Gilead Sciences Inc. recently disclosed details on the work that led to the discovery of elunonavir (GS-1156), an unboosted HIV protease inhibitor currently in phase I studies.
Immorna Biotherapeutics Inc. has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the clinical development of JCXH-108, a monovalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine based on Immorna’s proprietary mRNA and ready-to-use (RTU)-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technologies.
The inappropriate use of antibiotics over long periods of time has led to increasing bacterial drug resistance. Quinolones are among the most effective and widely used antibacterials, and there are ongoing efforts to develop new quinolone-based drugs able to overcome emerging bacterial drug resistance.
HIV-1 infects lymphocytes and macrophages, gradually destroying the immune system. Multiple treatment combinations suppress the viral load to undetectable levels, but their long-term use leads to adverse effects. Allosteric inhibition of HIV-1 integrase has emerged as a source for new treatment strategies.
In mammals, the disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L) is the only methyltransferase that catalyzes the mono-, di- and tri-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 79 (H3K79). The DOT1L/H3K79me is involved in several relevant physiological and pathological mechanisms, including several viral infections.
The efficacy of seasonal flu vaccines varies due to the ability of the influenza virus to mutate rapidly. The achievement of a universal flu vaccine conferring protection against all strains, including those with pandemic potential, for longer than a single season would provide a great benefit and has not yet been achieved.
Researchers at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université Grenoble Alpes and Université Libre de Bruxelles have synthesized calix[4]arene compounds reported to be useful for treatment of cancer, metastatic cancer, and bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.
Novel antimalarials are urgently needed to face the challenge of increasing parasite resistance. The isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis pathway is an attractive target for developing novel antimalarial drugs, being an essential and specific pathway in apicomplexan parasites.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the main causes of both community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections and has become resistant to almost all known available antibiotics. Researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and collaborators reported on a new series of indole-benzosulfonamide oleanolic acid derivatives with the potential to be used against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The gastrointestinal tract could be key to developing new drugs to combat resistant bacteria. Computational analysis of the human microbiome has revealed a new class of peptides with antimicrobial potential that, once synthesized, inhibited the growth of several microorganisms in vitro and in vivo.