High hopes rest on manipulating the gut microbiome in order to treat a multitude of disorders. Clinical validation for the idea has come from the success of fecal microbiome transplants to treat chronic Clostridium difficile infections. Such transplants are in clinical trials to treat other gastrointestinal disorders, and more targeted methods to manipulate the microbiome are being developed as well, not just for infections, but in a multitude of other indications. Targeting the gut microbiome may turn into a way to alleviate inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, and even psychiatric conditions. Read More
A new method for controlling naturally magnetized bacteria has improved the prospects of applying them as vehicles for intratumoral delivery of cancer drugs and in hyperthermia therapy. The advance will provide a better way of directing the movement of systemically administered bacteria, using external magnetic fields to target them to tumors sited deep in the body. It also points to a possible route for engineering existing bacteria-based anticancer constructs for better targeting. Read More
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays essential roles in immune system function, controlling tolerance and immunity. From the thymus, IL-2 prevents autoimmune disease by promoting the differentiation of immature T cells to regulatory T cells (Tregs). Read More
Halia Therapeutics Inc. has disclosed serine/threonine-protein kinase Nek7 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatitis, peritonitis, neurodegeneration and psoriasis, among others. Read More
Sequencing of a total of 16 individuals from 4 multiplex families representing rare and diverse anorectal malformation (ARM) types, as well as 3 surgically resected tissue specimens, resulted in the identification of a novel paternally inherited heterozygous CDX2 variant [c.722A>G (p.Glu241Gly)]. Read More
Duality Biologics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. has presented data describing the discovery and preclinical results of DB-1303, an antibody-drug conjugate containing a trastuzumab biosimilar targeting HER2 (BAT0606), an exatecan derivative payload with topoisomerase I inhibitory activity (P1003) and an enzymatic ally cleavable tetrapeptide-maleimide-linker (payload-linker named L101P1003). Read More
Kallyope Inc. has synthesized glucose-dependent insulinotropic receptor (GDIR; GPR119) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of metabolic and nutrition disorders. Read More
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system that causes damage to myelin, neurons and axons, and which results in neurodegeneration. Identification of useful blood biomarkers for MS is still a challenge. Read More
Neuromyelitis optica-related disorder (NMORD) consists of a spectrum of diseases characterized by recurrent optic neuritis and/or myelitis, with most cases being associated with a pathogenic antibody against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-Abs) or antibodies targeting the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-Abs). Read More
Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research and Development Centre Ltd. has described nonreceptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of psoriasis, asthma, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, gout, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), among others. Read More
