Vaccines that target α-synuclein have a lot of potential for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. Tridem Bioscience GmbH & Co. KG has developed the proprietary WISIT vaccine technology.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease for which there is a 10% rate of familial cases, with the rest being sporadic cases. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the etiology of ALS, and more than 120 genes have been reported to be tied to the disease, but few with strong association. Thus, identifying additional genes contributing to ALS will help shed light on the disease and its related therapies.

Scientists at Fujifilm Corp. and Osaka University have described piperazine derivatives acting as drug efflux pump inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of bacterial infections.

Sudo Biosciences Ltd. has divulged non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of scleroderma, radiographic ankylosing spondylitis, type 1 diabetes, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, among others.

Suven Life Sciences Ltd. has identified 5-HT1A receptor agonists and 5-HT2A receptor antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of depression, insomnia, schizophrenia, bipolar and cognitive disorders.

Zhejiang Wenda Pharma Technology Ltd. has synthesized poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1; ARTD1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune disease, cancer and inflammatory disorders.