University Of Pittsburgh

PAMORAs block opioid-induced immunosuppression, improving immunotherapy response in head and neck cancer mice, suggesting potential for combined opioid and PAMORA use to maintain pain relief while enhancing cancer treatment efficacy.

Gate Neurosciences and Pitt initiate Phase II trial to assess combining apimostinel, a rapid-acting antidepressant, with Pitt's digital therapeutic ASAT to extend antidepressant effects. ASAT conditions positive self-associations, aiming to leverage a 'primed window of brain plasticity' for sustained relief in depression.

Arrivo BioVentures' depression drug SP-624, a SIRT6 activator, showed promising results in female patients, prompting a shift to develop it as a female-specific treatment. The drug's epigenetic mechanism, which silences gene pathways, aligns with research showing gender differences in gene expression during depression. A phase 2b trial is underway to validate these findings, aiming for a potential registration study.

About one-third of U.S. adults eligible for weight loss treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists and GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists meet exclusion criteria for clinical trials, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. The most common exclusion criteria were major depressive disorder, malignant neoplasms, liver disease, and uncontrolled hypertension.

Pregnancy challenges for women with epilepsy include medication risks like valproate's link to autism and lower IQ, and the need for dose adjustments due to faster metabolism. A study followed 298 children of women with epilepsy to age 6, finding no difference in verbal abilities compared to healthy women's children, though medication levels in the third trimester had nuanced effects. Folate supplementation was beneficial, while acetaminophen showed risks. Further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of various epilepsy drugs and genetic factors influencing outcomes.

Roswell Park CEO Candace Johnson introduces Michael Wong as the center's first Physician in Chief, aiming to enhance patient care and outcomes. Wong, a former MD Anderson Cancer Center professor, will lead clinical teams and focus on improving care delivery.

Vanderbilt University receives up to $46 million from ARPA-H to develop a vaccine against all alphaviruses, led by Jens Meiler and a multidisciplinary team. The project aims to use advanced technologies like computational modeling and AI for long-lasting protection, addressing a critical gap in global health.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pittsburgh, and Weill Cornell Medicine identified a novel cause of cytokine storm in COVID-19, linked to immune genes in the nasal cavity activating the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Coya Therapeutics appointed Arun Swaminathan as CEO, replacing co-founder Howard Berman, who became executive chairman. Swaminathan, previously chief business officer, aims to maintain visibility and continue Berman's legacy. Coya focuses on Alzheimer's treatments using T regs, with strong ties to Houston Methodist.