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.

Microfluidics help lab-on-a-chip development skyrocket

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) development has skyrocketed in the last couple of years due to constant efforts in harnessing microfluidics and µTAS to improve the LOC design and function. The distinct advantages that they bestow on applications are pushing the commercial potential of LOCs.

28 Sep 2004

Bionomics licences childhood epilepsy test

Bionomics has announced that it has granted a licence to Massachusetts-based Athena Diagnostics to market Bionomics’ childhood epilepsy diagnostic to neurologists in North America and Japan.

27 Sep 2004

Isis Pharmaceuticals licenses second anti-cancer drug candidate to Lilly

Isis Pharmaceuticals announced today that Eli Lilly and Company licensed LY2275796, a second-generation antisense anti-cancer drug candidate for clinical development.

20 Sep 2004

Existing hepatitis drug could lead to the development of new drugs for the treatment of anthrax

Thanks to new screening tools, and some luck, researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered three unrelated compounds that inhibit the two toxins – edema factor and lethal factor -- that have made anthrax one of the most feared of potential bioterror agents.

21 Aug 2004

New biotech alliance to focus on diseases of nerve injury and pain

NeuroTargets Ltd, a discovery-led biotechnology company ‘spun-out’ from the University of Bristol, has formed an exciting new alliance with BioFocus plc, a world leader in collaborative drug discovery, to focus on diseases of nerve injury and pain.

11 Aug 2004

IBM and Cellomics offer new solution to accelerate cell-based drug discovery

IBM and Cellomics have announced they have launched a customized information technology (IT) solution that allows biopharmaceutical scientists and academic researchers to better understand how potential drug candidates or targets of interest affect cellular function.

11 Aug 2004

Effects of oxidative stress on atherosclerosis

Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death among men and women in the United States and account for 40 percent of all mortalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Aug 2004

Cyntellect issued patent covering LaserFect(TM) technology

Cyntellect a privately-held biotechnology company, has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,753,161 covering the Company's LaserFect(TM) technology.

6 Aug 2004

Research collaboration to discover novel oral drugs for the treatment of viral infections

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. have announced that they have entered into a multi-year research collaboration to discover novel oral drugs for the treatment of viral infections.

29 Jul 2004

Emerging nanomedicine technologies could dramatically transform medical science

Emerging nanomedicine technologies could dramatically transform medical science as we know it today with their potential to address unmet medical needs and provide targeted therapy.

23 Jul 2004

Neuro3d identifies candidate compound

The identification of this compound and extension of the research collaboration by J&JPRD further highlights the strength of Neuro3d's internal drug discovery capabilities.

21 Jul 2004

Cancer Research Technology grants exclusive license to Genentech to patent portfolio of an oncology target

Cancer Research Technology announced today that it has entered into a license agreement granting Genentech, Inc. exclusive worldwide rights to its patent portfolio covering an oncology target discovered in the Molecular Oncology Laboratory (Oxford) of Cancer Research UK.

21 Jul 2004

Natural products to be developed as anti-cancer therapeutics

The licence grants Zentaris exclusive worldwide rights for the development, manufacture and marketing of disorazoles, a novel class of natural products with strong anti-cancer potential discovered by GBF researchers.

8 Jul 2004

Exelixis files new drug application for a proprietary novel anticancer compound

Exelixis, Inc. has submitted an investigational new drug application (IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for XL999, a proprietary novel anticancer compound.

29 Jun 2004

Drug for multiple sclerosis prevented disease development when tested on animal models

Scientists from the Neurological Sciences Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have shown that an investigative drug for multiple sclerosis and related diseases prevented disease development when tested on animal models.

20 Jun 2004

Outsourcing the way to control spiraling R&D budgets in drug industry

Companies developing new drugs for the global market must deal with the rising costs of the R&D process – and outsourcing may well be the best route. That's the verdict of Dr Faiz Kermani, a specialist in outsourcing and research development for the pharmaceutical industry.

14 Jun 2004

New statistical techniques for cancer diagnosis

CSIRO statisticians have developed a new way to subtype paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), the most common form of cancer in children under 12.

9 Jun 2004

Australia's CSIRO to exhibit major display at the world's largest biotechnology conference

CSIRO is mounting a major display of technologies this week at BIO 2004, the world's largest biotechnology conference, being held in San Francisco, USA, from 6-9 June.

7 Jun 2004

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics awards $21 million to Vertex

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has announced that it has expanded its drug discovery and development collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

24 May 2004

Scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax

University of Chicago scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax lethal factor in laboratory tests. Nature Biotechnology will publish the findings online on May 16 and in the June issue of the journal's print edition.

17 May 2004