In repeated concussions, removing damaged mitochondria could prevent the neurodegeneration that occurs when pathology progresses in some patients. The key would be in the role of the p17 protein in restoring mitophagy, according to scientists from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). “Brain injury is an extrinsic disease. It is not idiopathic. When the primary injury occurs, the secure mechanism only relies on an endogenous protection of the brain. If you have a good neuroprotective mechanism, then after the primary injury, basically you don’t see any symptomatic effect,” Onder Albayram told BioWorld. Read More
It has been shown that vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) induces blood-brain barrier disruption and vasogenic edema and it is up-regulated in stroke. When bound to its receptor, VEGF promotes angiogenesis and neuroprotection, in addition to inducing vasogenic edema. VST Bio Ltd. and Yale University have presented data on their monoclonal antibody against syndecan-2, named VST-002, that completely blocks VEGF-driven vasogenic edema while preserving neuroprotective effects. Read More
Respirerx Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s lead GABA-A receptor potentiator, KRM-II-81, has advanced to the next level of evaluation within the National... Read More
Satellos Bioscience Inc. has released promising preliminary data showing SAT-3247 can improve skeletal muscle function in a mouse model of... Read More
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), led by Boston University, is awarding $1.2 million to the Andrew G. Myers Research Group at Harvard University to develop a series of enhanced oral antibiotics that directly target a range of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which cause serious lower respiratory tract and skin and soft tissue infections. Read More
Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc has identified fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse and dependence, psychosis, parasomnia and trauma and stress related disorders. Read More
Oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide causes synaptic dysfunction, accumulates within synapses, and has been associated with synapse loss around plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, there is a need to identify synaptic binding partners of Aβ that mediate synaptotoxicity in the brain. A team of investigators from the University of Edinburgh and affiliated organizations aimed to identify synaptic receptors that bind Aβ in human AD. Read More
Infection with Helicobacter pylori is a risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. H. pylori initiates a chronic inflammatory response that can lead to the production of excessive radical oxygen species (ROS), which in turn can activate oncogenic signaling pathways leading to gastric cancer development. SUMOylation is a post-translational modification mechanism in cells in response to reactions to stress. A team at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University hence set out to study the role of SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 1 (SAE1) in gastric cancer, since it is a SUMO-activating effector protein. Read More
Researchers at Oncopia Therapeutics Inc. (Proteovant Therapeutics Inc.) and University of Michigan have divulged conjugates comprising a cereblon (CRBN) E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to an estrogen receptor (ER) or zinc finger protein Helios (IKZF2) and/or zinc finger protein Aiolos (IKZF3) moiety through a linker. Read More
Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) regulates cell cycle and counteracts necroptosis, and is hence considered a target to watch in necroptosis-related conditions such as cancer or inflammatory diseases. Researchers from Sichuan University have reported on the discovery and structural optimization of a novel series of selective RIPK1 inhibitors intended for use in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Read More
The current standard treatment for tuberculosis (TB) consists of a combination of four antibiotics administered for 6 to 12 months. There is hence a clear need for new strategies both for shorter treatment periods and that may address the emergence of multi- and extensive drug-resistant TB. Researchers from Scripps Research Institute have reported on the synthesis and preclinical characterization of a series of novel aryl fluorosulfate derivatives designed to be used for the treatment of TB. Read More
Shanghai Apeiron Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has described GTPase KRAS (G12D mutant) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer. Read More
