CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov 21, 2024 --- Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, announced that it has received IND clearance from FDA for ISM5939, a potential best-in-class oral small molecule inhibitor targeting ENPP1 for the treatment of solid tumors. The achievement marks the 10th AI-driven molecule self-developed by Insilico to be recognized with clearance to enter clinical trials. 

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers confirm using zebrafish that if a certain gene is not excluded when vertebrate embryos are developing, the notochord will not elongate properly, resulting in a shortened form.

A spoonful of sugar might actually help the medicine go down, according to recent research from the University of Mississippi. And it could reduce the harmful side effects of cancer treatment.

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds that, in healthy women, some breast cells that otherwise appear normal may contain chromosome abnormalities typically associated with invasive breast cancer. The findings question conventional thinking on the genetic origins of breast cancer, which could influence early cancer detection methods.

The study, published today in Nature, discovered that at least 3% of normal cells from breast tissue in 49 healthy women contain a gain or loss of chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy, and that they expand and accumulate with age. This poses questions for our understanding of “normal” tissues, according to principal investigator Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., chair of Systems Biology.

The most comprehensive map of the developing human thymus sheds light on how immune responses are built and maintained at early life, with implications for understanding and treating immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, and cancer.

Scientists have identified human antibodies capable of targeting the proteins responsible for severe malaria, potentially paving the way for new vaccines or treatments. Using organ-on-a-chip technology, researchers successfully demonstrated that these antibodies prevent infected red blood cells from adhering to vessel walls, a key driver of severe malaria symptoms. The antibodies neutralise a conserved region of the malarial protein PfEMP1, overcoming its notorious variability and shedding light on acquired immunity mechanisms. This interdisciplinary study, published in Nature, highlights the power of international teamwork in addressing major health challenges like malaria.