Medicinal Chemistry News and Research

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Study expands understanding of the production of ET-743 compound

For decades, scientists have known that ET-743, a compound extracted from a marine invertebrate called a mangrove tunicate, can kill cancer cells. The drug has been approved for use in patients in Europe and is in clinical trials in the U.S.

29 May 2015

Researchers explore how low-level electrical stimulation reduces inflammation

The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, the research arm of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and SetPoint Medical Inc., a biomedical technology company, today released the results of research on the therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation. In a paper published by Bioelectronic Medicine, Kevin J. Tracey, MD, and his colleagues at the Feinstein Institute, explore how low-level electrical stimulation interacts with the body's nerves to reduce inflammation, a fundamental goal of bioelectronic medicine.

15 May 2015

New compound offers longer lasting painkilling effects

Medications have long been used to treat pain caused by injury or chronic conditions. Unfortunately, most are short-term fixes or cause side effects that limit their use. Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered a new compound that offers longer lasting painkilling effects, and shows promise as an alternative to current anesthetics.

7 May 2015

TAXIS Pharmaceuticals' TXA709 compound shows promise in combating antibiotic resistance

TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, a drug-discovery company focused on developing a new class of antibiotic agents to treat life-threatening, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, today announced the presentation of data demonstrating the promise of its lead clinical candidate, TXA709, in combating antibiotic resistance.

27 Apr 2015

Purdue University study sheds light on how decitabine drug reverses cell damage

A Purdue University study sheds light on how cell damage is reversed by the cancer drug decitabine and identifies a potential biomarker that could indicate a patient's stage of cancer and response to treatment.

23 Apr 2015

Scientists identify chemical compounds that block cancer-causing oncoprotein

A team of scientists at the University of Kansas has pinpointed six chemical compounds that thwart HuR, an "oncoprotein" that binds to RNA and promotes tumor growth.

10 Apr 2015

Nabriva Therapeutics completes $120 million Series B financing

Nabriva Therapeutics AG, a biotechnology company focused on developing pleuromutilins, a new class of antibiotics for the treatment of serious infections caused by resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, today announced the successful completion of a $120 million Series B financing.

7 Apr 2015

Purdue researchers identify new class of chemical insecticides to control mosquitoes

Purdue researchers have identified a new class of chemical insecticides that could provide a safer, more selective means of controlling mosquitoes that transmit key infectious diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and elephantiasis.

2 Apr 2015

NIH awards $2.1 million grant to counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Dr. Walter Fast, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin's College of Pharmacy, a four-year $2.1 million grant to develop small-molecules that counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. If successful, the research could lead to new drugs for treating bacterial infections that are resistant to most antibiotics.

1 Apr 2015

Researchers develop 'warhead' molecule that targets deadly bacteria, spares healthy cells

Targeting deadly, drug-resistant bacteria poses a serious challenge to researchers looking for antibiotics that can kill pathogens without causing collateral damage in human cells.

13 Mar 2015

Lucideon welcomes University College Dublin students on work placements

Lucideon is pleased to announce that it has offered three healthcare technology placements to students from University College Dublin (UCD).

From Lucideon 5 Mar 2015

Neuroprotective compounds can limit damage to the brain during ischemic stroke

In the 1990s, neuroscientists identified a class of drugs that showed promise in the area of stroke. NMDA receptor antagonists could limit damage to the brain in animal models of stroke. But one problem complicated testing the drugs in a clinical setting: the side effects included disorientation and hallucinations.

28 Feb 2015

SRI Biosciences awarded contract to develop novel polymers to neutralize chemical, biological threats

SRI Biosciences, a division of SRI International, has been awarded a $10 million contract under a DARPA program to reimagine how proteins are constructed and to develop novel medicines and diagnostics as countermeasures to chemical and biological threats.

12 Feb 2015

Synthetic compound shows antibiotic action against MRSA

Microbiologists and chemists at the University of South Florida have developed and patented a synthetic compound that has shown antibiotic action against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, which can cause many serious infections and deaths.

30 Jan 2015

TSRI scientists find drug candidates that can prevent degeneration of brain cells in Parkinson's

In a pair of related studies, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown their drug candidates can target biological pathways involved in the destruction of brain cells in Parkinson's disease.

28 Jan 2015

Heptares Therapeutics announces recipients of Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize for 2015

Heptares Therapeutics, the clinical-stage GPCR structure-guided drug discovery and development company, is delighted to announce that the Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize for 2015 has been awarded to Miles Congreve (Vice President of Chemistry), Fiona Marshall (Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder) and Malcolm Weir (Chief Executive Officer and co-founder) for the seminal contributions to GPCR drug discovery made by Heptares Therapeutics since the company was founded in 2007.

23 Jan 2015

Heptares Therapeutics, AstraZeneca report significant progress in drug discovery collaboration

Heptares Therapeutics, the clinical-stage GPCR structure-guided drug discovery and development company, announces significant progress in its drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca.

22 Jan 2015

AMRI awarded NIH contract for drug development services

AMRI today announced it received a 10-year federal contract award from the National Institutes of Health for drug development and manufacturing services. This NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke award will support NIH's Drug Manufacturing and Formulation Program (DMFP), which is a component of the Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN).

19 Jan 2015

UTSA, UTHSCSA researchers to jointly develop next-generation breast cancer treatment drugs

Stanton McHardy, associate professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery in The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Sciences, is partnering on a $1.9 million award to develop next-generation breast cancer treatment drugs.

19 Dec 2014

ARA 290 drug reduces neuropathic pain in type 2 diabetic patients

Molecular Medicine, a peer-reviewed biomedical journal published by the Feinstein Institute Press, published the results of a new study reporting clinically significant pain reduction in type 2 diabetic patients. In an exploratory study conducted by Araim Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company developing novel treatments for chronic diseases, investigators also observed improvements in metabolic control in patients administered ARA 290.

16 Dec 2014