Infectious disease

Patient sample and mouse studies suggest inhibiting the ALK-STING axis could help treat sepsis. In patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), levels of ALK and STING were higher than in PBMCs from healthy volunteers. In mouse models of polymicrobial- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis, the oral ALK inhibitor Zykadia ceritinib or knockout of STING decreased alveolar wall thickening, edema and numbers of infiltrating leukocytes in the lung, and increased heart, pancreas, kidney and liver function, numbers of intestinal goblet cells and villi, and survival compared with vehicle or normal STING expression. Next steps could include testing inhibitors of other components of the ALK-STING axis in models of sepsis.

Novartis AG markets Zykadia to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has the compound in Phase II testing to treat solid tumors...