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Novel compound could treat type 2 diabetes without common side effects
Two molecules combined into a new substance to treat type 2 diabetes lowered blood sugar in shrew models without causing nausea, vomiting and weight loss.
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Drug Discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered.
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Silicon-based agent could prevent progression of kidney disease and Parkinson’s
Japanese researchers have shown that a silicon-based antioxidant agent can suppress the development of kidney failure and Parkinson's disease in rodent models.
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“Potent” antibodies provide protection from COVID-19 in cell cultures, finds study
Newly discovered antibodies found in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients could provide robust protection against SARS-CoV-2, say researchers.
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Compound from clams combats many common infections from parasites, finds study
A compound called tartrolon E, a byproduct of bacteria from shipworms, has been identified as researchers with the potential to fight and kill several parasites, including Cryptosporidium.
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Rod-shaped microparticles could improve immune system response to COVID-19
Researchers have suggested that neutrophils, which contribute to the development of ARDS in COVID-19 patients, could be diverted from the lungs by rod-shaped particles in a new form of treatment.
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Technique to synthesise anticancer compound FE399 developed
A team has successfully created a new method to artificially produce FE399, a compound known to induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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.
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Application note: CRISPR-Cas9 screening for target identification
The identification and validation of novel drug targets is a challenging process for drug discovery programmes.
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First studies of human genetic variation released by the gnomAD Consortium
The Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) Consortium has released seven papers leveraging its database to study genetic variants and their potential for guiding discovery of safer drugs.
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Expert view: CRISPR screening: a powerful approach to drug discovery and development
CRISPR screening utilises the power and precision of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to reveal and validate novel drug targets or to study the underlying causes of disease.