The fungus Candida auris has become an urgent clinical problem at a shocking speed. It was not even mentioned in the U.S. CDC’s 2013 reports on antimicrobial threats, but was one of five pathogens on the agency’s 2019 top-tier Urgent Threat List. Read More
Reninomas are rare renin-secreting kidney tumors, resulting from a neoplastic expansion of juxtaglomerular cells of the kidney, which are cells that regulate blood pressure via the secretion of renin. Based on previous research that has proposed a central role for NOTCH1 signaling in the regulation of renin secretion by juxtaglomerular cells, researchers from Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge, and affiliated organizations aimed to investigate the role of NOTCH1 in reninoma. Read More
Viruses of the Betacoronavirus genus that bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are the coronaviruses posing the most significant pandemic risk. Sarbecoviruses of this genus caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Therefore, new vaccines with broader protection from ACE2-binding sarbecoviruses and emerging variants of concern are urgently needed. Read More
Baudax Bio Inc.’s lead clinical candidate, TI-168, has been awarded U.S. orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of hemophilia A with inhibitors. TI-168 is a next-generation, factor VIII (FVIII)-specific regulatory T-cell (Treg) therapy designed to address hemophilia A in patients with FVIII inhibitors. Read More
Researchers at Firefly Bio Inc. have prepared antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) comprising monoclonal antibodies targeting HER2 covalently linked to stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING; TMEM173) agonists through a linker. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease, inflammation and infections. Read More
Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks, is expanding in many countries, posing a significant global health concern. The outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. burgdorferi is currently the most promising target for vaccine development, primarily because of its broad conservation among different bacterial strains that cause the disease. In a recent publication, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators proposed using a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA (mRNA-LNP) platform, similar to that of clinical vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, to develop a vaccine against Lyme disease. Read More
Researchers from Jiangsu Chia Tai Fenghai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and affiliated organizations have published preclinical data for the novel rearranged during transfection (RET) kinase inhibitor, FHND-5071. Read More
Flare Therapeutics Inc. has patented peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ, PPARG) inverse agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of bladder cancer. Read More
Research at Baruch S Blumberg Institute has led to the discovery of new diazepine derivatives targeting yellow fever virus nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) for the treatment of yellow fever virus infections. Read More
Quris Technologies Ltd. (Quris-AI) and Merck KGaA have extended their collaboration after a successful initial preclinical study of Quris-AI’s BioAI drug safety platform. Read More
Benzamide compounds acting as UDP-2,3-diacylglucosamine hydrolase (LpxH) (bacterial) inhibitors have been reported in an F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. patent to be useful for the treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli infections. Read More
Shanghai Zhigen Pharmaceutical Technology Co. Ltd. has identified aminoketone compounds with improved chemical stability that are potentially useful for the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pain and anxiety disorders. Read More
Modex Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to advance a platform and specific candidates designed to address a range of public health threats in viral infectious diseases. Read More
