinant IL-18.
Merck & Co. Inc. and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. have entered into an exclusive global license agreement for HS-10535, a preclinical oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Hansoh Pharma has granted Merck an exclusive global license to develop, manufacture and commercialize HS-10535.
Biper Therapeutics SAS has announced bridge financing of €800,000 (US$839,000), ahead of the closure of its series A funding round, to advance its pipeline of drug candidates overstressing pathological cells to treat diseases, including cancer.
Structure Therapeutics Inc. has selected a lead oral small-molecule amylin receptor agonist, ACCG-2671, for the treatment of obesity. ACCG-2671 is a dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist (DACRA) that is being evaluated for use either alone or in combination with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.
Researchers at the University of Leipzig and ETH Zurich have used single-cell sequencing to identify differences between fat tissue of obese individuals who are metabolically unhealthy, and those who were in good metabolic health. The findings, which were published online Dec. 17, 2024, in Cell Metabolism, identify measurements that can be used to decouple obesity from metabolic disease.