AI agents can search, analyse and plan across drug discovery workflows, but where should scientists hand over control? We examine what to automate, what to check and where human judgement matters most.
A protein can look very different in disease without a single change to its sequence. Measuring these structural changes could reveal drug targets invisible to genomic and expression data alone.
Finding the right drug target remains one of discovery’s biggest challenges. Human genetics is helping researchers strengthen the evidence before committing years of research and investment.
Virtual screening can assess billions of compounds, but performance can fall on unfamiliar targets. Combining AI with molecular physics could help make predictions more reliable.
Researchers at USF Health have identified a previously unknown brain circuit in the hypothalamus that coordinates eating behaviour, heat production and energy expenditure in response to cold, with implications for obesity and metabolic disease drug discovery.
A mathematical framework simulates how metals such as copper and zinc interact with amyloid-beta, offering a new computational tool to explore plaque formation and potential therapeutic interventions in Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at UC Berkeley have used long-term human brain organoids to show that hyperreactive astrocytes may drive the inflammation and seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.
A novel inflammasome inhibitor derived from HIV antivirals has reversed established neurological deficits in a preclinical MS model, raising hopes for a restorative approach to a disease where current therapies focus primarily on relapse prevention.
Five leading cancer researchers from across genomics, proteomics, cell biology, chemical biology and gene therapy dig into what’s driving cancer drug discovery forward and what’s still holding progress back.
Non-animal methods are already used throughout early drug discovery, yet animal testing continues to dominate regulatory safety assessment. Recent initiatives suggest change is coming, but significant scientific and practical challenges remain.