Two days after Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. signed a molecular glue degrader deal with Novartis AG, two other companies, Biogen Inc. and Neomorph Inc., are moving forward in the same space in a partnership worth up to $1.45 billion. Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen and San Diego-based Neomorph will develop molecular glue degraders (MGDs) for priority targets in Alzheimer’s, rare neurological and immunological diseases, using Neomorph’s MGD platform to identify and validate novel small-molecule protein degraders. Read More
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium species that infect hundreds of millions of people annually. Among the plasmodia, Plasmodium falciparum is considered the most dangerous due to frequent severe clinical complications and high mortality rates. Researchers from the University of California at Riverside described the discovery and mechanism of action of MED-6189, a kalihinol analog effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant P. falciparum strains in vitro and in vivo. Read More
Methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A), the rate-limiting enzyme in the methionine cycle, catalyzes the formation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) from methionine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Read More
The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to Capsida Biotherapeutics Inc.’s CAP-002, an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy due to syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXBP1) mutations. Read More
Collagen-producing activated myofibroblasts, which are key effector cells in fibrogenesis in different organs, express high levels of platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ). Read More
NRG Therapeutics Ltd., has nominated NRG-5051 as its first development candidate, and secured a $5 million grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to support its preclinical development of as a disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Read More
Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric liver cancer and has limited therapeutic options, with platin-based therapy showing severe side effects. WNTinib is a kinase inhibitor with specificity for β-catenin (CTNNB1)-mutated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is a therapeutic approach that shows promise for treating hepatoblastoma. Read More
Biosplice Therapeutics Inc. has discovered dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Read More
Pfizer Inc. has divulged AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases as well as inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders. Read More
Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors are commonly used in the treatment of hematological cancers. However, approximately 67% of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) develop resistance to acalabrutinib and ibrutinib due to mutations in BTK, initially most often C481S. Read More
Biogen Inc. has identified non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disorders, fibrosis, inflammatory disorders, liver diseases, pain and neurodegeneration, among others. Read More
Sensorium Therapeutics Inc. has synthesized mesembrine derivatives acting as serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of anxiety, depression and stress disorders.
Researchers from Mariana Oncology Inc. reported preclinical data on MC-339, a DLL3-targeting macrocyclic peptide in several tumor models. Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) is overexpressed on the cell surface of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) and metastatic melanoma.
