Viral proteases are well-established therapeutic targets in HIV and hepatitis C virus infections. Following the recent COVID-19 pandemic, one of the strategies in place is SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibition, given the crucial role of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in the replication of the virus.

Omnix Medical Ltd. is gearing up for a phase II trial next year of its novel peptide-based antibiotic OMN-6, the lead compound in a pipeline inspired by the antimicrobial strategies of insects.

About two weeks after chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine contender Bavarian Nordic A/S provided phase III data with its prospect, rival Valneva SE rolled out positive phase III safety findings in adolescents with its single-dose candidate VLA-1553. Results from the Saint-Herblain, France-based company’s first trial in an endemic area with people previously infected with CHIKV showed the product was generally safe and well-tolerated in subjects aged 12-17 years, regardless of previous infection by the mosquito-borne disease, carried mainly by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Immunogenicity data from the study are expected in November.

SK Bioscience Co. Ltd.  and Vaxxas Pty. Ltd. have entered into a joint development agreement that could revolutionize vaccines by developing a vaccine-delivery device combination product using Vaxxas’ high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) coupled with SK Bioscience’s typhoid vaccine, Skytyphoid.

Imunon Inc. has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for the evaluation of the immunogenicity and efficacy of two Imunon DNA-based Lassa virus vaccine candidates. Under the 3-year agreement, the NIAID will assess the efficacy of Placcine DNA constructs against Lassa virus in guinea pig and non-human primate disease models, including both prime and prime-boost vaccine strategies.

Research led by investigators at Ghent University in Belgium showed dysregulation of the complement part of the immune system, regulated by the pro-inflammatory protein interleukin (IL)-6, is a key driver of severe COVID-19 and a good target for drugs to treat the effects of the disease. Writing in the Aug. 23, 2023, issue of Science Translational Medicine, the researchers also described a cellular map of the alterations seen in the complement system during COVID-19 related respiratory deterioration for use in future research.

The COVID-19 pandemic might be officially over, but future variants could still pose a threat, and serious health consequences of the causative virus continue to arise, a fact that has prompted the U.S. government to offer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. about $326 million to develop and manufacture a next-generation COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy.

Exavir Therapeutics Inc. has received a US$3 million award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health, to support the development of XVIR-110.