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New optical microscopy technique reveals dimerization of ‘toll-like receptors’

The surface of every cell contains receptors that react to external signals similar to a "gate". In this way, the cells of the innate immune system can differentiate between friend and foe partly through their "toll-like receptors" (TLRs).

3 Nov 2017

New concise guide to pharmacology offers key information on major drug targets

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2017/18 is now available in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Published by Wiley on behalf of the British Pharmacological Society, the 440 page guide includes overviews of key properties for close to 1,700 human drug targets, identifies 3,500 ligands including more than 2,400 synthetic organic molecules and over 50 antibodies.

27 Oct 2017

Osteocytes play crucial role as major source of RANKL during orthodontic tooth movement

Tokyo Medical and Dental University research team demonstrated that osteocytes have a crucial role in orthodontic tooth movement as the major source of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), a protein crucial to bone remodeling.

23 Oct 2017

TSRI scientists develop molecular model for improving design of osteoporosis treatments

Using advanced mass spectrometry technology, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have developed a molecular model that may provide a new framework for improving the design of osteoporosis treatments.

13 Oct 2017

Powerful new approach could aid design of better drugs with fewer side-effects

A powerful new way of analyzing how drugs interact with molecules in the body could aid the design of better treatments with fewer side-effects.

5 Oct 2017

First-ever treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma receives approval in Japan

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer Inc. today announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) has approved BAVENCIO (avelumab, genetically recombinant Injection 200mg/mL for intravenous use) as the first and only treatment indicated for curatively unresectable Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive cancer, in Japan.

27 Sep 2017

Researchers explore new combination approach to treat high-risk soft-tissue sarcomas

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers are investigating a new approach to treat high-risk soft-tissue sarcomas by combining two immunotherapy drugs with radiation therapy to stimulate the immune system to destroy the main tumor as well as leftover microscopic cancer cells that may seed other tumors.

20 Sep 2017

Study: Immunotherapy shows promising response rate in patients with metastatic gastric cancer

Pembrolizumab has shown a promising response rate in patients with pretreated metastatic gastric cancer, according to late-breaking results from the KEYNOTE-059 trial presented today at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid.

8 Sep 2017

Researchers reveal new approach to precisely identify and treat prostate cancer

Researchers have demonstrated a new, effective way to precisely identify and localize prostate cancer tumors while protecting healthy tissue and reducing side effects.

7 Sep 2017

New biomedical tool using nanoparticles could improve therapies for many diseases

A new biomedical tool using nanoparticles that deliver transient gene changes to targeted cells could make therapies for a variety of diseases -; including cancer, diabetes and HIV -; faster and cheaper to develop, and more customizable.

30 Aug 2017

New high-throughput technique accelerates chemical screening to prioritize toxicity testing

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a high-throughput technique that can determine if a chemical has the potential to activate key genes in seconds rather than the typical 24 hours or more.

22 Aug 2017

Small-molecule drug improves brain performance in mouse model of Rett syndrome

After learning that a small-molecule drug improves breathing in a mouse model of the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome, University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph.D., wondered if he could test it on other brain functions.

28 Jul 2017

Synthetic compound that reads mitochondrial DNA could lead to treatments for nerve, muscle diseases

For the first time, a synthetic compound has been made that can bind to DNA in the cells' energy powerhouses, suppressing a gene associated with nerve and muscle disease.

11 Jul 2017

Novel small molecule tracer for PET imaging spots blood clots

Blood clots in veins and arteries can lead to heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, which are major causes of mortality.

6 Jul 2017

Penn scientists develop computer model that better simulates how cells spread in fibrous environments

One area of research within mechanobiology, the study of how physical forces influence biological processes, is on the interplay between cells and their environment and how it impacts their ability to grow and spread.

16 Jun 2017

Scientists create 'immunoswitch' particles that slow cancer growth in test animals

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have created a nanoparticle that carries two different antibodies capable of simultaneously switching off cancer cells' defensive properties while switching on a robust anticancer immune response in mice.

8 Jun 2017

Customary drug dose for treatment of lung cancer may be higher than needed, study shows

A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates that the customary pembrolizumab dose for treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer may be higher than is needed for effective treatment.

6 Jun 2017

TSRI scientists discover potential new therapy to stop deadly botulinum neurotoxin

Botulinum neurotoxin is probably best known to Americans as BOTOX, a cosmetic medicine, rather than as a cause of potentially dangerous foodborne illnesses.

26 May 2017

Supercomputer study of the brain could lead to safer and more effective anesthetics

Researchers have used a supercomputer to show how proteins in the brain control electrical signals, in a breakthrough that could lead to safer and more effective drugs and anesthetics.

22 May 2017

EPFL scientists develop new antibody-linked biosensor to track drug concentration in the blood

Being able to monitor drug concentration in the blood of a patient is an important aspect of any pharmaceutical treatment. However, this requires equipment and facilities that are often missing from field healthcare in developing countries, but also inhibits the quality of life for patients elsewhere.

16 May 2017