Aventera Antibodies AB has successfully raised SEK14.5 million (US$15.6 million) in a funding round to support the preclinical development of the company’s lead drug candidate for life-threatening streptococcal infections.
CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is awarding US$2.6 million to Adjane Holding BV to advance the development of a vaccine candidate to prevent infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major health problem globally, with relevant infection-related mortality reported. Researchers from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Spain and their collaborators recently presented data regarding an outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccine for the management of K. pneumoniae infection, Kp-OMV4.
Researchers in the U.K. have developed an AI-driven method of identifying viruses in wild animals with the potential to spillover into humans. The technique makes it possible to use the genome sequences of the spike proteins by which viruses enter host cells to assess the potential to infect humans without having to isolate an individual virus and tests its infectivity in the lab.
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has invested in a number of R&D projects for the development of drugs for malaria, including a global partnership led by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Tanabe Pharma Corp. and the University of Georgia.
Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii are both major contributors to the global antimicrobial resistance crisis, causing rapidly progressive and often severe infections. Researchers from Vaxdyn SL and collaborators presented efficacy data for K-Vax, an inactivated, LPS-null whole-cell A. baumannii-based vaccine engineered to display conserved K. pneumoniae outer-membrane proteins on the bacterial cell surface.
While most human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are cleared by the host immune system, persistent infection with high-risk HPV genotypes, particularly HPV16 and HPV18, can promote cervical cancer development. Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology reported the development and preclinical characterization of KDTV-001, an HPV vaccine comprising a nonreplicating adenovirus type 5 vector encoding a codon-optimized fusion protein of the early antigens E6 and E7 derived from HPV genotypes 16, 18 and 52.
The Scripps Research Institute has identified new baloxavir analogues and their prodrugs acting as new influenza cap-dependent endonuclease (CEN) inhibitors potentially useful for the treatment of influenza viral infections.
SARS-CoV-2 utilizes the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor for cell entry and triggers ACE2 ectodomain shedding, which results in elevated vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (Ang-II) while depleting the protective Ang-(1-7). This effect can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, hypertension, acute kidney injury and organ damage.