Drug Discovery News and Research

RSS

The drug discovery process begins with recognizing a disease or clinical condition in which there is a lack of adequate medical treatment. Once a potential drug has been identified, pre-clinical research can begin. This process includes several stages; the first of which involves identifying and validating the prospective drug’s target through assay development, high throughput screening, hit identification and finally, lead optimization. Once the pre-clinical process is complete, the newly synthesized drug candidate is selected for future clinical development.

Pepsi Refresh grant helps in launching Rett syndrome drug development program

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) believes that accelerating the pace of meritorious research, supporting families, and raising awareness are the minimum effort necessary to successfully search for treatments and a cure for one of the most devastating neurological diseases to affect young girls. On October 1, IRSF became the recipient of a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh contest that was officially confirmed later in the month.

29 Oct 2010

ChemoCentryx reports one-year study results of Traficet-EN in Crohn's disease patients

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported one-year results from the Company's PROTECT-1 Study (the Prospective Randomized Oral Therapy Evaluation in Crohn's disease Trial) of Traficet-EN™ (CCX282-B) in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. Traficet-EN, an orally bioavailable CCR9-specific chemokine receptor antagonist showed clinical efficacy in a 12-week Induction period, as well as a 36-week Maintenance period.

28 Oct 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics enter global antibody-based therapeutics alliance

Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics today jointly announced that they have entered into a global alliance to discover, develop and commercialize antibody-based therapeutics which may span multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, respiratory, cardiometabolic and infectious diseases.

27 Oct 2010

Tripos releases new version of SYBYL-X for QSAR studies

Tripos, a leading provider of drug discovery informatics products and services, today announced the release and general availability of SYBYL-X Version 1.2.

27 Oct 2010

Lumiphore signs global cooperation with Algeta to integrate Lumi4 complexes

Lumiphore Inc., a portfolio company of Nanostart AG, has signed a global cooperation with Algeta ASA a leading company specializing in innovative radiopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer patients. The agreement enables the integration of Lumiphore's Lumi4 complexes into the targeted radiotherapeutics and companion diagnostics from Algeta.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 26 Oct 2010

Phase II data from resminostat SAPHIRE study to be presented at International Hodgkin Lymphoma Symposium

4SC AG, a drug discovery and development company focused on autoimmune and cancer indications, announces the presentation of Phase II data from Hodgkin Lymphoma patients treated in the 1st Simon Stage cohort of the ongoing SAPHIRE study with resminostat (4SC-201), an oral pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, at the 8th International Symposium on Hodgkin Lymphoma in Cologne, Germany.

26 Oct 2010

Duke Center releases online atlas of ultra-high-resolution mouse brain

The most detailed magnetic resonance images ever obtained of a mammalian brain are now available to researchers in a free, online atlas of an ultra-high-resolution mouse brain, thanks to work at the Duke Center for In Vivo Microscopy.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers create new high-content assay to increase human embryonic stem cell survival

A new technique for increasing the survival rates of human embryonic stem cells will revolutionize their use in drug discovery and therapy. Human embryonic stem cells often die during the process of isolation using enzymatic disaggregation or low-density plating, which limits their usefulness in drug discovery and basic research. Similarly, the low rate of attachment of implanted cells hinders cell therapy.

25 Oct 2010

Highlights of Frontiers in Optics 2010/Laser Science XXVI Meeting

Scientists and engineers from around the world will gather on the shores of Lake Ontario in Rochester, N.Y. next week to discuss some of the latest breakthroughs in lasers and optics and their applications to cutting-edge science, the development of new materials, and medicine.

21 Oct 2010

Envoy expands drug discovery collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute

Envoy Therapeutics, Inc., a recently-formed drug discovery company, today announced that it has expanded its research collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute aimed at identifying new drugs for neurological and psychiatric diseases.

20 Oct 2010

PBS-Bio announces three new contracts to develop cancer therapy

In an industry that faces increasing challenges in delivering new drugs to patients, Predictive Biomarker Sciences (PBS-Bio) today announced three new contracts aimed at bringing new medicines to the marketplace.

20 Oct 2010

First in vivo screening system for complete human nuclear hormone receptor family

The InDanio screening system can be used, for example, to functionally characterize 'orphan' receptors - those for which their natural ligands or specific function are unknown - and thus qualify them as potential targets for drug discovery. The system can also be used to screen compound libraries in order to identify and refine potential new drugs that target NR proteins.

