Small Molecules News and Research

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Merck launches Oncology Collaborative Trials Network

Today, Merck announced the launch of the Merck Oncology Collaborative Trials Network, a pioneering clinical trial network focusing on the development of Merck drug and vaccine candidates being investigated for the treatment and prevention of cancer. The global network comprises leading cancer research centers who will partner with Merck to speed the development of innovative treatments for a range of cancers.

4 Jun 2010

Nanosponge delivery system more effective at reducing tumor growth than direct injection: Study

When loaded with an anticancer drug, a delivery system based on a novel material called nanosponge is three to five times more effective at reducing tumor growth than direct injection.

3 Jun 2010

Small molecule ramps up interferon production in host cells, launching potent immune response

Many disease-causing microbes carry pumps that expel antibiotics, making the bugs hard to kill with standard drugs. Ironically, these same pumps could be the bugs' Achilles heel.

28 May 2010

OHSU partners with UO, Harvard to expedite research into compounds that may prevent Fanconi anemia

Oregon Health & Science University is partnering with the University of Oregon and Harvard Medical School to expedite basic science research into new and existing drugs and compounds that may prevent the complications associated with Fanconi anemia, an inherited condition that can lead to bone marrow failure and cancer.

28 May 2010

Pressure BioSciences signs CRADA with AFIP, ARP and VA

Pressure BioSciences, Inc. today announced that it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement ("CRADA") with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology ("AFIP"), the American Registry of Pathology ("ARP"), and the Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA").

27 May 2010

Yissum introduces Dralgo platform to accelerate discovery of promising drug candidates

Drug discovery and development is a highly risky process, with only one in 10,000 initial candidate compounds reaching the market. When taking into account the aborted candidates, the cost of developing one successful drug may even reach $1 billion, and the development process may take as long as 15-20 years.

25 May 2010

Agilent Technologies, Stemina Biomarker Discovery to accelerate metobolomic research

Agilent Technologies Inc. and Stemina Biomarker Discovery, Inc. today announced efforts to accelerate Stemina's metobolomic research. Stemina uses metabolomic analysis of stem cells for the discovery of biomarkers for use in drug screening and drug development.

25 May 2010

New MALDI molecular imaging system offers spatial analysis of target metabolites

At the 58th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Bruker today announces a novel MALDI molecular imaging system based on the extreme performance of the solariX FTMS.

24 May 2010

COTI reports positive results from first phase of HIV integrase inhibitor discovery program

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. today announced positive results from the first phase of its HIV integrase inhibitor discovery program. These results provide novel intellectual property to the Company and further validation of the CHEMSAS® drug discovery technology.

21 May 2010

Scientists look for new ways to fight TB

Scientists looking for new ways to fight tuberculosis have their sights set on a structure essential to the bacterium's survival. Disabling this structure could kill the microbes in the infected host and thwart TB infections. In a study appearing online May 11, 2010, in EMBO J, the journal of the European Molecular Biology Organization, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and Weill Cornell Medical College describe new features of how this structure, known as a proteasome, is put together and how it works.

14 May 2010

ADDF awards $210,300 to Amicus Therapeutics to evaluate PCs for treating Alzheimer's disease

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announced today that it has awarded a grant of $210,300 to Amicus Therapeutics (Cranbury, NJ) to evaluate small-molecule, orally delivered pharmacological chaperone compounds as a novel approach for treating Alzheimer's disease.

7 May 2010

Genzyme to initiate $2 billion stock buyback

Genzyme Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has voted to pursue several actions to increase shareholder value. The company will initiate a $2 billion stock buyback, under which $1 billion of stock will be repurchased in the near term and financed with debt. The additional $1 billion of stock will be repurchased during the next 12 months.

7 May 2010

Cryo-EM images shed light on virus structure, function

UCLA researchers report in the April 30 edition of the journal Cell that they have imaged a virus structure at a resolution high enough to effectively "see" atoms, the first published instance of imaging biological complexes at such a resolution.

5 May 2010

Palatin Technologies granted patent relating to small molecule compounds that bind to melanocortin receptors

Palatin Technologies, Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 7,709,484, titled "Substituted Melanocortin Receptor-Specific Piperazine Compounds," today. The claims in the issued patent relate to small molecule compounds which bind to melanocortin receptors.

5 May 2010

Researchers convert established human iPS cells, ES cells to base state of greater pluripotency

Whitehead Institute researchers have converted established human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells to a base state of greater pluripotency.

4 May 2010

Curis completes enrollment in Phase I clinical trial of CUDC-101 HDAC, EGFR and HER2 inhibitor

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced that it has successfully completed enrollment and treatment of the last patient in its Phase I clinical trial of CUDC-101, Curis' first-in-class HDAC, EGFR and HER2 inhibitor.

3 May 2010

Scripps Research Institute awarded grant to design assays for exploring potential target for obesity, Type 2 diabetes

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $1.3 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a series of tests at its Florida campus to help explore the potential of a protein that has emerged as a highly attractive target for the treatment of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

3 May 2010

iPierian receives $1.5M Basic Biology Award from CIRM to study cellular reprogramming

iPierian, Inc., the leading company focused on creating new therapeutics discovered using cellular reprogramming and directed differentiation of patient cells, today announced that it has been awarded a three-year $1.5 million "Basic Biology Award" from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

30 Apr 2010

Johns Hopkins scientist receives AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research

Joshua T. Mendell, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist, is the recipient of the 30th annual American Association for Cancer Research Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research.

24 Apr 2010

Study uses new BL-DMAC method to measure PAC levels in cranberry products

Natural compounds in cranberries are linked to the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs) but inconsistencies in methods currently used commercially to measure levels can result in the over- or under-estimation of potency levels, leaving product manufacturers and consumers without good data. A study published today in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture outlines a new, commercially viable method of measuring these compounds.

22 Apr 2010