OTU deubiquitinase 5 (OTUD5) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that has been shown to play a key role in mediating innate immunity and inflammation development, and which is also involved in various cancers.
Biocity Biopharmaceutics Co. Ltd.’s selective endothelin receptor type A antagonist, SC-0062, met the primary endpoint of reducing proteinuria in a phase II chronic kidney disease trial. The candidate showed a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in proteinuria, with a clear dose-response relationship and good safety profile.
The efficacy of cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists in diet-induced obesity and its related metabolic complications is well established, but they are tied to central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse effects due to brain penetration. There is increasing interest in developing peripherally restricted compounds for use in the clinic, but the molecular mechanisms behind the metabolic benefits from CB1 receptor antagonists is still poorly understood.
Large-scale human genetic studies have revealed that loss-of-function INHBE variants are associated with a lower abdominal to gluteofemoral fat ratio, improved metabolic profile, and reduced fasting glucose levels.
After finding a mutation in METTL2A in a family with diabetes exhibiting a special phenotype, investigators at Zhejiang University School of Medicine studied its role in glucose and lipid metabolism in METTL2 (murine orthologue) knockout mice and wild-type mice fed a normal chow or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has a prevalence of about 25% in the adult population, with steatosis present in >5% of hepatocytes, hepatocyte ballooning and fibrosis as the main hallmarks. Scientists have tested effects of the galectin-3 inhibitor modified citrus pectin (MCP) in ApoE knockout mice fed a western diet.
Medipal Holdings Corp. and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have announced the completion of the clinical trial notification review by Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for a phase I/II study of JR-446 for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB; Sanfilippo syndrome type B).
Targeting monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (MGAT2), an enzyme highly expressed in the small intestine, has been validated as an antiobesity strategy in the preclinical setting.
Biolexis Therapeutics Inc. is working on developing orally available, small-molecule AMPK activators that have been found to stimulate AMPK activity as well as dose-dependently enhance glucose uptake in human tissue.
Biomed Industries Inc. has presented data on its IGF-1/GLP-1/GIP/GCGR quadruple agonist NA-931 for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders. The company has discovered a family of IGF-1 metabolites, known as NA-931, and its analogues NA-932 and NA-933, which are referred to as NA-931 compounds.