TMPRSS2 inhibitors, Bromhexine, Aprotinin, Camostat and Nafamostat as potential treatments for COVID-19
Arsalan Azimi explains why inhibiting TMPRSS2 with clinically proven protease blockers could work as a therapeutic strategy against COVID-19.
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Articles
The effect of temperature and humidity on the number of cases and deaths of COVID-19 all over the world
Sarah Ahmed explores how environmental factors may be causing the disparity in numbers of cases between different countries.
Application of organoid technology for retinal disease modelling and drug discovery
The loss of retinal light-sensing photoreceptor cells is a leading cause of blindness and the number of individuals affected by retinal degenerative diseases is increasing with an ageing population. Currently, there are no treatments for these diseases and progress in finding new treatments is slow. This article explores the potential…
Using big data approaches to develop cell therapies
An area where stem cell biology and medicine are combining effectively is the establishment of new cell therapies. However, current therapies are limited to a narrow set of cell types that can be isolated or created and expanded in vitro. Dr Owen Rackham discusses how utilising computational approaches will further…
Using genetics to identify drug targets for fibrotic lung diseases
Researchers recently conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify factors that increase susceptibility to the incurable lung condition idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Here, Dr Richard Allen shares some of the study’s key findings.
Seeing the light – visualising protein translation in real time
Non-invasive imaging has played an increasing role in drug discovery and development processes. Nikki Withers spoke with Yochi Slonim, who discusses a novel technology that leverages FRET signals for the discovery of small molecule drugs that selectively control mRNA translation in a novel target space.
Data, data and still more data: the challenges of imaging and analysing 3D cell models
The latest generation of three-dimensional (3D) cell models offer new and exciting possibilities for pharmaceutical research. However, deciding how to capture sufficient information in the most efficient way from an experiment without making the data size overwhelming can prove challenging. Margaritha Mysior and Jeremy Simpson discuss the opportunities and challenges…
Antibodies against viral disease: highlighting technologies behind COVID-19 antibody therapy
Amid the rush to develop an effective vaccine against COVID-19, antibody therapy has become a major strategy to ameliorate and treat cases of severe disease. Armed with the capacity to neutralise pathogens and orchestrate the immune system, promising antibody candidates for multiple viral indications, including HIV, continue to emerge. Technology…
Delivering a therapy to kerb COVID-19
Sheraz Gul explores current research developments to help treat and tackle the spread of COVID-19.
The Crick HTS facility – facilitating research through large-scale screening
The high-throughput screening (HTS) facility at the Francis Crick Institute in the UK provides a core service for Crick research groups. It enables scientists to use large-scale, unbiased screening technologies and approaches as part of their research. Nikki Withers spoke to the Science Technology Platform Head, Michael Howell, to hear…
High-throughput screening as a method for discovering new drugs
High-throughput screening is a common method of identifying lead compounds for drug development. The most common targets are enzymes – catalytic proteins that perform chemical reactions in the cell. In this article, Matthew Lloyd discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with this approach.
If Columbus had a map… guiding the discovery of new drugs
Exploring large databases and selecting compounds of interest can be extremely time-consuming for researchers. Here, Sacha Javor, Horst Flotow and Jingwen Shi discuss a novel chemoinformatics approach for drug discovery.
Current state of NAFLD treatments and the promise of in vitro platforms towards better screening of drug candidates
The heterogeneous pathogenesis of metabolic fatty liver diseases presents researchers with numerous challenges when trying to develop a treatment. This article explores the spectrum of these diseases and presents a novel in vitro platform for screening drug candidates.
Triplet immuno-oncology drug combinations – the future of treating multiple cancer
The oncology market is saturated with new drugs that target the immune system, however, these only target part of the problem caused by cancer’s ability to hide from the immune system. Miguel Ferreira discusses why emerging three-drug combinations are poised to redefine the immuno-oncology treatment paradigm in advanced malignancies with…
Neoantigens: presenting new vaccine opportunities in immuno-oncology
Neoantigens have gained much interest in recent years, mainly due to their ability to elicit a strong, specific immune response. Nikki Withers spoke to two immunology experts to explore the progress being made and assess what remains challenging for cancer investigators working on these transformational therapies.