Researchers from King's College London and UCB Pharma Inc. recently reported preclinical data on the effects of an anti-mouse neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antibody, UCB-4470, on circulating antiphospholipid (aPL) and aPL-induced thrombus formation in mice.

Investigators at the University of Bristol and Biognos AB have identified a structural feature that distinguished the deadly coronavirus strains from harmless, common cold-causing variants. The findings, which were published in the Nov. 23, 2022, issue of Science Advances, could form the basis of universal COVID antivirals, putting an end to the endless race to deal with new variants that has so far been a necessity.

The researchers showed that the same pocket, a binding site for linoleic acid (LA), was present in all variants of concern (VOCs) that have emerged since 2020. “Intriguingly, all SARS-CoV-2 VOCs stringently maintain this pocket, notably including Omicron, which accumulated a wide range of mutations in [the spike protein] elsewhere, suggesting that the pocket provides a selective advantage for the virus,” they wrote in their paper.

A combination of radiation therapy and CD47 blockade induced an abscopal effect in animal studies even in animals that lacked T cells, researchers reported in the Nov. 21, 2022, online issue of Nature Cancer. The findings are “the first demonstration of T-cell-independent abscopal response,” co-corresponding author Edward Graves told BioWorld. “We’re not trying to say that all abscopal responses are macrophage-mediated. There are plenty that require T cells,” Graves clarified. But “there is another avenue of abscopal responses that has not been reported. ... All the abscopal literature is about stimulating an adaptive response.”

Blue Water Vaccines Inc. has signed an exclusive, global license agreement for the development of a live attenuated, oral chlamydia vaccine candidate from The University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio. Developed at UT Health San Antonio, the novel vaccine candidate utilizes a live attenuated chlamydia strain, Chlamydia muridarum.

Now, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that by targeting CD47 – better known for its role as an innate immune checkpoint akin to PD-1 and CTLA-4 in the adaptive immune system – they were able to restore muscle stem cell function. Aged mice regained muscle strength comparable to younger animals after receiving an antibody treatment targeting CD47 signaling in muscle stem cells.

An in-depth investigation of the underlying causes of pulmonary symptoms that in some cases persist for months following recovery from the acute stage of COVID-19 has found a distinctive proinflammatory signature in the plasma and airways of affected patients.

Zenas Biopharma LLC has raised $118 million in a series B round to support a global phase III trial of its lead asset as well as other immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases in its pipeline. The study, expected to begin in 2023, will evaluate obexelimab for the treatment of patients with immunoglobulin G4-related disease in late 2022.