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.

Ranbaxy receives approval to market Sumatriptan Succinate tablets

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), announced today that RLL has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Sumatriptan Succinate Tablets, 25 mg (base), and 50 mg (base).

12 Aug 2009

PTC Therapeutics achieves milestone in Schering-Plough hepatitis C collaboration

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) today announced that it has reached a major research milestone in its collaboration with Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) receiving a $2 million payment in connection with the designation of a development candidate for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

11 Aug 2009

Upstream Biosciences actively seeking licensors or acquirers for anti-parasitic drug discovery portfolio and cancer diagnostic platform

Upstream Biosciences Inc. (OTCBB: UPBS) has announced that the company is actively seeking licensors or acquirers for its novel anti-parasitic drug discovery portfolio and cancer diagnostic platform.

11 Aug 2009

New class of molecules capable of blocking formation of tau protein fibrils

A new class of molecules capable of blocking the formation of specific protein clumps that are believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease pathology has been discovered by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. By assaying close to 300,000 compounds, they have identified drug-like inhibitors of AD tau protein clumping, as reported in the journal Biochemistry.

11 Aug 2009

Stemcells, Inc. reports Q2 financials

Results for the quarter reflect the Company’s acquisition of the operations of Stem Cell Sciences Plc (SCS), a UK-based company focused on cell-based technologies for drug discovery and screening.

10 Aug 2009

Burnham as a comprehensive center in a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) Chemical Biology Consortium

The consortium will establish a new paradigm in the use of public-private partnerships to translate knowledge from leading academic institutions into new drug treatments for patients with cancer. Both the La Jolla, Calif. campus of Burnham and its new Lake Nona campus in Orlando, Fla. will participate in the consortium.

10 Aug 2009

Decode Genetics announces Q2 2009 financials

deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) today announced its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. A conference call to discuss these results and recent developments in the company's business will be webcast live tomorrow, Tuesday, August 11, at 8:00am Eastern Daylight Time/12 noon GMT/1pm British Summer Time (details below).

10 Aug 2009

Chemists rationally design inhibitors against an RNA molecule that causes myotonic muscular dystrophy

Chemists at the University at Buffalo have used rational drug design to synthesize small, cell-permeable molecules that are effective in vitro against two common types of myotonic muscular dystrophy, a result that has implications for potentially curing muscular dystrophy, as well as other diseases.

9 Aug 2009

Genetic profiling of tumors could have 'immediate impact' on treating cancer

New work by MIT cancer biologists shows that the interplay between two key genes that are often defective in tumors determines how cancer cells respond to chemotherapy.

6 Aug 2009

Alnylam and Tekmira to collaborate on RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that they will jointly participate in a new research collaboration focused on the discovery of novel cationic lipids and lipid nanoparticles for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

6 Aug 2009

Innovative diabetes drug discovery partnership

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation said today that it has entered into a novel collaborative research agreement with the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) to create a diabetes drug discovery and development platform.

5 Aug 2009

New microchip technology may accelerate drug discovery for cancer, other diseases

Flasks, beakers and hot plates may soon be a thing of the past in chemistry labs. Instead of handling a few experiments on a bench top, scientists may simply pop a microchip into a computer and instantly run thousands of chemical reactions, with results - literally shrinking the lab down to the size of a thumbnail.

From Siemens Healthineers 3 Aug 2009

Covance enters strategic genomic services agreement with Merck

Covance has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. relating to the supply of genomic analysis services.

30 Jul 2009

Schering Plough’s CMO ‘very concerned’ about Obama’s healthcare reform agenda

Robert Spiegel, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP), the global science-based healthcare company, says he is "very concerned" that changes to the healthcare system by the Obama administration could affect public health.

22 Jul 2009

Parabon NanoLabs awarded research grant to develop novel cancer therapeutics

Parabon NanoLabs, a leading designer and manufacturer of breakthrough products at the nanoscale, announced today its award of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant.

21 Jul 2009

New nanoparticles could revolutionize therapeutic drug discovery

Understanding the structure of proteins is a vital first step in developing new drugs, but to date, researchers have had difficulty studying the large number of proteins that are normally embedded in the cell membrane, a family of proteins that includes those involved in cancer-related signaling processes.

21 Jul 2009

New alliance for discovery of WNT pathway inhibitors to be used in cancer therapy

Cancer Research Technology (CRT), Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Cancer Research UK, Cardiff University and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) are set to begin a major new research collaboration for the first time. This will provide substantial investment in research on the WNT signalling pathway in the hope of finding new drug targets.

15 Jul 2009

Novel drug discovery tool could bring new therapies for Parkinson’s

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have turned simple baker?s yeast into a virtual army of medicinal chemists capable of rapidly searching for drugs to treat Parkinson's disease.

13 Jul 2009

Delirium in hospitalized adults: Situation critical, no relief available

Every year as many as seven million adults in the United States experience delirium during hospitalization. In a systematic review of the scientific literature on delirium prevention and treatment, investigators from the Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University, and Wishard Health Services found that despite the significant health and financial burdens of delirium for hospitalized adults, no effective way to prevent or treat the condition has been identified.

6 Jul 2009

Discovery of a genetic link to risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis

A discovery by scientists at deCODE genetics and academic colleagues from Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark has pointed to a common biological mechanism contributing to both kidney stones and decreased bone mineral density (BMD).

30 Jun 2009

Drug Discovery News and Research

Further Reading

Ranbaxy receives approval to market Sumatriptan Succinate tablets

PTC Therapeutics achieves milestone in Schering-Plough hepatitis C collaboration

Upstream Biosciences actively seeking licensors or acquirers for anti-parasitic drug discovery portfolio and cancer diagnostic platform

New class of molecules capable of blocking formation of tau protein fibrils

Stemcells, Inc. reports Q2 financials

Burnham as a comprehensive center in a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) Chemical Biology Consortium

Decode Genetics announces Q2 2009 financials

Chemists rationally design inhibitors against an RNA molecule that causes myotonic muscular dystrophy

Genetic profiling of tumors could have 'immediate impact' on treating cancer

Alnylam and Tekmira to collaborate on RNAi therapeutics

Innovative diabetes drug discovery partnership

New microchip technology may accelerate drug discovery for cancer, other diseases

Covance enters strategic genomic services agreement with Merck

Schering Plough’s CMO ‘very concerned’ about Obama’s healthcare reform agenda

Parabon NanoLabs awarded research grant to develop novel cancer therapeutics

New nanoparticles could revolutionize therapeutic drug discovery

New alliance for discovery of WNT pathway inhibitors to be used in cancer therapy

Novel drug discovery tool could bring new therapies for Parkinson’s

Delirium in hospitalized adults: Situation critical, no relief available

Discovery of a genetic link to risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis

Drug Discovery eBook

Exploring the intersection of biology and proteomics

Unlocking the Secrets of Multiple Sclerosis Progression: Brain-Immune Cell Communication

Passing on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Health risks for male offspring of women with PCOS

Latest Life Science News