Claudin-6 (CLDN6) is a tight junction protein that has been found to be up-regulated in around 20 different types of cancer, among them ovarian, endometrial and germ cell tumors. Conventional T-cell engagers (TCEs), although effective, may be improved with costimulation to overcome T-cell exhaustion due to CDE3 stimulation alone.
In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have had great success in the treatment of advanced cancers, but often, they are only effective in a minority of patients. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that the activation of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in combination with standard immune checkpoint inhibitors resulted in enhanced antitumor efficacy both in vitro and in vivo.
Westlake Therapeutics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd. and affiliated organizations have reported the design and preclinical characterization of novel erythrocytes conjugated to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (MHC-I) protein, being developed for the treatment of cancer.
Researchers from Shanghai Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd. published details on the development and preclinical characterization of novel CD20-targeting T cell-dependent bispecific Fab-FabCH3 antibodies, referred to as tandem antigen-binding fragment 002 (TFAB-002).
Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has entered into a license agreement with Ligachem Biosciences Inc. for LCB-97, a preclinical stage antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for solid tumors.
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is a cell surface molecule with immunosuppressive function involved in T-cell immune regulation and proliferation. Researchers from Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. and collaborators described the preclinical evaluation of JS-007, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CTLA-4, in cancer models.
Mestag Therapeutics Ltd. has sealed a potential $1.9 billion agreement with Merck & Co. Inc., in which it will apply its expertise in activated fibroblasts to identify novel targets for inflammatory diseases. The pharma company has the option to license one or more targets, up to a prespecified number, and will take on all subsequent discovery, development and commercialization work.
Adcencdo ApS has obtained FDA clearance of its IND application for ADCE-D01 in patients with metastatic and/or unresectable soft tissue sarcoma (STS). A first-in-human phase I/II study in patients with metastatic and/or unresectable STS will recruit in the U.S. and Europe.
Research into the regulation of gene expression experienced a significant breakthrough with the discovery of microRNA, small RNA molecules that do not code for proteins but control their translation. This finding has earned its authors Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.