Agonist News and Research

RSS

Study suggests a balanced approach to developing safer opioid analgesics

Opioids are powerful painkillers but their use is hindered because patients become tolerant to them, requiring higher and higher doses, and overdoses can cause respiratory depression and death.

24 Aug 2021

A combination of oral bacteria and intranasal vaccine provide protection from influenza A virus and COVID-19

A new study published in the journal mBio focuses on the role of nasal bacteria in eliciting virus-specific adaptive immunity.

20 Aug 2021

Early clinical trial data in for whole virus COVID-19 vaccine candidate

In a study uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv*, the efficacy of a whole virion Coronavirus vaccine was determined by giving the vaccine to healthy adult volunteers, which generated a robust immune response with evidence of T-cell activation.

19 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 and the expression of cytokine in human macrophages

A new study has determined the production of the SARS-CoV-2 SP-dependent ORF8.

18 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Spike may trigger production of antibodies that cross-react with human thrombopoietin to induce thrombocytopenia

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected individuals often suffer from thrombocytopenia, a condition associated with low platelet counts. The cytokine thrombopoietin regulates platelet count. Previous studies have reported that thrombocytopenia can increase the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rate by about five times.

16 Aug 2021

Research suggests toll-like receptor 4 appears to play role in severe COVID

A group of researchers re-evaluated their previously proposed hypothesis, which stated that the TLR4 activated by the spike glycoprotein S1 domain increases ACE2 expression and, thereby, aids in COVID-19 infection.

16 Aug 2021

Researchers determine the structure of receptor involved in type 2 diabetes and other pathologies

Researchers from the University of Southern California, Merck & Co., Skoltech, MIPT, UCLA, and the Université de Sherbrooke have determined the structure of the human leukotriene B4 receptor 1, involved in inflammatory, infectious, allergic, and tumorigenic diseases.

12 Aug 2021

Iron chelating properties of eltrombopag in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia

Oncotarget published "Eltrombopag and its iron chelating properties in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia" which reported that the standard treatment for pediatric AML currently consists in a combination of cytarabine and antracycline.

9 Aug 2021

New immunotherapy strategy can eliminate pancreatic tumors in mice

Pancreatic cancer, which affects about 60,000 Americans every year, is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. After diagnosis, fewer than 10 percent of patients survive for five years.

6 Aug 2021

Two monoclonal antibodies broadly neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Researchers in the United States and Canada have described the structural basis and mode of action for two monoclonal antibodies that potently neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Aug 2021

Yeast expressed, RBD-based vaccine provides robust immune responses against SARS-CoV-2

The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 190 million cases worldwide. Of these, over 4 million have died due to the infection.

20 Jul 2021

Research finds Cannabis terpenes as a promising new target for pain therapies

When it comes to the medicinal and therapeutic properties of Cannabis sativa, an unsolved mystery is whether there exists an "entourage effect," whereby the pain-relieving effects of the plant as a whole are greater than any of its individual parts.

14 Jul 2021

Canadians with a history of drug dependence more likely to have mental illness, finds study

New research published online in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction found that Canadians with a history of drug dependence are much less likely to have flourishing mental health and are more likely to have mental illness.

14 Jul 2021

Varenicline blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and animal models

A new paper released on the bioRxiv* preprint server suggests that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nACHR) agonist, varenicline tartrate, has antiviral activity against the virus.

5 Jul 2021

Research reveals the role of dopamine in how songbirds learn complex new sounds

Neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated in new research that dopamine plays a key role in how songbirds learn complex new sounds.

5 Jul 2021

UCLA professor honored for contributions to the field of hematology

Dr. Elizabeta Nemeth, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Iron Disorders at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been awarded the 2021 William Dameshek Prize by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for her contributions to the field of hematology.

2 Jul 2021

Study evaluates the difference in weight loss caused by two antidiabetic medications

Patients with Type 2 diabetes who were prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors lost more weight than patients who received GLP-1 receptor agonists, according to a University at Buffalo-led study.

2 Jul 2021

Antagonism of glucocorticoid receptors promotes apoptosis in solid tumor cells

Oncotarget published "Glucocorticoid receptor antagonism promotes apoptosis in solid tumor cells" which reported that to guide studies in cancer patients, relacorilant, an investigational selective GR modulator that antagonizes cortisol activity, was assessed in various tumor types, with multiple cytotoxic combination partners, and in the presence of physiological cortisol concentrations.

28 Jun 2021

New insights on how an important class of immune receptors are activated

Scientists from within the Antibody and Vaccine Group at the University of Southampton have gained novel insights into how an important class of immune receptors called tumour necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) are activated.

25 Jun 2021

RIG-1 agonist shows potent antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed the antiviral efficacy of stem-loop RNA 14, a RIG-1 agonist, in controlling severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mice. The compound reduces the risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by inhibiting viral replication in the lower respiratory tract. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

18 Jun 2021