Chemokine CXCL5 is an inflammatory mediator and a powerful neutrophil chemoattractant, which mainly acts through CXCR2 to produce its biological effects.

Researchers from China Pharmaceutical University published the design and preclinical characterization of novel potent and selective CDC2-like kinase 2 (CLK2) inhibitors as potential candidates for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

A protein whose expression decreases during aging could be key to preserving cellular maintenance mechanisms and preventing the progressive loss of muscle mass that occurs during aging. Scientists from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the University of Barcelona (UB) have revealed the role of the TP53INP2 protein in autophagy and the effects of its reduction on skeletal muscle during aging.

The first cellular human and mouse map focused on muscle fibers and their microenvironment has revealed both the mechanisms of deterioration of this tissue over time and its adaptive capacity for regeneration. “We intended to map the skeletal muscle, isolating all the cell types, and characterizing how they change with age,” first author Veronika Kedlian from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge told BioWorld.

BLR Bio LLC announced that the U.S. FDA has granted orphan drug designation to BLR-200, the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Researchers from Catholic University of Korea published data from a study that investigated the effect of miRNA-21a-5p on fibrosis development in systemic sclerosis (SSc). With the aim of assessing the pathological impact of miRNA-21a-5p on skin and lung fibrosis in vivo, a bleomycin-induced SSc murine model was developed, and the mice were hydrodynamically injected with plasmids containing pre-miRNA-21a-5p or anti-miRNA-21a-5p.