CalciMedica has developed Auxora, a calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channel inhibitor, and it has shown it can reduce the levels of D-dimer, a key biomarker associated with COVID-19 mortality.

Thanks to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, it is likely you have heard the term mRNA. However, it is unlikely you have heard it in the context in which Anima Biotech is exploring this space. Anima is developing Translation Control Therapeutics, which takes a novel approach to discover small molecules that can selectively control mRNA translation in order to treat diseases with previously undruggable proteins or hard targets.

“One of the beauties of being in biotech is that at the end of what you do you improve the lives of debilitating diseases,” said John Temperato, CEO of 9 Meter BioPharma. Temperato and his team of researchers have spent years working on a cure for celiac disease, which impacts 3.5 million people in the United States alone.

Immuneering prefers the hum of purposeful activity to mere noise. That helps explain why the company develops drugs to dampen the cacophony of cell signalling known as cancer. To identify drug candidates, Immuneering uses its own Disease Cancelling Technology. Characteristically, the company has been quiet about the technology, which represents more than a decade’s worth of diligent effort. But now that the technology is ready, Immuneering is ready to talk about it in calm, assured tones.

CalciMedica has reported positive clinical data from the trial of its lead clinical compound, Auxora, in patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia.