Articles tagged with Drug Discovery
Christina Smolke, a Stanford bioengineer, has won a $2.5 million grant to explore using microbes to produce complex chemicals for advanced natural-product drugs. Her approach aims to transform the manufacturing scale and efficiency of microbial systems.
Scripps Research scientists have devised a powerful new technique to discover and expand the power of large numbers of antibodies, immune system proteins that detect and destroy invaders. The method rapidly identifies antibodies with useful biological activity, enabling the creation of unusual antibodies with desired effects.
Researchers create a new explosive with a blast wave traveling 225 miles per hour faster than the current standard, HMX. The new explosive combines CL-20 and HMX, producing a more powerful but stable material with potential to replace HMX as military-grade explosives
Researchers at University of Missouri have developed a new cancer drug with exceptional potency, outperforming current treatments by 10 times. The carborane-based drug efficiently targets energy production in cancer cells, minimizing side effects and increasing therapy effectiveness.
Computer simulations shed light on the dynamic structure of the LSD1/CoREST protein complex, a major target for therapies. The study reveals that binding to histone H3 triggers significant changes in shape, which may help develop epigenetic drugs that reprogram cancer cells.
A new study finds that enzalutamide significantly extends life and improves quality of life in men with advanced prostate cancer. The fourth drug in two years to demonstrate this effect, it offers improved treatment options for men with the disease.
Seven pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott, AstraZeneca, and Sanofi, have joined forces with four research institutions to accelerate the development of new tuberculosis (TB) drugs. The TB Drug Accelerator aims to shorten treatment regimens from six months to one month, reducing mortality rates and combating drug resistance.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic discovered an association between Olmesartan and severe gastrointestinal issues. Patients taking the medication exhibited symptoms similar to celiac disease, but without typical test results or response to gluten-free diets.
By combining modeling, simulation, analysis, and visualization, researchers can identify potential binding sites on a virus. The work of discovering a breakthrough new drug begins with analyzing the virus, bacteria or mutation that causes the illness, and creating a three-dimensional model to understand its structure and shape.
A team of researchers has discovered a novel combination of two previously approved FDA drugs that can be used to treat advanced/late stage lung cancer by activating key genes involved in the disease. The treatment targets a pathway to accelerate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Researchers found that Exendin-4 significantly minimizes damage in TBI animal models when administered shortly after the incident. The breakthrough discovery is a step towards developing a cocktail of medications to prevent as much brain damage as possible following injury.
A research team at the University of Melbourne has discovered the biological mechanisms behind drug hypersensitivities, revealing how the immune system perceives the body's own tissues as foreign. The finding could lead to the development of a diagnostic test to determine drug hypersensitivity.
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have identified an existing drug, auranofin, that effectively targets the Entamoeba histolytica parasite. The parasite causes over 70,000 deaths worldwide each year, and current treatment with metronidazole has adverse effects.
Researchers discovered that metformin blocks uveitis in laboratory rats, reducing inflammation and potential for blindness. The drug's anti-inflammatory properties make it a promising alternative to steroid therapy, which has serious side effects.
A large study of 1,896 14-year-olds found differences in brain networks that precede drug use and are associated with impulsivity. The findings suggest that certain teenagers are at higher risk for drug experimentation due to their brain's structure and function.
The NIH and Lilly are collaborating to create a publicly available resource profiling thousands of approved and investigational medicines. This comprehensive database will enable researchers to better predict treatment outcomes and improve drug development.
Scientists at UC San Diego School of Medicine developed a new strategy for faster anticancer drug discovery by analyzing the genetic pathway of disease. They identified Peruvoside, a cardiac glycoside, as a potential treatment for prostate cancer with minimal side effects.
Researchers determined the mechanism by which sulfa drugs kill bacteria, revealing a chemical reaction known as an Sn1 reaction. This discovery provides a basis for developing new antibiotics that are harder to resist and cause fewer side effects.
A team of researchers at the University of Dundee has identified fexinidazole as a possible new treatment for visceral leishmaniasis, a disease affecting 500,000 people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The drug showed a greater than 98% rate of suppressing infection in mice, comparable to current treatments.
Italian researchers found a DNA sequence called enhancer HS1.2 that accelerates the activity of genes involved in Lupus, an autoimmune disease affecting 60,000 people in Italy. The discovery could lead to more effective therapies against severe cases of Lupus.
