Autophagy plays a critical role in the regulation of skeletal muscle integrity; however, the molecular mechanisms regulating autophagy are not fully understood. In a recently published study, researchers from McGill University Health Centre and affiliated organizations aimed to investigate these mechanisms and identify novel regulators of autophagy and skeletal muscle integrity.
Restoring levels of the immune modulator mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) in the muscles of aged animals improved their regenerative capacity by promoting repair-associated injury responses, researchers from the University of Lisbon have discovered.
Partially blocking a receptor that helps regulate the activity of the inflammatory cytokine molecule interleukin-6 (IL-6) seems to promote tissue regeneration and block degeneration in a model of osteoarthritis. As reported in the March 22, 2023, issue of Science Translational Medicine, the receptor, called glycoprotein 130 (gp130), regulates both positive and negative inflammatory responses that can help regenerate tissue, but also cause degeneration.
Tofersen’s development is progressing in fits and starts. That was evident at the U.S. FDA’s March 22 meeting of the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee, which unanimously agreed Biogen Inc.’s failed phase III study predicted a clinical benefit in treating amyotophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that includes the rare superoxide dismutase 1 component.
Courage Therapeutics Inc. and University of Michigan have synthesized peptides acting as melanocortin MC4 receptor (MC4R) agonists and/or MC3 receptor (MC3R) antagonist/partial agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of arthritis, depression, diabetes, hypertension, renal disorders and sleep apnea.
A research team led by Domagoj Cikes at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) and Josef Penninger at the University of British Columbia has discovered the critical role of the enzyme phosphate cytidylyltransferase 2 (PCYT2) in muscle health. Their findings appeared in the March 20, 2023, online edition of Nature Metabolism.
Shanghai Visonpharma Co. Ltd. has described Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) and/or TLR8 antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, lupus nephritis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), Sjogren syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Researchers from the University of Utah applied RNASeq analysis for an undiagnosed case of a critically ill newborn with a complex phenotype, with the aim of providing better diagnosis and improving treatment outcomes.
Gilead Sciences Inc. has exercised its option to exclusively license Nurix Therapeutics Inc.'s investigational targeted protein degrader molecule NX-0479, now designated GS-6791. This bivalent degrader is the first development candidate resulting from the companies' collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize up to five innovative targeted protein degradation therapies.