Neuroblastoma is a pediatric extracranial solid tumor arising from the sympathetic nervous system. Disialoganglioside GD2-based therapies, including CAR T cells and other immunotherapies, have shown some success. However, GD2 is also expressed on pain fibers and other neurons, raising safety concerns, and relapses after anti-GD2 therapy are frequent.
In a recent study published in Cell Reports Medicine, researchers from the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Xi’an Jiao Tong University Health Science Center found that Mesothelin (MSLN) was significantly elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats and mice, where it drove osteoclast differentiation.
A team from the University of Missouri and collaborating institutions aimed to investigate the role of ABTB2 expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells. To do that, they applied a comprehensive suite of functional genomics tools, including siRNA/shRNA knockdown, CRISPR-Cas9 knockout, plasmid-based overexpression and a Cre-LoxP transgenic mouse model to modulate ABTB2 expression.
The Schlafen (SLFN) family of interferon-inducible genes, involved in the regulation of immune and antiviral responses, has recently attracted attention for the development of novel anticancer therapies.
Enara Bio Ltd. is staking a claim to having validated the first in a new class of tumor antigens derived from unannotated regions of the dark genome, describing its findings in talks and posters being presented at the Society of Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) meeting in National Harbor, Md., Nov. 5-9, 2025.
Current treatments for herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) mainly target the viral DNA polymerase, but resistance is becoming an increasing problem. By understanding how HSV-1 initiates replication, scientists hope to find new ways to intervene before this stage, which could potentially contribute to avoid resistance.
Leading advances in cancer research, the 2025 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics highlighted some of the field’s most promising innovations. Parabilis Medicines Inc. and Tango Therapeutics Inc. presented their work on potential therapeutic targets that may signal significant shifts in the future of cancer treatment.
Restrictive element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) has key roles in neuronal differentiation, structural remodeling and plasticity, contributing to neuronal homeostasis in postnatal neurons. It acts as a suppressor of neuronal gene expression in stem and progenitor cells, and abnormal accumulation of it has been linked to several neurological disorders, like Huntington’s disease, epilepsy and stroke.
Septic cardiomyopathy is a common and serious complication of sepsis, affecting up to 60% of patients and markedly worsening survival outcomes. It is characterized by left ventricular systolic dysfunction, but its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood despite extensive research.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat inflammatory pain, but they can have severe side effects, including potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal, renal and cardiac toxicity. Their analgesic effect is driven by inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis and subsequent inflammation, but this inhibitory effect on inflammation could delay pain resolution. An optimal approach to managing PG-mediated pain would selectively relieve pain while preserving the PGs’ essential inflammatory and protective functions.