Researchers found that AICAR, an experimental therapy, protected animals from heat-induced sudden death and may hold promise for treating people with enhanced susceptibility to heat stroke. The drug works by reducing calcium leakage from RYR1, thus diminishing heat-induced contractions and muscle damage.
Sathyanaryanan Puthanveettil, a Scripps Research scientist, has been awarded two notable grants to study the critical component of long-term memory formation. He will investigate the role of kinesin in this process using the marine snail Aplysia.
The collaboration aims to build on Professor Susann Schweiger's discovery of the mechanism controlling disease-causing protein production. The project seeks to prevent toxic protein buildup in the brain and potentially provide a treatment for Huntington's Disease.
A NYBG scientist estimates that at least 540 to 653 new drugs could be discovered from plants, with potentially thousands more waiting to be evaluated. This analysis highlights the potential value of continuing to screen plants for novel bioactive compounds.
Researchers at Brown University have discovered a new compound that can defeat drug-resistant bacteria by blocking their efflux pumps. The compound, called BU-005, was found to inhibit the activity of two different families of drug-efflux pumps, one associated with Gram-positive bacteria and the other with Gram-negative bacteria.
A recent Van Andel Research Institute study found that decanoic acid acts as a modulator of PPAR receptors, which play a key role in glucose and lipid metabolism. The findings suggest that decanoic acid could be used to design better and safer PPARγ-based drugs for diabetes treatment.
A Scripps Research Institute scientist has successfully produced a simpler relative of Taxol called eudesmane and created a retrosynthesis pyramid to produce target compound. The researchers hope that the innovation will lead to understanding of nature's processes and develop more widely applicable techniques.
A collaborative research partnership between Institut Pasteur Korea and Sanofi aims to combat Hepatitis B by developing a high-throughput assay to screen chemical libraries for novel compounds. The goal is to identify inhibitors targeting specific steps in the viral life cycle, offering new insights into HBV mechanisms.
Scientists have discovered that Alzheimer's protein tangles involve at least three different proteins, including neurofilaments and vimentin, in addition to the previously identified tau protein. This discovery could lead to a better understanding of the disease's progression and potential new drug targets.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered a potential treatment for autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), an inherited kidney disease affecting millions worldwide. The drug Leflunomide inhibits the STAT6 signaling pathway, which is activated in kidney cysts and leads to excessive cell growth.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have discovered a new process to manufacture ultra-low molecular weight heparin drug. The discovery uses chemicals and enzymes to reduce production steps from 50 to 10-12, increasing yield 500-fold and decreasing cost.
Researchers found a molecule in intestinal cells that induces immune tolerance and reduces excessive immune reactions. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize treatment for autoimmune disorders such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and Lupus.
Researchers have discovered a potential new treatment for EKC, a highly infectious eye disease affecting millions annually in the US. A molecular wipe targeting viruses responsible for EKC could relieve symptoms, speed up healing and reduce transmission risk.
SuviCa Inc. has partnered with the University of Colorado at Boulder to develop and commercialize a drug screening technology that identifies novel therapies for cancer treatments. The patented tool uses genetically modified Drosophila fruit flies to screen compounds effective against various types of cancer.
Researchers from National University of Singapore and Tsinghua University found that 88% of nature-derived drugs come from previously known drug-producing families. The study suggests focusing on these pre-existing families to discover new drugs, leveraging knowledge of clustered distribution patterns like oil fields.
The Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease has solved over 375 protein structures, providing a blueprint for fighting infectious disease. The center's work may lead to new drug therapies urgently needed to prevent outbreaks of multi-drug resistant and XDR strains of TB.
The U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant melanoma, with FDA-approved drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib) showing great promise in disrupting disease progression.
Langer's research launched the controlled-release drug industry, delivering advances in pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, and medical devices to patients. His work also led to significant progress in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to address organ shortages.
A new computational method using genomic information predicts new uses for existing medicines, including treating Crohn's disease with prednisolone and inflammatory bowel diseases with topiramate. This approach could improve treatments, save time and money, and provide insights into disease progression and drug mechanisms.
Researchers have discovered how TB drug pyrazinamide effectively shortens the required duration of TB therapy. The drug acts on latent TB bacteria that exist in an acidic environment, converting to its active form to bind and block vital protein RpsA, ultimately killing the bacteria.
