S&K’s small molecule TNF inhibitor; plus Actym’s engineered bacteria platform and more

S&K Therapeutics Co. Ltd. and collaborators at  Kyung Hee University and Ajou University identified a small molecule TNF inhibitor, dubbed TIM1c, which slowed disease progression in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis to a similar extent as injection of the FDA-approved TNF-targeting biologic Enbrel etanercept. “Small molecule agents are preferable to peptides or proteins because of their desirable pharmacokinetic endpoints, ensuring greater bioavailability and metabolic stability,” said the authors of the Science Signaling article.

Actym Therapeutics Inc. showed ACTM-838, a bacterial strain of Salmonella typhimurium engineered to express an IL-15RA/IL-15 fusion protein and a constitutively active STING, induced complete responses in metastatic breast cancer and colon cancer models in combination with anti-PD-1. The company revealed the data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 37th Annual Meeting, including evidence that ACTM-838 reprogrammed the tumor microenvironment. ...