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Modulating the microbiome

17 June 2016 | By Caroline Richards, Editor, Drug Target Review

While the negative effects of microorganisms that invade the body are clear, and particularly now we are facing a worrying future without effective antibiotics, the potential for our own colonies of bacteria to improve our health has recently been subjected to much promising research...

Organs-on-chips gearing up to disrupt the microbiome market

16 June 2016 | By

The human microbiome, comprising of the complex and dynamic microbial communities found on the human body, is essential to our health and observed differences in its composition between patients and healthy people have lead to speculations about the involvement of bacteria in disease development. Such differences have provided evidence towards…

Advanced techniques and applications of LC-MS in small molecule drug discovery

16 June 2016 | By , , ,

A key process in drug discovery is the ability to identify new drug candidates by screening chemical libraries of small molecules, natural products or extracts against a biological target and selecting lead compounds with desirable therapeutic effects. Medicinal chemistry has the challenging role of not only ensuring that the chemical…

Rare Diseases Q&A

16 June 2016 | By

Releasing colourful balloons into the air to symbolise people who are affected by rare diseases was one of the many ways in which this year’s Rare Disease Day was marked in February. The once-yearly, global campaign aims to raise awareness among the general public and decision-makers about these illnesses and…

Inhibition of RNA-containing viruses by artificial RNases

16 June 2016 | By , , , ,

The toxicity and antiviral properties of 24 low-molecular-weight artificial RNases (artRNases) including peptides, peptidomimetics, N-alkyl-substituted 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) and a silver (I) complex with cystine were analysed for viruses containing single-stranded and double-stranded genomic RNA (the tick-borne encephalitis virus; TBEV and the influenza virus, respectively) in vitro and in vivo by…

Pharmacometabolomics as the key to personalised medicine

12 June 2016 | By ,

Blanketed administration of drugs to all populations assumes that all patients respond similarly. Despite pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to develop drugs with large therapeutic windows, there are often and inevitably subpopulations of individuals who will either not respond to therapy or will respond with adverse effects...

Leaving EU could be a setback for Life Sciences in the UK

8 June 2016 | By Dr Alexander Moscho, Bayer UK & Ireland CEO

In this opinion piece, Dr Alexander Moscho, Bayer UK & Ireland CEO, says a vote to leave the EU will deter investment and make it harder for patients to access new medicines...