Drugs News and Research

RSS

Governments considering reclassifying some drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status

Governments in several countries with public Pharmacare and in a few provinces in Canada are considering reclassifying some drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status. In a Canadian Medical Association Journal essay, Lynd and colleagues comment on the economic effects of such changes.

27 Sep 2005

Pursuit of potential drugs and small molecules that target the IGF-1 receptor

Pharmaceutical companies around the world still come knocking on Renato Baserga, M.D.,'s door. And for good reason.

27 Sep 2005

Farnesyl transferase inhibitors may help chidren with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a drug currently being tested against cancers might help children with a rare, fatal condition called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, which causes rapid, premature aging.

27 Sep 2005

Computer program helps explain how the same proteins can play different roles in a wide range of cellular processes

University of California, San Diego biochemists have developed a computer program that helps explain a long-standing mystery: how the same proteins can play different roles in a wide range of cellular processes, including those leading to immune responses and cancer.

27 Sep 2005

Pulsing heart cell provides clues into how heart disease develops

A pulsing heart cell is giving Oregon Health & Science University researchers insight into how it sends and receives signals, and that's providing clues into how heart disease and other disorders develop.

27 Sep 2005

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified three new genetic mutations in brain tumors

...a discovery that could pave the way for more effective cancer treatments.

27 Sep 2005

Deep-sea sponges harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs

Vibrantly colored creatures from the depths of the South Pacific Ocean harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs, according to research findings from University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemists and their Italian colleagues.

26 Sep 2005

Tumor formation is generated by a complex interaction of both mechanical as well as chemical signals

The relationship between tissue rigidity and tumor formation is fairly well established; however, what is not so well understood is what happens on a molecular level that contributes to such stiffness.

26 Sep 2005

Researchers gain insights into how malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides

By specially tagging the outer and inner membranes of red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite and tracking the cellular changes that precede the cell bursting event that disperses parasites to other blood cells, a group of researchers has deepened our understanding of how the malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides.

26 Sep 2005

Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

We all know that if you put your hand over an open flame it's very painful. What you may not know is that, for some people, just lying under a blanket is painful as well. They have neuropathic pain--annoying, chronic pain that comes from a diseased nerve cell rather than a specific stimulus. Feeling phantom pain in a missing limb is another, more famous, example.

26 Sep 2005

Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis prefer once monthly to weekly treatment

Over 70% of postmenopausal women with Osteoporosis who expressed a preference, preferred once-monthly Bonviva, finding it more convenient than a once-weekly treatment. This is according to new data presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR).

26 Sep 2005

Investing today in the control of the bird flu virus in animals is cheap compared to the costs of a global pandemic that could occur tomorrow

The global strategy for the control of avian influenza in animals remains largely under-funded despite important contributions pledged by some donors, FAO warned today.

26 Sep 2005

Potential oral drug for rheumatoid arthritis

A potential oral drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may encourage women to treat their condition earlier rather than later because it is less arduous than currently available treatments. Early treatment is important because RA most often develops between the ages of 35 and 50 and is two- to three times more prevalent in women.

26 Sep 2005

Microchip system aims to reduce the number of animals used in the development of new drugs

Reducing the number of animals used in the development of new drugs is a priority for the pharmaceutical industry

26 Sep 2005

A new, less toxic way to treat malignant melanoma

A new, less toxic way to treat malignant melanoma (skin cancer) is being developed by medicinal chemists at Reading University. They have produced a range of prodrugs: compounds that offer the potential to be converted to toxic molecules only within the vicinity of tumours. These prodrugs aim to reduce the toxicity of treatment.

26 Sep 2005

Increasingly virulent Staph infections

In a "Brief Report" in the 22 September 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the University of Chicago describe three cases of rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal Staphylococcus aureus infections in small children.

26 Sep 2005

New way to create a permanent chemical bond between antibiotics and titanium

Infections associated with inserting a medical device can be devastating, painful, and cause prolonged disability, costing tens of thousands of dollars.

26 Sep 2005

Researchers map genetic location that explains why certain blood pressure-lowering drugs aren't effective for some people

"The findings bring us a step closer to developing targeted therapies for patients with high blood pressure who might otherwise be started on medications that won't help," said lead author Sandosh Padmanabhan, Ph.D.

26 Sep 2005

Possible molecular origin of at least nine human diseases of nervous system degeneration

These neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease, share an abnormal deposit of proteins inside nerve cells. This deposition of protein results from a kind of genetic stutter within the cell's nucleus asking for multiple copies of the amino acid glutamine, a building block of protein structure.

26 Sep 2005

Notch1 and Jagged1 genes are likely markers indicating a patient's probable aggressive breast cancer

In a new study, scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Hospital have shown that two genes called Notch1 and Jagged1 are linked to more aggressive breast cancers and that patients are less likely to survive the disease when these two genes are highly expressed.

26 Sep 2005

Drugs News and Research

Governments considering reclassifying some drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status

Pursuit of potential drugs and small molecules that target the IGF-1 receptor

Farnesyl transferase inhibitors may help chidren with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

Computer program helps explain how the same proteins can play different roles in a wide range of cellular processes

Pulsing heart cell provides clues into how heart disease develops

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified three new genetic mutations in brain tumors

Deep-sea sponges harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs

Tumor formation is generated by a complex interaction of both mechanical as well as chemical signals

Researchers gain insights into how malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides

Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis prefer once monthly to weekly treatment

Investing today in the control of the bird flu virus in animals is cheap compared to the costs of a global pandemic that could occur tomorrow

Potential oral drug for rheumatoid arthritis

Microchip system aims to reduce the number of animals used in the development of new drugs

A new, less toxic way to treat malignant melanoma

Increasingly virulent Staph infections

New way to create a permanent chemical bond between antibiotics and titanium

Researchers map genetic location that explains why certain blood pressure-lowering drugs aren't effective for some people

Possible molecular origin of at least nine human diseases of nervous system degeneration

Notch1 and Jagged1 genes are likely markers indicating a patient's probable aggressive breast cancer

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

Latest News