20 Oct 2010

Vitro signs contract with HemoGenix to manufacture, distribute stem cell analysis tools

Vitro Diagnostics, Inc., dba Vitro Biopharma, announced that it signed an amendment to its contract to jointly manufacture and distribute stem cell analysis tools with HemoGenix, Inc., a leading firm known for its pioneering HALO analysis platform for stem cells.

20 Oct 2010

Five Prime Therapeutics relocates into new drug discovery facility in South San Francisco

Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in biologics, has relocated into its state-of-the-art drug discovery facility in South San Francisco. The new facility provides FivePrime with a two fold increase in square footage without significant incremental rental cost. The relocation includes an expanded laboratory facility for the Company to accelerate its innovative and proprietary protein therapeutic and antibody drug discovery platform.

19 Oct 2010

Study suggests epoD; microtubule-stabilizing drugs may treat neurodegenerative diseases

Finding a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier is the bane of drug development for Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders of the brain. A new Penn study, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, has found and tested in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease a class of drug that is able to enter the brain, where it stabilizes degenerating neurons and improves memory and learning.

19 Oct 2010

Vertex commences VX-770 and VX-809 combination Phase 2a clinical trial for cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial that will evaluate multiple combinations of VX-770 and VX-809, investigational oral cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of VX-809 dosed alone for 14 days followed by dosing of VX-809 in combination with VX-770 for 7 days.

18 Oct 2010

Bend Research extends 3-year agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bend Research Inc. a leading independent technology-based drug-formulation development and manufacturing organization, announced today it has extended its drug discovery enablement and development services agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, a global biopharmaceutical company.

18 Oct 2010

Galenea awarded $4.5M NIMH grant to advance Multiwell, Automated NeuroTRansmission Assay platform

Galenea Corp. has been awarded a highly competitive grant from the National Institute of Mental Health in response to the solicitation "Recovery Act Limited Competition: NIH Director's Opportunity for Research in Five Thematic Areas (RC4)," funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Galenea has developed an innovative technology platform, termed MANTRA™ (Multiwell, Automated NeuroTRansmission Assay) that enables high-throughput screening for the identification of small molecule modulators of synaptic transmission.

14 Oct 2010

AusBiotech 2010 set to demystify the impact of US Healthcare Reforms on Australian biotech

Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are seeking to understand the implications of the US Healthcare Reform Bill, says Australia’s biotechnology industry organisation, AusBiotech. In order to remain compliant and globally competitive, biotechs need to identify and work within a gamut of new requirements, complications and hurdles imposed by this new regulatory environment.

13 Oct 2010

Beta-Pro expands operations to meet increasing demand in $2 billion hepatocyte market

Beta-Pro LLC, announced today that it has expanded its operations to accommodate increasing demands from pharmaceutical drug discovery and research institutes in the $2 billion hepatocyte market. The human cellular sciences company now manages extensive laboratory facilities in the University of Virginia Research Park in Charlottesville, Virginia.

13 Oct 2010

Drug Discovery News and Research

Further Reading

Pepsi Refresh grant helps in launching Rett syndrome drug development program

ChemoCentryx reports one-year study results of Traficet-EN in Crohn's disease patients

Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics enter global antibody-based therapeutics alliance

Tripos releases new version of SYBYL-X for QSAR studies

Lumiphore signs global cooperation with Algeta to integrate Lumi4 complexes

Phase II data from resminostat SAPHIRE study to be presented at International Hodgkin Lymphoma Symposium

Duke Center releases online atlas of ultra-high-resolution mouse brain

Researchers create new high-content assay to increase human embryonic stem cell survival

Highlights of Frontiers in Optics 2010/Laser Science XXVI Meeting

Envoy expands drug discovery collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute

PBS-Bio announces three new contracts to develop cancer therapy

First in vivo screening system for complete human nuclear hormone receptor family

Vitro signs contract with HemoGenix to manufacture, distribute stem cell analysis tools

Five Prime Therapeutics relocates into new drug discovery facility in South San Francisco

Study suggests epoD; microtubule-stabilizing drugs may treat neurodegenerative diseases

Vertex commences VX-770 and VX-809 combination Phase 2a clinical trial for cystic fibrosis

Bend Research extends 3-year agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb

Galenea awarded $4.5M NIMH grant to advance Multiwell, Automated NeuroTRansmission Assay platform

AusBiotech 2010 set to demystify the impact of US Healthcare Reforms on Australian biotech

Beta-Pro expands operations to meet increasing demand in $2 billion hepatocyte market

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest Life Science News