Patients infected with hepatitis C have had the ability to rid their livers of the virus for some time, while patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection have been required to take medications for the rest of their lives in the hopes of just dampening damage to the liver caused by the virus. But, at The Liver Meeting 2024, Arbutus presented data from the phase IIa Im-prove study suggesting a cure might be on its way with its DNAi drug, which binds to the viral mRNA promoting its cutting, leading to loss of translation of the viral proteins.

Avidity Biosciences Inc. has announced two new precision cardiology development candidates targeting rare genetic cardiomyopathies. AOC-1086 targets phospholamban (PLN) cardiomyopathy and AOC-1072 targets protein kinase AMP-activated noncatalytic subunit γ2 (PRKAG2) syndrome.

While RNA-medicine developer Wave Life Sciences Ltd. brought in a clinical data win, it also got knocked back a step as a major collaborator will go its separate way. That didn’t stop Wave’s stock from standing strong on the day. The company’s ongoing phase Ib/IIa study of its A-to-I RNA editing oligonucleotide produced positive proof-of-mechanism data in treating alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare, genetic condition that can lead to lung and liver disease.