Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body’s ability to fight infections intact - a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases. The compounds, called ENDOtollins, work by interrupting a “molecular handshake” between two proteins inside immune cells.

In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reports developing a therapeutic intranasal (nose-delivered) DNA vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that fuses two genes with the goal of directing the immune system to fight drug-tolerant bacterial “persisters” that can survive prolonged antibiotic therapy and contribute to disease relapse.

A hormone that reverses obesity in mice appears to work by signaling to a brain region involved in metabolism and appetite regulation, the same area targeted by the popular GLP-1 drugs. The finding, from University of Oklahoma researchers, is published in Cell Reports. The study provides valuable new insight into the naturally occurring hormone, called FGF21 (fibroblast growth factor 21), which is already involved in drug development.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a novel, highly potent opioid that shows potential as a therapy for both pain and opioid use disorder. In a study published in Nature, the team observed the new drug’s effect in laboratory animals. They showed that it has high pain-relieving effects without causing respiratory depression, tolerance or other indicators of potential for addiction in humans.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT), the global healthcare company, and Flatiron Health, a leading healthtech company advancing point-of-care solutions in oncology, announced the integration of Abbott's comprehensive Precision Oncology portfolio into OncoEMR®, Flatiron's cloud-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform.