Australian researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne have developed new yeast- and antibody-based methods to determine how tryptophan C-mannosylation, an unusual protein glycosylation modification, impacts the stability and function of disease-relevant proteins.

A Singapore study led by the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) has shown that a novel small-molecule inhibitor of the dengue virus (DENV) nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) has favorable pharmacokinetics and efficacy in preclinical animal models, the authors reported in the February 3, 2021, edition of Science Translational Medicine.

The first selective inhibitor of protein kinase R- (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), GSK-2606414, has been shown to attenuate vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in mice, according to a study reported in the January 26, 2021, edition of Science Signaling.

A study led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei City is the first to show that astrocytic apolipoprotein E (ApoE) regulates neuronal epigenetic states via reprogramming lipid metabolism, which was shown to control brain function, in particular memory consolidation, in mice.

An Australian-led study reported in the January 25, 2021, online edition of Nature Immunology has identified a new immunomodulatory pathway within the gut-lung axis that enhances microbial tyrosine metabolism, which could be targeted to treat or prevent atopic asthma and other inflammatory diseases.

An international study led by Australian scientists has shown for the first time that the androgen receptor (AR) is a tumor suppressor in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer, including in endocrine therapy resistance, which supports the use of an AR agonist-based treatment strategy.

Transient gene editing of the herpes simplex virus type 1 using mRNA-based CRISPR was shown for the first time to be effective against herpetic stromal keratitis in mice and blocked HSV-1 replication in human corneas, Chinese researchers reported in the January 11, 2021, online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

A study led by Australian researchers at the University of Queensland has shown that a newly developed antibody targets the flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 and was shown to reduce viremia and improve survival in mouse models of dengue, Zika and West Nile infections.

A Sino-U.S. study has shown that the increased expression of the small secreted glycoprotein follistatin-like 1 is critical in the pathogenesis of multiple fibrotic and systemic autoimmune diseases, the authors reported in the January 6, 2021, print edition of Molecular Therapy after earlier publication online.

A Chinese study has shown that the recently discovered transcription factor Bach2, which is important in B-cell development and progression of inflammatory disease, also regulates gastrointestinal regeneration by facilitating DNA repair after ionizing radiation exposure.