Cell Host & Microbe

Synlogic Announces Publication of Preclinical and Clinical Data for SYNB1353 as a Potential Treatment for Classical Homocystinuria

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 2, 2024

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synlogic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYBX), a biopharmaceutical company advancing novel therapeutics to transform the care of serious diseases, announced today the publication of a manuscript detailing the development and activity of SYNB1353 in preclinical models and demonstrating safety, tolerability, and clinical proof of mechanism in healthy volunteers through the successful lowering of methionine (Met), a precursor to homocysteine, in a dietary model of classical homocystinuria (HCU).

Key Points: 
  • Among findings outlined in the manuscript, SYNB1353 efficiently degraded both dietary and entero-recirculating methionine to prevent its absorption and subsequent conversion to homocysteine in preclinical models, suggesting that SYNB1353 should result in lowering of plasma homocysteine levels in HCU patients.
  • In addition, in results from the clinical study in healthy volunteers, SYNB1353 was generally well-tolerated and adverse events were mild to moderate, transient, and predominantly gastrointestinal in nature.
  • The proportion of subjects reporting gastrointestinal events were similar for the SYNB1353 and placebo cohorts (36.4% and 37.5%, respectively).
  • “Importantly, the SYNB1353 program has built on learnings and progress from our other rare metabolic disease programs, including the design of the potential therapeutic, the preclinical research and the advancement in clinical development.”
    The publication, entitled “The Live Biotherapeutic SYNB1353 Decreases Plasma Methionine via Directed Degradation in Animal Models and Healthy Volunteers,” and published in the peer-reviewed journal, Cell Host & Microbe, is now available online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193131282400009X .

UCSF QBI, University College London, and Mount Sinai Identify Shared Molecular Mechanisms Across SARS-CoV-2 Variants that Allow Virus to Thrive Despite Vaccination

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, Sept. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a study published online in CELL today, scientists at UCSF QBI, University College London and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reported breakthrough findings on convergent evolutionary mechanisms shared by COVID-19 variants, allowing them to overcome both adaptive and innate immune system barriers. In the paper titled, SARS-CoV-2 Variants Evolve Convergent Strategies to Remodel the Host Response, scientists carried out an unprecedented, systematic comparative study using the most infectious COVID-19 variants, namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron to identify specific viral mutations responsible for hijacking a common host pathway, thereby leading to increased transmissibility, infectivity and survival. Specifically, they discovered a convergence in potent suppression of interferon-stimulated genes through several viral proteins, including Orf6 and Orf9b, which serve as innate immune antagonist proteins capable of blocking innate host immune response.

Key Points: 
  • The award, which included a $200,000 prize, is intended to provide support for his vision for progress against pandemic threats.
  • “Unfortunately, we continue to see new mutations and strains of SARS-CoV-2 despite innovations in new vaccines,” said Dr. Krogan, who founded the QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG).
  • This finding is consistent with our investigation of early SARS-CoV-2 variants where certain viral proteins were highly expressed in infected cells which helped the virus infect our cells.
  • Their analysis pinpointed cellular pathways that are similarly modulated across variants during infection and represent putative targets for pan-coronavirus antivirals.

New research from The Jackson Laboratory highlights the functional mechanisms that may underlie ME/CFS

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 9, 2023

Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Professor Derya Unutmaz , M.D., and Associate Professor Julia Oh , Ph.D., have teamed with ME/CFS physicians and other experts to help remove the obstacles.

Key Points: 
  • Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Professor Derya Unutmaz , M.D., and Associate Professor Julia Oh , Ph.D., have teamed with ME/CFS physicians and other experts to help remove the obstacles.
  • Their studies have involved exhaustive analyses of immune cells and metabolites in their blood, and the microbes in their bodies.
  • Previous research has indicated that altered gut microbiota may underlie the gastrointestinal problems associated with ME/CFS.
  • Progress in either long COVID or ME/CFS research may therefore provide diagnostic and therapeutic insight for both conditions.

Captor Therapeutics to Host R&D Day on May 18, 2022

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 5, 2022

Furthermore, he is the founder of Alentis Therapeutics, a Swiss/French biotech company developing novel therapeutics for fibrotic diseases and cancer.

Key Points: 
  • Furthermore, he is the founder of Alentis Therapeutics, a Swiss/French biotech company developing novel therapeutics for fibrotic diseases and cancer.
  • Captor Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on leveraging Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) technology to discover and develop breakthrough drug candidates in diseases with high unmet medical needs.
  • Captor is currently developing therapeutics for undertreated severe conditions, including malignancies and autoimmune diseases.
  • More information on Captor Therapeutics is available at: http://www.captortherapeutics.com

Vaxart Provides Business Update and Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Financial Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 24, 2022

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxart, Inc. (NASDAQ: VXRT) issued its business update today for the fourth quarter and full year 2021, reporting forward momentum for the Company, including its oral norovirus and COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

Key Points: 
  • During the fourth quarter of 2021, Vaxart began Phase II clinical trials of its oral tablet COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. Vaxart dosed its first subject in late October 2021.
  • The Companyreported a net loss of$20.8 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to$13.9 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2020.
  • Research and development expenses were$15.5 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to$8.6 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2020.
  • General and administrative expenses were$5.8 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to$5.1 millionfor the fourth quarter of 2020.

Stanford Scientists First To Identify New Cellular Correlates of Protection Against Influenza for an Oral Flu Vaccine Developed by Vaxart

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 18, 2021

Results of the Phase II study were the first to show that VXA-A1.1 offered greater protection against viral shedding than the injected IIV.

Key Points: 
  • Results of the Phase II study were the first to show that VXA-A1.1 offered greater protection against viral shedding than the injected IIV.
  • Random forest-based machine learning models were used to define high-dimensional cellular correlates between the immune profiling and viral shedding data.
  • Human influenza virus challenge identifies cellular correlates of protection for oral vaccination.
  • Efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of an oral influenza vaccine: a placebo-controlled and active-controlled phase 2 human challenge study.

Ring Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering Company, Publishes New Research Mapping a Vast Number of Anelloviruses That May Hold the Key to the Next Generation of Gene Therapies

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

The research appears in the August 11, 2021 issue of the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.

Key Points: 
  • The research appears in the August 11, 2021 issue of the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.
  • The researchers were also able to track certain subtypes of anelloviruses for long periods of time, indicating that they persist without being cleared by the immune system.
  • "Anelloviruses seem to have the ability to persist without triggering an immune response or causing harm in the human body.
  • Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2017, Ring is driving a new paradigm in gene therapy and nucleic acid medicines by harnessing the human commensal virome.