About 25% of subjects with West Nile virus (WNV) infection develop fever and about 1% have neuroinvasive disease. Recent research has proposed measuring CD169 in peripheral blood (monocyte/lymphocyte ratio) as a marker of viral infections. The usefulness of monocyte CD169 (mCD169) in peripheral blood was tested in subjects with active WNV infection.
Peptidream Inc. has reported that an early-phase clinical trial for 64Cu-PD-32766, a 64Cu-labeled radiopharmaceutical targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma has been approved by the clinical review board of the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Japan.
At a recent meeting on “Research priorities for preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias” (ADRD), convened by the National Academies, one consensus priority on ADRD research was that there needs to be more of it at every stage. Several speakers presented stark numbers on the relative volume of research in cancer and neurodegeneration. Research output, measured in peer-reviewed papers, for dementia is estimated to be around 10,000 papers annually, compared to 150,000 for cancer, while AD clinical trials are also few and far between compared to cancer trials. This final installment of BioWorld’s series on Alzheimer’s explores some of the reasons for this discrepancy along with the latest advances and ongoing efforts to accelerate research and drug development in the field.
Scientists from Abbvie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG and Abbvie Inc. have identified radiolabeled compounds capable of imaging and targeting microtubule-associated protein Tau (PHF-tau; MAPT) aggregates acting as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents reported to be useful for the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital recently detailed the discovery of [11C]SY-08, a new PET radiotracer that detects aggregated α-synuclein (α-Syn) fibrils in individuals with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Work was conducted at the University of Bialystok to study plasma galectins (1, 2 and 12) plus serum and urinary levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and α1-acid-glycoprotein (α1AGP) in regards to the relationship between psoriasis and its related complications.
Researchers at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and University of British Columbia have identified radiolabeled compounds targeting glutamate carboxypeptidase II (NAALADase; NAAG peptidase, FOLH1; PSMA) acting as positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging agents with low uptake in salivary glands and kidneys reported to be useful for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Researchers from Shanghai Xianhui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have detailed the discovery and preclinical characterization of novel photosensitizers as candidates for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodiagnosis in cancer.
Proteinlogic Ltd. and Stellenbosch University have received a $1.35 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a blood test to monitor treatment responses to tuberculosis (TB) antimicrobial chemotherapy.