Researchers from Contrafect Corp. have reported on the bactericidal activity of CF-370, a novel engineered lysin with broad-spectrum activity against gram-negative organisms, which are usually more resistant to antibacterial agents than gram-positive bacteria.
The good news is that the U.S. FDA’s complete response letter (CRL) for Venatorx Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s intravenous antibiotic combination, cefepime-taniborbactam, in complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) requested no additional clinical testing. The bad news is the inevitable delay for a drug Venatorx and partner Melinta Therapeutics Inc. are aiming to position as a much-needed option for the fight against drug-resistant gram-negative infections.
Researchers from the Peking University Health Science Center have developed a murine model of RSV infection based on the knockout of the Rag2 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 (Rag2-/- mice).
Mice are frequently used as models to test novel candidate compounds during drug discovery and development. However, many compounds show efficacy against the drug target in vitro but present poor pharmacokinetic properties in mice due to the high metabolism rates.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Harvard University have published details on the chemical synthesis and microbiological evaluation of a ribosome-binding antibiotic – cresomycin (CRM) – that was able to overcome antimicrobial resistance of major pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others.
Immuno Technologies Inc. and affiliated organizations have published preclinical data on a novel parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5)-vectored intranasal vaccine for Lyme disease.
Researchers from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine have developed a new murine model of Eastern equine encephalitis virus infection that resembles human disease with its associated neurologic sequelae.
Previous research has shown that upon activation, platelets release CXCL4, influencing replication and propagation of dengue virus (DENV) by increasing the capacity of DENV-2 subtype to bind the CXCR3 receptor on monocytes. At the recent Viruses conference held in Barcelona, researchers from the Translational Health Science & Technology Institute reported the preclinical profile of a CXCR3 antagonist under investigation for the treatment of DENV.
The biological processes giving rise to the central nervous system symptoms of long COVID remain a mystery. But multiple studies suggest they do not appear to be a result of a direct viral infection of brain tissue. The latest such research, which appeared online in Nature Neuroscience on Feb. 16, 2024, demonstrated that local immune response in brain tissues persisted long after SARS-CoV-2 virus had disappeared.
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