Certain chemical compounds can disable the bacterial immune systems that protect them from viruses, making the bacteria vulnerable to infection. Scientists at Indiana University have discovered a promising compound that works in different types of bacteria and could be used to develop potent and diverse phage therapies against bacterial infections, ultimately giving clinicians more options against antibiotic resistance. Read More

Genentech Inc. is paying $200 million up front and up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments to license one of Suzhou Sanegene Bio Inc.’s RNAi programs. Metabolic and autoimmune-focused Sanegene did not disclose specifics around the licensed candidate, except that it was derived from its LEAD (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platform. Read More

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) involves hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis driven in part by hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. Dual inhibition of ACLY and ACSS2 restricts complementary hepatic sources of acetyl-CoA, a key driver of lipogenesis and MASH pathology. Read More

Onchilles Pharma Inc. has obtained IND approval from the FDA for N-17350, enabling initiation of first-in-human studies in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study will enroll patients in the U.S. and Australia with advanced solid tumors. Read More

A group at the University of Antwerp has patented ferroptosis inhibitors. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of acute renal failure, sepsis, ischemia-reperfusion injury and more. Read More

Kahimmune Therapeutics SAS has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Gustave Roussy and SATT Paris-Saclay. Created at the end of last year as a spin-off of Gustave Roussy and SATT Paris-Saclay, Kahimmune builds on the latest discoveries in immunology relating to the dark genome. Read More

ABL Bio Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA seeking clearance to begin a phase I trial of ABL-209 (NEOK-002). Pending approval, the trial is expected to begin by mid-year in the U.S. Read More

Alchemedicine Inc. has disclosed complement factor D (CFD) inhibitors described as potentially useful for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and autoimmune diseases. Read More

Connecta Therapeutics SL has discovered 3-phenoxy-3-phenylpropanamine derivatives described as potentially useful for the treatment of fragile X and Rett syndrome. Read More

Advancell Pty Ltd. has entered into a collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement with 48Hour Discovery Inc. to develop a novel peptide-based lead-212 (212Pb) radiotherapeutic with an initial focus on a gastrointestinal cancer with significant medical need. Read More

Work at Alicorn Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has led to the synthesis of new sodium channel protein type 10 subunit α (SCN10A; Nav1.8) blockers. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of pain, respiratory and neurological disorders. Read More

Shenzhen Hanlin Biomedical Technology Co. Ltd. has identified new urolithin A derivatives. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of neurological disorder, aging, muscle disorder and metabolic diseases. Read More

Researchers from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) first proposed using eccentric training as a promising intervention to address musculoskeletal impairments associated with Marfan syndrome. Eccentric training is a form of resistance exercise that focuses on muscle lengthening under load and can induce robust skeletal muscle adaptations, including the attenuation of muscle wasting, promotion of myofiber hypertrophy and stimulation of satellite cell activation and proliferation, as previously demonstrated. Read More