Researchers discovered that when rats tasted fatty foods, cells in their upper gut produced endocannabinoids, triggering a surge in cell signaling that prompts overeating. The study suggests that obstructing endocannabinoid activity may curb this tendency, offering new potential treatments for obesity and related diseases.
A boron-based compound has shown safety and efficacy against stage 1 and 2 of the disease, with its oral formulation and short treatment duration promising for patient care. The collaboration between biotechs Anacor Pharmaceuticals and SCYNEXIS Inc., and not-for-profit DNDi, brings hope for a breakthrough in treating sleeping sickness.
Researchers identified six distinct subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer, each responding differently to chemotherapies. The study provides molecular targets for drug discovery and development efforts, offering hope for personalized therapy.
Researchers at University of Michigan developed a new way to search for drugs that target RNA, a molecule essential to retroviruses like HIV. They successfully predicted the binding of six new small molecules to HIV's genetic material and demonstrated their efficacy in inhibiting viral replication.
UBC researchers used an innovative method to uncover the molecular mechanism behind some anti-arrhythmia drugs, which control irregular heartbeats. The study found that variations in electrostatic interactions between the drugs and amino acids in the cardiac sodium channel affect their binding and effects.
Combination therapy of loperamide and minocycline may provide a safer method for treating devastating lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. The approach could cut drug development time in half, offering new hope for those affected by this genetic disease.
Researchers identify small molecule blocking key protein involved in cholesterol production, successfully lowering cholesterol levels in isolated nerve cells and brain slices from mice. The discovery could lead to broader applications in other neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
The article discusses the resurgence of covalent drugs, which have made a major positive impact on human health, and highlights the potential of rational covalent drug design to expand their use. Several rationally designed covalent inhibitors are advancing in clinical development, addressing problems of drug-resistance mutations.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that mucus can facilitate the penetration of toxic substances into cells, potentially leading to new treatments for diseases like cancer. The study suggests a new approach for delivering hydrophobic drugs, which could be absorbed through the lungs or digestive system.
The UCSF team identified a few dozen chemical compounds that alter fat storage in worms, which may be useful for understanding metabolism in other organisms. The discovery demonstrates the value of worm screening as a way to find new targets for human diseases.
Scientists have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key biological receptor, enabling chemists to design molecules for experimental drugs. This finding has the potential to expedite drug discovery in various areas, including arthritis, respiratory disorders, and wound healing.
Dr. A.K. Ganguly, a renowned pharmaceutical researcher, received the Topliss Award Lecture at the University of Michigan for his lifetime contributions to medicinal chemistry. His lecture discussed lessons learned in drug discovery, highlighting approaches taken at Schering-Plough and ongoing work at Stevens.
A team of researchers has discovered a new enzyme, squalene mono-oxygenase (SM), that plays a key role in cholesterol production. Inhibiting SM may lead to more effective treatments with fewer side effects than current medications.
Researchers found that public sector research played a significant role in discovering new drugs and vaccines, particularly those targeting cancer and infectious diseases. Over 30 years, 153 new FDA-approved drugs and vaccines were discovered through research conducted in public sector institutions.
Scientists have discovered an important insight into carbohydrate bonding, which could lead to improved medicines. The study reveals the shapes of carbohydrates when they are free from external influence and interacting with neighboring molecules.
Researchers have made significant breakthroughs in understanding how HIV mutates and evades treatment, providing new insights into developing better tests and treatments for patients. The study found that a specific mutation allows the virus to resist two main families of drugs, highlighting the need for tailored therapies.
A synthetic derivative of turmeric has been found to be highly neuroprotective against ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury in animal models. The compound, CNB-001, improved behavioral and molecular deficits in both conditions, offering potential clinical promise for current treatment-limited diseases.
Researchers have successfully recreated the metabolic process of a critical enzyme responsible for breaking down drugs and nutrients. By trapping the enzyme at a specific stage, they gained insight into how people respond differently to certain chemicals, which could aid in developing more efficient drugs and household products.
Researchers linked hundreds of approved drugs to M. tuberculosis proteins, identifying new anti-tuberculosis targets and repurposing potential. The study provides a promising computational strategy for novel drug discovery.
A new Penn study has found a class of drug that can enter the brain and stabilize degenerating neurons in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. The epothilone D class of microtubule-stabilizing drugs may offer hope for treatment by restoring microtubule tracks to their original supportive structure.