Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Gut microbiome may shape response to GLP-1 drugs, new review suggests

This review examines how GLP-1 receptor agonists and the gut microbiome influence one another through bile acid signaling, short-chain fatty acids, and inflammatory pathways. It explores how microbial composition may shape treatment response and highlights the need for controlled human studies to enable microbiome-informed precision therapy.

19 Feb 2026

Brainstem nerve cells found to stabilize blood pressure fluctuations

Doctors usually focus on a person's average blood pressure, but research increasingly shows that how much blood pressure fluctuates from moment to moment is just as important.

19 Feb 2026

Onset of "the munchies" after cannabis use could offer clues to help people with appetite loss

The urgent onset of "the munchies" after cannabis use isn't imaginary – it's a cognitive response that occurs regardless of sex, age, weight or recent food consumption and could offer clues to help people struggling with appetite loss.

19 Feb 2026

Protein made by stressed cancer cells helps tumors to evade immune attack

A protein made by stressed cancer cells helps lung and pancreatic tumors evade the immune system, a new study shows.

18 Feb 2026

Review: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of harlequin ichthyosis

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a rare, severe genetic skin disorder caused by ABCA12 mutations, leading to defective lipid transport and loss of skin barrier function.

17 Feb 2026

Study reveals a new facet of how pancreatic cancer cells regulate autophagy

A feature of pancreatic cancer cells' surroundings determines whether they grow fast or become resistant to chemotherapy, a new study shows.

16 Feb 2026

Chronic inflammation shapes cancer progression and immunotherapy response

Chronic inflammation is both a driver and suppressor of cancer depending on context. Key players-NF-κB, IL-6, STAT3, TAMs, MDSCs, and Tregs-orchestrate a tumor-permissive microenvironment.

16 Feb 2026

Optimization of CAR T cells to destroy solid tumors

A team led by LMU physician Sebastian Kobold has found a way to allow the body's immune system to destroy solid tumors.

16 Feb 2026

Synergistic drug pair shows promise for spinal cord injury recovery

Spinal cord injury remains one of the most challenging neurological conditions to treat, largely because damage continues to worsen long after the initial trauma.

16 Feb 2026

New roadmap integrates aging into Parkinson disease models

Even though aging is the largest risk factor for Parkinson's disease, the majority of research aimed at taming the able neurodegenerativeincur motor disease has largely left aging out of the mix.

11 Feb 2026

Polygenic analysis provides new insight into hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome

Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is one of the most common heritable connective tissue disorders.

10 Feb 2026

Research sheds light on the UK's growing synthetic opioid problem

Deaths due to synthetic opioids nitazenes have likely been underestimated by up to a third.

9 Feb 2026

RNA micelles enable targeted chemotherapy without immune toxicity

A new study in mice hints at the potential to use tiny particles made with RNA molecules to deliver chemotherapy drugs and other therapies directly to tumors, killing cancer cells without generating an immune response or toxicity-related side effects.

7 Feb 2026

Too many antioxidants may negatively affect future offspring

Antioxidants have been marketed as miracle supplements, touted for preventing chronic diseases and cancers; treating COPD and dementia; and slowing aging.

4 Feb 2026

Estrogen levels in the brain may play a role in women’s risk of stress-related memory problems

Experiencing multiple acute stresses at the same time, as in natural disasters or mass shootings, can leave lasting memory scars.

3 Feb 2026

Foreign legislation strongly influences domestic novel psychoactive substance deaths

Ric Treble is a retired forensic chemist, who has studied the development of novel drugs for over thirty years.

30 Jan 2026

Cigarette compound exposure drives sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

A research team led by Professor Yuan Li at Nanjing Medical University published a research paper entitled "A Cigarette Compound-Induced Tumor Microenvironment Promotes Sorafenib Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma via the 14-3-3η-Modified Tumor-Associated Proteome" in the Chinese Medical Journal.

23 Jan 2026

Alterations in liver metabolism experienced by individuals with Down syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) have uncovered compelling evidence that individuals with Down syndrome experience significant alterations in liver metabolism, including elevated levels of bile acids in the bloodstream and other biomarkers of liver dysfunction.

22 Jan 2026

Understanding tumor growth patterns helps guide treatment after lung cancer

When lung cancer treatment stops working, what happens next? New research reveals the answer may depend on how the cancer grows.

21 Jan 2026

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs show early promise for treating addiction

This systematic review evaluates preclinical and clinical evidence on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as potential treatments for substance use disorders. Findings show consistent reductions in drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors in animal models, while human evidence remains limited, heterogeneous, and preliminary.

21 Jan 2026