Cancer cachexia is a collection of symptoms involving progressive bodyweight loss with associated depletion of liver and skeletal muscle energy that ultimately bodes a poor prognosis in patients with cancer. Cachexia occurs in approximately 80% of patients with advanced cancer, and it is the most significant independent negative predictor of death with ~30% of cancer patients dying of cachexia. There are currently no effective treatments for cancer cachexia.
An oral drug has shown promise for treating metabolic syndrome in mouse models by selectively blocking the production of free radicals in the mitochondria, a research group has found. The study, carried out by a group led by Martin Brand, Professor Emeritus at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, could lead to treatments that tackle the underlying causes of metabolic syndrome and multiple other conditions linked to aging.
Camurus AB’s subcutaneous octreotide hydrochloride injection pen, CAM-2029, yielded statistically significant improvements in “multiple endpoints” in a 52-week phase III extension trial in patients with acromegaly, moving it closer to providing a more convenient treatment option for patients with the rare, chronic growth disorder than currently available therapies.
Eleven Therapeutics Ltd. has established a research collaboration with Novo Nordisk A/S for the identification of novel molecules that promote precise delivery of nucleic acid for cardiometabolic diseases by leveraging Eleven’s innovative Deliveri platform.
Aeterna Zentaris Inc. has offered an update on its development pipeline programs. Macimorelin acetate (AEZS-130), a ghrelin agonist approved and commercialized as a test for adult growth hormone deficiency, is in preclinical development for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The company has now successfully developed an alternative formulation suitable for use in ALS.
Corcept Therapeutics Inc. has described piperazine indazole glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of obesity, Cushing syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cancer, among others.
Septerna Inc. has closed a US$150 million series B financing and will use the funds to continue development of its portfolio of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-targeted, oral small-molecule drug candidates, including advancement of its lead program targeting the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) to clinical proof of mechanism.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and affiliated organizations have reported the development and preclinical evaluation of [18F]F-ZW-cinacalcet, a novel PET agent targeting the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) for parathyroid imaging.
JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has received approval from Germany’s Paul-Ehrlich Institute (PEI) for its clinical trial application (CTA) for JR-441, a blood-brain barrier penetrating form of heparan N-sulfatase developed using JCR’s proprietary J-Brain Cargo technology.
Researchers from the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich have described a genetic overlap between type 2 diabetes (T2D), a disease that is also associated with obesity, and osteoarthritis, a degeneration of the joints that worsens with age and coincides in the factor risk of being overweight. The researchers used genetic data, multiomics and functional analysis of the tissues T2D and osteoarthritis express to identify which genes were associated and correlated with both diseases. They published their results on July 10, 2023, in The American Journal of Human Genetics.
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