Research at Baruch S Blumberg Institute has led to the discovery of new diazepine derivatives targeting yellow fever virus nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) for the treatment of yellow fever virus infections.
Modex Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to advance a platform and specific candidates designed to address a range of public health threats in viral infectious diseases.
Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks, is expanding in many countries, posing a significant global health concern. The outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. burgdorferi is currently the most promising target for vaccine development, primarily because of its broad conservation among different bacterial strains that cause the disease. In a recent publication, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators proposed using a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA (mRNA-LNP) platform, similar to that of clinical vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, to develop a vaccine against Lyme disease.
Viruses of the Betacoronavirus genus that bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are the coronaviruses posing the most significant pandemic risk. Sarbecoviruses of this genus caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Therefore, new vaccines with broader protection from ACE2-binding sarbecoviruses and emerging variants of concern are urgently needed.
The fungus Candida auris has become an urgent clinical problem at a shocking speed. It was not even mentioned in the U.S. CDC’s 2013 reports on antimicrobial threats, but was one of five pathogens on the agency’s 2019 top-tier Urgent Threat List.
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has announced new investments in the development of a new prophylactic vaccine against malaria, a new anti-malarial drug, and product development projects against neglected tropical diseases.
An2 Therapeutics Inc. has received a research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to discover novel, boron-containing small molecules for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) causes difficult-to-treat infections due to its inherent resistance. Thus finding new strategies to overcome MRSA resistance is critical. Researchers from China Agricultural University reported on the discovery and optimization of a novel series of pleuromutilin derivatives containing benzoxazole-2-thiol.