As a general rule, whatever health condition a person may have, COVID-19 makes it worse. But COVID-19 also causes certain conditions or is being implicated in their earlier onset. Type 1 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease are prime examples. Now, researchers report that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may also cause fetal inflammation, even when the placenta itself is not inflamed.

Eli Lilly and Oxford, England-based Sitryx entered an exclusive global licensing and research collaboration. The two companies will work to develop up to four preclinical compounds discovered by Sitryx for autoimmune diseases.