Drug therapies that help older adults maintain their skeletal muscle mass and physical function for longer could be a step closer after researchers at the University of Birmingham identify a key mechanism that drives the clearance of damaged mitochondria.

A new study has shown a novel peptide antagonist, given in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor, to be safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced, refractory pancreatic and rectal cancer. The highest dose tested had a good safety profile and was recommended for use in future patient trials, as reported in Journal of Pancreatic Cancer, a peer-reviewed open access publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Researchers have used high-throughput screening of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector capsid libraries to maximize the likelihood of obtaining AAV variants with desired properties. As a result of these experiments, they gained some unexpected insights, reported in an article published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Like humans, cells can be easily influenced by peer pressure.

Scientists at the Pennsylvania State University and Henan University in China have found a new protein marker that they say could potentially predict the progression of breast cancer or be targeted by drugs designed to treat the disease.

Sage Therapeutics has plotted out how it plans to bounce back from the phase 3 failure of SAGE-217 in major depressive disorder. The strategy centers on three short-term studies Sage thinks may enable it to bring the GABA receptor positive allosteric modulator to market in multiple indications.

PRA’s data analytics company Symphony Health is joining forces with Datavant to drill down deeper into available data sets in order to develop drugs better.

The former head of oncology research at Shire has raised money (PDF) to go after a solid tumor target once pursued by his former employer. Randolf Kerschbaumer, CEO of OncoOne, is working with other ex-Shire employees to target oxidized macrophage migration inhibitory factor (oxMIF) using several different modalities.

A new laboratory method allows researchers to create compartments within a liquid that, like drops of oil in water, are separate but have no physical barrier between them. The method could help researchers understand how human cells use similar “membraneless compartments” to segregate and concentrate components for important cellular processes, chemical reactions, or other biological functions.

For a number of conditions like blood-related cancers, solid malignancies, pregnancy-related complications, transplant surgery, supportive care in cardiovascular surgery, injury-related trauma, and severe anemia, transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) is a life-saving treatment.