DTR’s news round-up 2019: the stories that defined the year
Drug Target Review lists its 10 most popular news stories from 2019, summarising the drug targets that you wanted to read about.
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Articles
Exploring chemical space for epigenetic drug discovery using AI
It is said that, on average, it takes a new drug 12 years to go from research lab to patient, with many thousands of candidates discarded along the way. Can artificial intelligence (AI) help to speed things up? Sheraz Gul and Alp Sahin provide an overview of an AI approach…
Getting precise: how humanised models aid in biologics drug discovery
Humanised immune system (HIS) models have enabled numerous in vivo evaluations of immuno-modulating biologic drugs and ongoing improvements continue to extend their utility. Paul Volden explores the application of HIS models in precision and personalised medicine with a focus on biologics, including how HIS models are used, why they are…
Advances in mass spectrometry: unlocking the potential of chemical crosslinking as a structural biology tool
Chemical crosslinking coupled with mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has been used for many years to study protein structure and function. However, recent advances in MS technology, as well as crosslinking reagents and data analysis tools, mean the technique has truly come of age. Here, Albert JR Heck, Alexander Makarov, Henning Urlaub…
A novel approach to unravelling the mysteries of Alzheimer’s
The heterogenous and dynamic nature of protein aggregates makes them a particularly challenging class of structures to study. In this article, Professor Tuomas Knowles and Dr Sean Devenish present a novel approach to studying protein structures that could aid in understanding the complexities of Alzheimer’s disease and identify future therapeutic…
Transitioning novel peptide hits into lead compounds
Unlike synthetic compound libraries, natural product hits must be identified and characterised, as the molecule is often unknown. Venom peptides are often inherently stable due to cysteine knots whereas other peptides may not be. Steve and Carol Trim discuss the challenges of the hit-to-lead journey with these non-standard hits.
Hit-to-lead in neglected diseases – it’s a numbers game
The hit-to-lead journey can be a long endeavour, with many failures along the way. Nikki Withers spoke with DNDi ’s Discovery Director Dr Charles Mowbray to hear how the organisation is working to identify new leads with activity in animal models of neglected tropical diseases and the potential for further…
Is a universal vaccine against cancer possible?
A new study has presented a potential strategy for a universal human cancer vaccine. This article delves into the researchers’ findings, exploring their methodologies and results.
Antibody characterisation – an essential researchers’ resource
Central to reproducibility in biomedical research is the ability to use well-characterised and defined reagents. The CPTAC Antibody Portal serves as a National Cancer Institute community resource that provides access to many standardised renewable affinity reagents to cancer-associated targets and accompanying characterisation data. Nikki Withers spoke to Dr Tara Hiltke…
CRISPR: kick-starting the revolution in drug discovery
Gene editing using the CRISPR system has been established as the most powerful tool in the search for new drugs and is now being exploited for therapeutic purposes. Here, Pushpanathan Muthuirulan discusses the promises and wider opportunities of using CRISPR technology to open up the possibility of large-scale screening of…
Open innovation – a collaboration between academia and the pharmaceutical industry to further leverage drug discovery expertise and assets
Increasing numbers of companies in the pharma industry are consolidating their services and outsourcing to CROs to reduce business costs. AstraZeneca’s Marian Preston, David Murray and Mark Wigglesworth discuss how this can not only drive innovation but also prove successful in identifying lead compounds, as evidenced through recent collaborations.
The implication of a dysfunctional proteasome regulator in neurodegenerative disease
Disrupted protein homeostasis from PI31 inactivation may initiate the process of neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer’s, ALS and other similar diseases, says new research.
Using droplet digital PCR to monitor the safety of CAR T cells
CAR T-cell therapy has caused quite a stir in the immunotherapy world, but it is a process that requires precision and care. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has thus far been the stalwart technique for providing a check on copy numbers, but here Ping Jin explains why droplet digital PCR…
Championing genomics in the UK
Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, delivered a speech at the MHRA’s 14th Annual Lecture in London, outlining his vision for the UK life sciences industry. Here, Nikki Withers summarises the key take-home messages from the talk, including how UK researchers and investors…
Expert view: The future of cell expansion for monoclonal antibody production
There is room for improvement in the production of monoclonal antibodies; commercial production needs increased process efficiency and reduced costs.