As a consequence of chronic liver disease progression, severe cirrhosis, decompensation and fibrosis culminates in end-stage liver disease (ESLD). There are no treatment options approved for ESLD, but, among others, regenerative therapies with autologous, nonengineered, pro-regenerative macrophages have shown good tolerability and improved transplant-free survival in the clinical setting.
An international consortium of thousands of scientists is creating the Human Cell Atlas, a three-dimensional map of all the cells in the body. The goal is to understand all the cells that make up human tissues, organs and systems, which will enable multiple medical applications. This collection of cell maps is openly available for navigation at single-cell resolution, identified through omics analyses that reveal the tridimensional distribution of each cell.
Astrazeneca plc has developed a potent oral fibroblast activation protein (FAP) inhibitor, AZD-2389, that avoids the cleavage of FGF21 and α2-AP. AZD-2389 was tested in cynomolgus monkeys with diet-induced MASH.
Advertisements for Rezdiffra (resmetirom, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc.), which was approved by the U.S. FDA in March 2024, adorned the lobby of The Liver Meeting 2024 being held at the San Diego Convention Center as well as the trolley stop across the street and other areas that doctors attending the meeting might be swayed. But inside the ballrooms of the convention center, companies were making presentations of data from clinical trials testing their drugs in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in hopes of potentially competing with Rezdiffra in a few years.
Many studies have linked the presence of specific bacteria to various diseases. But a general overgrowth of gut bacteria can be a symptom of different conditions, including colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. A study counting gut microbiome proposes that microbial load, rather than the disease, could explain the presence of certain pathogens.
Several recent Imhotex Ltd. patents describe novel analogues of muramyl dipeptide (MDP), desmuramylpeptides (DMPs), acting as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) activators potentially useful for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.
Medtronic plc obtained a CE mark for its next generation Endoflip 300 system which measures pressure and dimensions in the esophagus and pylorus, in adults. The Endoflip can be used to help diagnose and treat thousands of people across Europe suffering with esophageal motility disorders.
Evotec International GmbH has synthesized integrin α4β7 (LPAM-1) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Numab Therapeutics AG and Kaken Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have signed a new collaboration and option agreement to develop ND-081, a multispecific antibody for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.