[Pliant Therapeutics] Pliant Therapeutics announced the dosing of the first participant in the FORTIFY Phase Ib open-label indication expansion clinical trial of PLN-101095 in combination with pembrolizumab, in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-refractory advanced or metastatic solid tumors. PLN-101095 is an oral, small molecule, dual selective inhibitor of the integrins αvβ8 and αvβ1.

[Ovarian Cancer Canada] Ovarian Cancer Canada is investing $725,000 to enable powerful natural killer cell immunotherapy that Dr. Jeanette Boudreau has been developing for many years to become “clinical trial-ready”.

[Cancer Immunology Research] Scientists found that anti-CD40–based therapy, when combined with IL10 receptor blockade, initiates a Batf3-dependent pathway in which IL12 and IFNγ secretion results in oncolytic neutrophil activity.

[Nature Biomedical Engineering] The authors reported PRIME-In, a novel genome-editing platform that uses a prime editing-engineered donor template coupled with either single or paired genomic nicks to enable precise integration of substantial DNA payloads into human cells without reliance on double-strand break repair pathways.

[Cancer Research] Researchers investigated the role of super-enhancers, clusters of adjacent enhancers that drive high expression of genes, in reshaping the tumor microenvironment in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

[Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer] The authors explored preclinical and clinical studies investigating CAR-engineered innate and innate-like immune cells, including CAR-natural killer, CAR-γδ T, CAR-natural killer T, and CAR-macrophages, focusing on their biological features, therapeutic potential, and current clinical development in solid tumors.

[Autophagy] Investigators developed a peptide-based LC3-interacting region-targeting chimera that accurately and efficiently targeted the degradation of AKT1 for glioma treatment.

[Molecular Cancer Therapeutics] Scientists reported on the preclinical development of a nanobody-based CLDN18.2-targeted CAR-T with effectiveness and safety in CLDN18.2-positive gastric and pancreatic cancers and present an efficacious clinical case.

[Molecular Cancer Therapeutics] Researchers investigated the effect of vitamin C conditioning on CD19-targeting CAR T cells to improve the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy. Enhanced transduction efficiency and proliferative capacity by vitamin C conditioning resulted in a higher yield of CD4+ and CD8+ CAR19-Ts.

[Communications Biology] Scientists identified two Lu. longipalpis salivary proteins, LJM19 and LJL143, which elicit type 1 cytokine responses in cells from exposed individuals and which correlate with enhanced killing of Leishmania parasites in co-cultured macrophages.

[NanoViricides, Inc. (BioSpace)] NanoViricides, Inc. announced that its clinical stage, broad-spectrum, antiviral drug NV-387 has been granted an Orphan Drug Designation by the US FDA. NV-387 is the only drug candidate that has demonstrated strong in vivo activity against lethal infection with the Measles virus in a humanized animal model study.

[Reviews in Medical Virology] The authors analyzed the body's primary systems that serve as safe harbour sites for human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), including the monocyte/macrophage, lymphatic system, nervous system, respiratory system, reproductive system, and urinary system.