Medicinal Chemistry News and Research

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Scientists synthesize novel selenohydantoins with anticancer and antioxidant activity

A group of scientists from Moscow universities led by Yan Ivanenkov, the head of Laboratory of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics in MIPT, has succeeded in synthesizing a set of novel selenohydantoins with anticancer and antioxidant activity.

16 Mar 2016

Researchers aim to design a better male contraceptive pill

Women can choose from a wide selection of birth control methods, including numerous oral contraceptives, but there's never been an analogous pill for men. That's not for lack of trying: For many years, scientists have attempted to formulate a male pill. Finally, a group of researchers has taken a step toward that goal by tweaking some experimental compounds that show promise.

14 Mar 2016

Scientists discover novel drug candidate to treat breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma

Using a new approach, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and collaborating institutions have discovered a novel drug candidate that could be used to treat certain types of breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma.

10 Mar 2016

New vaccine delays effects of nicotine within first 10 minutes after injection

Many people who smoke want to quit, but the urge to light up is often irresistible. An effective vaccine to help people kick the habit once and for all has been elusive. But now, scientists report in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry a new vaccine design that could help achieve this goal.

10 Mar 2016

New screening technique to test drug compounds used in Ewing sarcoma treatment

In Ewing sarcoma, cancer cells' DNA is unwound abnormally from a condensed, compact state. Once sections of genetic code are open, key genes are turned on to help direct aggressive and cancerous cell growth.

1 Mar 2016

Anti-biofilm compounds show promise against drug-resistant bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and School of Public Health have discovered a new class of anti-biofilm compounds derived from marine microorganisms that show promise against a drug-resistant bacterium commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections.

16 Feb 2016

Leeds scientists to start computer drug research to find cure for Ebola virus

Scientists at the University of Leeds will run the equivalent of password cracking software to find the chemical keys to defeating the Ebola virus.

11 Feb 2016

New study improves understanding of metal-based chemotherapy drugs

What is the mechanism of action of metal-based chemotherapy drugs (the most widely used for treating common cancers like testicular or ovarian cancer)? How can we improve their effect and reduce their toxicity? A new study combining experiments and theory has broadened our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of these active drugs to help experimentalists devising increasingly effective drugs with fewer side effects.

21 Dec 2015

TSRI-led study finds potential new therapeutic approach for hard-to-treat breast cancers

Findings from a new study led by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) suggest a potent new therapeutic approach for a number of hard-to-treat breast cancers.

21 Dec 2015

New funding supports research on new and improved drug treatments for tuberculosis, malaria

University of Toronto and McGill University scientists are leading an international partnership to discover new and improved drug treatments for tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases -- thanks to a contribution from Merck Canada Inc., as well as an additional $5 million supplement to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

17 Dec 2015

SLU scientist awarded new $2.2 million NIH grant to develop cure for hepatitis B

With proof-of-principle in his pocket and a new $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, SLU scientist John Tavis, Ph.D., will take his 25 year mission to finally develop a cure for the hepatitis B virus into the next phase.

15 Dec 2015

Vagus nerve stimulation prevents hemorrhagic complications following surgery

Stimulating the vagus nerve is a potentially efficacious and safe way to stop the flow of blood and prevent hemorrhagic complications following surgery and other invasive procedures, according to a researcher in the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

11 Dec 2015

Novel class of antimicrobials could be effective in fighting drug-resistant MRSA infection

A novel class of antimicrobials that inhibits the function of a key disease-causing component of bacteria could be effective in fighting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the major drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

1 Dec 2015

Innovative compound with anti-MRSA qualities may help develop new class of antibiotics

With global health services increasingly worried about the rise of antibiotic resistant diseases, researchers at Maynooth University have discovered a compound whose anti-MRSA qualities pave the way for the development of a new class of antibiotics.

1 Dec 2015

Scientists develop potent compound that promotes wakefulness, remedies sleep disorder narcolepsy

Hiroshi Nagase, a Professor at the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, collaborated with Masashi Yanagisawa (Professor / Director of WPI-IIIS) and successfully developed a potent compound that promotes wakefulness and remedies the sleep disorder narcolepsy in model animals.

18 Nov 2015

Drug compounds target multiple pathways associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1

Efforts to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common form of muscular dystrophy, are in their infancy. In a new study, researchers report they have added new capabilities to an experimental drug agent that previously defeated only one of DM1's many modes of action. Their retooled compounds interrupt the disease's pathology in three ways.

10 Nov 2015

University of Kansas professor recognized with MERIT Award

Emily Scott, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas, has been recognized with a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences. It's a rare and important recognition -- researchers can receive them only once in a career.

30 Oct 2015

Researchers pinpoint mechanisms that cause chemoresistance in ovarian cancer patients

Resistance to chemotherapy is a major problem for those suffering from ovarian cancer--a problem that prevents a cure from a disease dubbed the "silent killer." University of Georgia researchers are giving patients new hope with recent findings that help pinpoint the mechanisms causing chemoresistance.

27 Oct 2015

Future Medicinal Chemistry releases themed issue higlighting the Academic Drug Discovery conference

Future Medicinal Chemistry, a leading MEDLINE-indexed journal published by Future Science Group, has released a themed issue dedicated to providing coverage of the presentations that took place at the 2015 Academic Drug Discovery Conference (Cambridge, UK), organized by SelectBio.

26 Oct 2015

New manganese-based catalyst may accelerate drug discovery, development

Chemists have long believed that inserting nitrogen -- a beneficial ingredient for making many pharmaceuticals and other biologically active molecules -- into a carbon-hydrogen bond requires a trade-off between catalyst reactivity and selectivity.

15 Oct 2015