Genentech Inc. is paying $200 million up front and up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments to license one of Suzhou Sanegene Bio Inc.’s RNAi programs. Metabolic and autoimmune-focused Sanegene did not disclose specifics around the licensed candidate, except that it was derived from its LEAD (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platform.

Researchers from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) first proposed using eccentric training as a promising intervention to address musculoskeletal impairments associated with Marfan syndrome. Eccentric training is a form of resistance exercise that focuses on muscle lengthening under load and can induce robust skeletal muscle adaptations, including the attenuation of muscle wasting, promotion of myofiber hypertrophy and stimulation of satellite cell activation and proliferation, as previously demonstrated.

Advancell Pty Ltd. has entered into a collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement with 48Hour Discovery Inc. to develop a novel peptide-based lead-212 (212Pb) radiotherapeutic with an initial focus on a gastrointestinal cancer with significant medical need.

Kahimmune Therapeutics SAS has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Gustave Roussy and SATT Paris-Saclay. Created at the end of last year as a spin-off of Gustave Roussy and SATT Paris-Saclay, Kahimmune builds on the latest discoveries in immunology relating to the dark genome.

ABL Bio Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA seeking clearance to begin a phase I trial of ABL-209 (NEOK-002). Pending approval, the trial is expected to begin by mid-year in the U.S.

Onchilles Pharma Inc. has obtained IND approval from the FDA for N-17350, enabling initiation of first-in-human studies in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study will enroll patients in the U.S. and Australia with advanced solid tumors.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) involves hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis driven in part by hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. Dual inhibition of ACLY and ACSS2 restricts complementary hepatic sources of acetyl-CoA, a key driver of lipogenesis and MASH pathology.

Certain chemical compounds can disable the bacterial immune systems that protect them from viruses, making the bacteria vulnerable to infection. Scientists at Indiana University have discovered a promising compound that works in different types of bacteria and could be used to develop potent and diverse phage therapies against bacterial infections, ultimately giving clinicians more options against antibiotic resistance.