A cluster of deaths in 1993 in the southwestern U.S. that were characterized by an acute respiratory failure and shock were determined to be due to hantaviruses, which are RNA zoonotic viruses typically transmitted by a rodent vector. Given a fatality rate ranging from 15% to 40% and capacity to potentially spread through human-to-human contact, it is possible that the public health risks posed by these agents have been underestimated.

Mozart Therapeutics Inc. has reported preclinical pharmacologic and tolerability data for MTX-101, a bispecific CD8 regulatory T-cell (Treg) modulator targeting inhibitory KIR2DL(1/2/3) and CD8 expressed on CD8 Tregs. The autoimmune checkpoint inhibitor aims to restore CD8 Treg function, acting early in the autoimmune disease process to halt downstream inflammation and prevent further complication. The initial therapeutic focus for MTX-101 is gastrointestinal autoimmune disorders.

At the ongoing EASL meeting, researchers from Hepagene Therapeutics Inc. presented preclinical data for the novel thyroid hormone receptor β (THR-β) agonist HPG-7233, being developed for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Back-to-back papers in the June 22, 2023, issue of Nature have identified separate molecular mechanisms underlying sex-specific cancer outcomes. Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that increased expression of the epigenetic enzyme KDM5D, which is located on the Y chromosome, contributed to cancer progression in KRAS-mutated tumors. In the same issue of Nature, a team from Cedars-Sinai reported new insights into the consequences of losing the entire Y chromosome.

During the first talk of the Basic Science Seminar sessions at the 2023 EASL International Liver Congress, focusing on the gut-liver axis, Prof. Maria Rescigno from Humanitas University presented data on the interaction between the gut and the liver and the role of microbiota and intestinal permeability in health and disease.