Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

Diabetes drug as a possible treatment for prostate cancer

An international team of scientists led by the Medical University of Vienna has identified similarities in the mechanisms of diabetes and cancer: as the researchers show, the protein PPARγ, which is central to the regulation of metabolic processes, can also influence the growth of prostate cancer cells. PPARγ is already known to be a target of certain drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes.

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Roche to invest USD 50 billion in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics in the United States over the next five years

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that it will invest USD 50 billion into the United States of America in the next five years. These investments further strengthen Roche's already significant US footprint with 13 manufacturing and 15 R&D sites across the Pharmaceutical and Diagnostics Divisions, and are expected to create more than 12,000 new jobs, including nearly 6,500 construction jobs, as well as 1,000 jobs at new and expanded facilities.

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Discovery explains Long COVID breathing problems

Groundbreaking research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has revealed crucial new insights into the immune systems of COVID-19 survivors, particularly those struggling with persistent breathing issues. The study shows that these patients have distinct changes in their immune system that link to the severity of their lung damage. This discovery holds promise for developing targeted treatments for the lung complications of Long COVID.

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Harnessing generative AI to expand the mitochondrial targeting toolkit

The mitochondrion, often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell, plays critical roles in cellular function, making it a prime organelle to target for fundamental studies, metabolic engineering, and disease therapies. With only a limited number of existing mitochondrial targeting sequences, a new study from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology demonstrates the utility of generative artificial intelligence for designing new ones.

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Shingles vaccine lowers the risk of heart disease for up to eight years

People who are given a vaccine for shingles have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, according to a study of more than a million people published in the European Heart Journal.

The protective effect of the vaccine lasts for up to eight years and is particularly pronounced for men, people under the age of 60 and those with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being inactive.

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New technology facilitates delivery of advanced medicines

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a technique that enables efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins and RNA to cells. The method, presented in Nature Communications, shows promising results in animal studies to deliver gene editors and protein therapeutics.

The method is based on so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny bubbles that are naturally secreted by cells and can transport biologically active molecules between cells.

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A candidate drug dismantles a metabolic barrier to anti-tumor immunity

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a specific mode of fat uptake by immune cells within tumors that serves as a metabolic checkpoint against anti-cancer immune responses. Harnessing that insight, researchers led by Ludwig Lausanne's Ping-Chih Ho and Yi-Ru Yu - along with Sheue-Fen Tzeng and Chin-Hsien Tsai, former post-docs in the Ho lab who now lead their own labs at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan - have developed a humanized antibody to dismantle that barrier as a potential cancer immunotherapy.

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Novartis to acquire Regulus Therapeutics and farabursen, an investigational microRNA inhibitor to treat ADPKD

Novartis today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Regulus Therapeutics, a San Diego-based, publicly traded (Nasdaq: RGLS) clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing microRNA therapeutics. Regulus' lead asset, farabursen, is a potential first-in-class, next-generation oligonucleotide targeting miR-17 for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

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Fungi dwelling on human skin may provide new antibiotics

University of Oregon (UO) researchers have uncovered a molecule produced by yeast living on human skin that showed potent antimicrobial properties against a pathogen responsible for a half-million hospitalizations annually in the United States.

It's a unique approach to tackling the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Unlocking a new era in liver cancer treatment: The power of neddylation-targeted therapies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, continues to pose a significant global health challenge due to its high mortality rate and limited treatment options. However, a new frontier in cancer therapy has emerged, focusing on neddylation modification, a crucial cellular process that influences cancer progression. The latest insights into this mechanism provide hope for targeted therapies that could revolutionize the treatment landscape for HCC.

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