Drug Discovery News and Research

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The drug discovery process begins with recognizing a disease or clinical condition in which there is a lack of adequate medical treatment. Once a potential drug has been identified, pre-clinical research can begin. This process includes several stages; the first of which involves identifying and validating the prospective drug’s target through assay development, high throughput screening, hit identification and finally, lead optimization. Once the pre-clinical process is complete, the newly synthesized drug candidate is selected for future clinical development.

Future Medicinal Chemistry releases themed issue higlighting the Academic Drug Discovery conference

Future Medicinal Chemistry, a leading MEDLINE-indexed journal published by Future Science Group, has released a themed issue dedicated to providing coverage of the presentations that took place at the 2015 Academic Drug Discovery Conference (Cambridge, UK), organized by SelectBio.

26 Oct 2015

Novel method for examining small molecules may provide platform for new drug design

Most pharmaceutical drugs consist of tiny molecules, which target a class of proteins found on the surfaces of cell membranes. Studying these subtle interactions is essential for the design of effective drugs, but the task is extremely challenging.

26 Oct 2015

Stem cell biology and gene-editing techniques offer hope for kidney regeneration

Mini-kidney organoids have now been grown in a laboratory by using genome editing to re-create human kidney disease in petri dishes.

23 Oct 2015

Honeywell inks definitive agreement to acquire Sigma-Aldrich's laboratory research chemicals business

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Seelze, Germany-based laboratory research chemicals business from Sigma-Aldrich for approximately 105 million euro.

20 Oct 2015

US and German researchers team up to advance quality control of human stem cells

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in California, USA, and two German institutes, the Center for Integrated Psychiatry Kiel (ZIP) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, have announced a partnership to advance the quality control of human stem cells.

16 Oct 2015

New manganese-based catalyst may accelerate drug discovery, development

Chemists have long believed that inserting nitrogen -- a beneficial ingredient for making many pharmaceuticals and other biologically active molecules -- into a carbon-hydrogen bond requires a trade-off between catalyst reactivity and selectivity.

15 Oct 2015

RE.WORK showcases future technology and innovations in deep learning software

The future of technological innovation is a broad topic with endless opportunities in every scientific field. RE.WORK’s two most recent concurrent conferences ‘RE.WORK: Future Technology’ and ‘RE.WORK: Deep Learning’, in part focussed on putting healthcare in the context of the wider technological revolution.

13 Oct 2015

Novel mathematical method may help reduce development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

It is estimated that each year in the United States 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to one or more types of antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people will die because of these infections. This problem is being exacerbated by overuse of antibiotics for livestock and also in community clinical practice. This overuse, combined with the slow pace of novel drug discovery is a growing threat to public health.

12 Oct 2015

YK-4-279 compound works against some forms of leukemia: Study

A compound discovered and developed by a team of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers that halts cancer in animals with Ewing sarcoma and prostate cancer appears to work against some forms of leukemia, too.

12 Oct 2015

Celtaxsys commences acebilustat phase 2 trial in patients with cystic fibrosis in US

Celtaxsys, a clinical stage drug development company focused on advancing care for patients suffering from orphan inflammatory diseases, announced today the commencement of the US arm of an international phase 2 clinical trial for its flagship compound, acebilustat, in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

8 Oct 2015

Bionomics, Merck extend collaboration to develop drug candidates for treatment of chronic and neuropathic pain

Bionomics Limited, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) and cancer, today announced that it has extended its strategic collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth NJ., (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) for the discovery and development of drug candidates for the treatment of chronic and neuropathic pain.

8 Oct 2015

Claritas Genomics announces launch of Claritas Clinical Exome, novel diagnostic test

Claritas Genomics, Inc., announced the launch of its Claritas Clinical Exome, at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics running 10/6 – 10/10 in Baltimore, MD. This novel diagnostic test is the first to exploit the strengths of multiple DNA sequencing platforms simultaneously to deliver confirmed results for a patient’s clinical whole exome within 4 weeks, compared to the industry standard of 12 weeks or more. Patients with rare disease typically seek a diagnosis for 8-12 years, receiving 3-5 separate tests at a high cost.

