A genetic game of `winner takes all’ that sustains the parasitic infections which cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle – devastating diseases particularly in rural areas of Africa - has been identified in a research breakthrough led by the University of Dundee.
28 May, 2016
A UK Government review warning of an ‘antibiotics apocalypse’ is recommending the introduction of incentives to encourage pharmaceutical companies to invest in research activity to find new drugs and treatments to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
27 May, 2016
There are lessons to be learned from venoms.Scorpions, snakes, snails, frogs and other creatures are thought to produce tens or even hundreds of millions of distinct venoms. These venoms have been honed to strike specific targets in the body.For victims of a scorpion’s sting, that spells doom. For scientists, however, the potent molecules in venoms hold the potential to be adapted into medicines. But venoms are difficult to isolate and analyze using traditional methods, so only a handful have been turned into drugs.
25 May, 2016
Scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Newcastle have uncovered the secret of the ‘Mona Lisa of chemical reactions’ – in a bacterium that lives at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
16 May, 2016
PKC alpha is required for pathological consequences of amyloid beta plaques; mutations that enhance its activity found in patients with the disease
15 May, 2016
In a pair of related studies, chemists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified and designed dozens of molecular “warheads” that not only can detect a key biomarker of cancer, but also could be developed into a potent new class of drug candidates for a range of diseases.
13 May, 2016
In a typical cancer cell, up to one-quarter of the genome is lost due to large chromosomal deletions, while the concomitant loss of hundreds of genes creates vulnerabilities that are impossible to reveal through the study of individual genes. Prof. Anna Sablina and her team at VIB/KU Leuven optimized a workflow for the generation of cell lines with targeted chromosomal deletions.
12 May, 2016
The topic of this month’s newsletter from Drug Discovery Today is “Precompetitive intelligence”.
09 May, 2016
The Discovery Opens the Door to New Therapies Influencing Appetite and WeightLoss of appetite during illness is a common and potentially debilitating phenomenon—in cancer patients, especially, it can even shorten lifespan.Now scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered how an immune system molecule hijacks a brain circuit and reduces appetite. Their research points to potential targets for treating loss of appetite and restoring a patient’s strength.
05 May, 2016