During an Innovation Ignited webinar sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, experts talked about how precision medicine has helped advance the field of oncology and how those lessons can be applied to immunology.
Backed by AI technology, Aigen Sciences Inc. raised ₩12 billion (US$8.8 million) in a series A financing round to further advance its cancer and rare disease drug pipelines.
Recent decades have brought advances in pharmacological therapies for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but their sustained efficacy is still not enough, and developing novel therapies is an unmet medical need for this condition.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody-mediated chronic neuromuscular disorder leading to fluctuating weakness and early muscle fatigue, with limited treatment options available. In MG, such as other autoimmune diseases, the main pathogenic autoantibody involved is the immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotype.
Innocare Pharma Ltd.’s tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, ICP-488, met the primary endpoint in a phase II trial in Chinese patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the results clear the way to accelerate clinical development in psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases.
Securing clinical proof of concept for its nanoparticle platform, Topas Therapeutics GmbH reported promising top-line phase IIa results of TPM-502 for celiac disease. Results show a clear statistically significant dose response for antigen-specific markers of tolerance. The effects persisted throughout the follow-up period, and the candidate was safe at all doses tested, according to the Hamburg, Germany-based company.
This summer’s IPO by Artiva Biotherapeutics Inc. highlighted early stage efforts with natural killer cells in autoimmune disease, where a handful of companies are advancing programs. The firm raised $167 million through an upsized financing, with funds aimed at the development of its lead AlloNK program for systemic lupus erythematosus and other indications in the same category.
Recent advances in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, have shown that inhibiting the interaction between the α4β7 integrin and the endothelial ligand mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MADCAM1) has proven useful, safe and effective.
At the United European Gastroenterology Week in Vienna, Redx Pharma plc presented data regarding their ROCK inhibitor RXC-008 for treating fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease. RXC-008 is restricted to the gastrointestinal tract, thus avoiding systemic exposure; ROCK1/2 kinases are involved in fibrosis and their blockade has been efficacious in several rodent models of fibrotic disease.
To recreate in the laboratory the formation of Lewy bodies as they would occur in a Parkinson’s patient, two ingredients are required: the protein α-synuclein and the participation of the immune system. The results could prevent the development and progression of this neurodegenerative disorder and help in the search for new therapies.
RSS