7 Oct 2015

SCT, Thermo Fisher Scientific collaborate to advance development of cardiac disease models

Stem Cell Theranostics announced today that they have successfully completed a research collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific focused on advancing the development of cardiac disease models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells using Thermo Fisher Scientific's suite of work flow reagents and SCT's patient biobank and proprietary disease modeling methods.

7 Oct 2015

Study describes new genome screen that identifies partner molecules of cell-waste disposal proteins

Rhythmic expression of key genes is essential for maintaining proper timekeeping of the body's clock. In addition, rhythmic degradation of clockwork proteins is also crucial. However, surprisingly, researchers know little about these specific processes.

7 Oct 2015

Oxford Gene Technology launches Cytocell FISH probe for bladder cancer

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), The Molecular Genetics Company, has launched its CE-IVD labelled Cytocell Aquarius® P16/3c/7c/17c Probe Kit, a cost-effective, ready-to-use fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) probe kit for non-invasive detection of bladder cancer — for sale in Europe.

From Oxford Gene Technology 6 Oct 2015

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Proteins sometimes run amuck. All the good stuff (the useful genetic and biological material) they contain can get distorted. Mutations in specific amino acids can cause long strands of proteins to curl in on themselves (like a ball of wool a cat has played with) and refuse to break apart.

30 Sep 2015

Novel graphene oxide-based biosensor may speed up development of new drugs against HIV, cancer

Longing to find a cure for cancer, HIV and other yet incurable diseases, researchers have already tried out hundreds of drugs, each requiring preclinical and clinical testing with live subjects. How many chemical agents more to try? Moving at such rate, will we find the cure during our lifetime? One of the easiest ways to speed up the drug development process is to simply perform it outside of the living body (e.g., by watching the substances react with the smallest pieces of live tissue and thus quickly predicting the overall effect it will make to the body when inside).

23 Sep 2015

Findings may suggest new therapeutic target to combat memory loss in aging, Alzheimer's disease

Northwestern Medicine scientists have examined activity in a little-studied part of the brain associated with memory and found for the first time the reason that neurons there become more active in old age, findings that may suggest a new target for future therapies to combat memory loss in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

23 Sep 2015

UCI scientists find potential biomarker for diagnosing certain forms of autism

By identifying a key signaling defect within a specific membrane structure in all cells, University of California, Irvine researchers believe, they have found both a possible reliable biomarker for diagnosing certain forms of autism and a potential therapeutic target.

22 Sep 2015

NYSCF, Q-State partner to advance precision medicine for nervous system disorders

The New York Stem Cell Foundation and Q-State Biosciences are partnering in a joint research collaboration to advance patient care for nervous system disorders through precision medicine. Through this collaboration, both organizations will further advance their respective technologies, while exploring how their proprietary research platforms might provide synergies in the process of developing novel therapeutics and companion diagnostics.

21 Sep 2015

Drug Discovery News and Research

Further Reading

Future Medicinal Chemistry releases themed issue higlighting the Academic Drug Discovery conference

Novel method for examining small molecules may provide platform for new drug design

Stem cell biology and gene-editing techniques offer hope for kidney regeneration

Honeywell inks definitive agreement to acquire Sigma-Aldrich's laboratory research chemicals business

US and German researchers team up to advance quality control of human stem cells

New manganese-based catalyst may accelerate drug discovery, development

RE.WORK showcases future technology and innovations in deep learning software

Novel mathematical method may help reduce development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

YK-4-279 compound works against some forms of leukemia: Study

Celtaxsys commences acebilustat phase 2 trial in patients with cystic fibrosis in US

Bionomics, Merck extend collaboration to develop drug candidates for treatment of chronic and neuropathic pain

Claritas Genomics announces launch of Claritas Clinical Exome, novel diagnostic test

SCT, Thermo Fisher Scientific collaborate to advance development of cardiac disease models

Study describes new genome screen that identifies partner molecules of cell-waste disposal proteins

Oxford Gene Technology launches Cytocell FISH probe for bladder cancer

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Novel graphene oxide-based biosensor may speed up development of new drugs against HIV, cancer

Findings may suggest new therapeutic target to combat memory loss in aging, Alzheimer's disease

UCI scientists find potential biomarker for diagnosing certain forms of autism

NYSCF, Q-State partner to advance precision medicine for nervous system disorders

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

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