Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a condition that encompasses a range of liver disorders, from steatosis to fibrosis. In a recent study, researchers investigated the role of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) in MAFLD progression in vivo. This work found that deficiency of the gluconeogenic enzyme PCK1 promoted the development of MAFLD through activation of the PI3K/AKT/PDGF axis.
A rare cell type in the gut, the enterochromaffin (EC) cell, drove both gut discomfort and anxiety symptoms in animal models of gastrointestinal pain. Furthermore, the cells reacted differently in male and female mice, opening up new ways to understand and investigate the higher prevalence of gut disorders in women.
89bio Inc.’s top-line phase IIb data from the 216-subject study called Enliven testing pegozafermin in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) pushed shares (NASDAQ:ETNB) to a closing price March 22 of $13.68, up $2.75, or 25%. The drug, due next for phase III investigation, is a glycopegylated analogue of fibroblast growth factor 21.
Gut bacteria used liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to organize themselves into condensates, which allowed them to adapt to nutrient deprivation, enabling them to colonize the gut. In experiments reported in the March 17, 2023, issue of Science, investigators showed that a mutant of the beneficial gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was “highly defective in competitiveness, in its ability to colonize the mammalian gut,” senior author Eduardo Groisman told BioWorld. “Our paper provides the first example in which [LLPS] matters in bacterial host interactions.”
Researchers from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University presented data from a study that aimed to assess the association between translocase of the inner mitochondrial membrane 13 (Timm13) and liver fibrosis.
Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc. licensed rights to zastaprazan, a gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment candidate, from Onconic Therapeutics Inc. in a $127.5 million deal. Under the agreement, Livzon, which is based in Guangdong, China, obtains the exclusive rights to develop, license, manufacture and commercialize the candidate in greater China. In turn, Seoul, Korea-based Onconic will obtain a $15 million up-front payment, and up to $112.5 million in development, licensing and commercialization milestone payments.
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have published data from a study designed to assess the role of serine-arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) in hepatocyte function and survival.
Since episodes of idiopathic anaphylaxis (IA) are often accompanied by gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations, researchers from the National Institutes of Health aimed to investigate whether surrogate markers of GI permeability are aberrant in patients with IA.
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