How ageing triggers Huntington’s disease
A new study found that as patients age, Huntington’s disease gradually impairs the important cellular housekeeping process autophagy, which is responsible for eliminating waste from cells.
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Developing novel genome editing tools
In this Q&A, Dr Stephen Jones from Vilnius University Life Sciences Center discusses his work on the recent developments in genome editing tools at the university.
How neurons stimulate the brain’s microglia
A new MIT study highlights ailing neurons may activate an inflammatory response from the brain’s microglia immune cells.
Exploring gene interactions in influenza to improve accuracy of flu vaccines
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found the evolutionary potential of influenza A virus haemagglutinin is extremely restricted by epistatic interactions with neuraminidase.
Is an HIV vaccine on the horizon?
Researchers in the US have developed a potential HIV vaccine approach that aims to prompt the creation of broadly neutralising antibodies via mRNA.
Drug Target Review’s highlights from ELRIG Drug Discovery 2022
Victoria Rees and Ria Kakkad from Drug Target Review bring you the key takeaways from the ELRIG Drug Discovery 2022 event in London.
Advancing vaccines with extracellular vesicles
Dr Christopher Locher, Versatope Therapeutics, explains why bacterial extracellular vesicles are ideally suited for recombinant vaccines because target antigens can be expressed as fusion proteins and targeted to the lumen, membrane or surface of the vesicles. These nano-size vesicles represent a potentially safe and simple subunit vaccine delivery platform that…
Right model, right complexity: using in vitro human disease cell models in drug discovery
Ensuring that drug candidates can reach the clinic is no easy task, so having models that can closely represent human pathology is crucial. Here, Dr Beth Hoffman, CEO of Origami Therapeutics, describes the successes and challenges of using human disease cell models in drug discovery.
Targeting tau – chasing a treatment for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the largest challenges for the global ageing population. In this article, Victoria Rees, Editor of Drug Target Review, reviews some of the latest research, highlighting how progress has been made in understanding tau as well as how to potentially target this protein as a therapeutic strategy against…
A high-throughput macrodomain assay to identify coronavirus drugs
In the search for a rapid, easy way to identify drugs to fight SARS-CoV-2, researchers from across the US came together to develop and apply a high-throughput ADP-ribosylhydrolase assay, ADPr-Glo. Here, Dr Veronica Busa and Dr Anthony Leung from Johns Hopkins University describe the ADPr-Glo assay and how it can be…
Building a powerful portfolio of sepsis biomarker signatures for therapeutic clinical trials
In this Q&A, Immunexpress Chief Executive Officer Dr Rolland Carlson and Chief Scientific Officer Dr Richard Brandon discuss key aspects for molecular diagnostic discovery and development platforms, including how to best leverage microarray and next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools.
Synthetic biology is ready for the therapeutic limelight
After initially serving as a proving ground for integrating forward engineering principles into living cells, synthetic biology is making waves across diverse therapeutic areas. In this article, Dr Dan Mandell, Co-Founder and CEO of GRO Biosciences, explains how the field is reshaping our understanding of the limits of cell- and molecular-based medicines.
Advancing novel biotherapeutics based on synthetic biology
Researchers at Synlogic are clearing the path for a new class of medicine – biotherapeutics based on synthetic biology, called synthetic biotics, which are created by programming or engineering bacteria to metabolise or secrete well-validated targets of disease pathophysiology. In this article, Dr Caroline Kurtz, Chief Development Officer at Synlogic, discusses how synthetic…
In search of COVID-19 antibodies
Antibody therapy has been a critical part of the COVID-19 research campaign to treat severe cases. Unfortunately, despite many promising candidates, scientists have yet to find one that passes clinical trials. This article by Drug Target Review’s Ria Kakkad highlights some of the most recent developments in the search for COVID-19…
Insights into GPCRs via innovative imaging
In this exclusive Q&A, Drug Target Review’s Ria Kakkad spoke with Dr Jonathan Javitch, Professor at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, about the cutting-edge imaging method single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET), used to investigate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).