Immusoft of CA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Immusoft Corp., has announced that the FDA has granted orphan drug designation to ISP-002, the company’s investigational engineered B-cell therapy for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter syndrome.
Abpro Holdings Inc. and Celltrion Inc. have announced the submission of an IND application to the FDA for ABP-102 (CT-P72), a HER2 x CD3 T-cell engager. Pending clearance, a phase I trial in patients with HER2-positive cancers, including breast and gastric cancers, is anticipated to begin in the first half of next year.
Oniria Therapeutics SL, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and Institut Català d’Investigació Química (ICIQ) have partnered to advance ONR-001 for the treatment of colorectal cancer and to prepare it for clinical trials.
Pilatus Biosciences Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for PLT-012, a first-in-class anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of solid tumors. Pilatus plans to initiate a first-in-human phase I trial with this metabolic checkpoint antibody in the first quarter of next year.
Nectin-4 is a cell-surface protein that is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors, including bladder, head and neck, and certain aggressive breast cancers. Its low-level expression in some normal tissues creates a challenge for therapies, which can unintentionally damage healthy cells and trigger severe side effects.
Fat tissue balances energy by storing lipids during times of abundance and mobilizing them when needed, yet sustained metabolic stress demands mechanisms that limit excessive lipid loss. Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) report that stress-induced fat breakdown triggers a neutrophil response in visceral adipose tissue that feeds back to restrain lipolysis and preserve lipid reserves.
Apollo AP45 Ltd. has described eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-α kinase 3 (PERK) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Nanjing Minova Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Precision Brain Science Biotechnology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. have identified salts of deuterated dextromethorphan reported to be useful for the treatment of cough, pain, epilepsy, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatitis, cardiovascular disorders and glaucoma.
Shanghai Aryl Pharmtech Co. Ltd. and Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have synthesized aza-tricyclic derivatives acting as Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase (WRN; RECQ3; RECQL2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.