Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Studies identify genetic mutations that play important roles in startle disease

Two studies published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry identify genetic mutations that play important roles in the condition commonly referred to as startle disease. Startle disease is characterized by an exaggerated response to noise and touch, which can interfere with breathing, cause catastrophic falls and even result in death.

8 Aug 2012

CPRIT awards $48.2 million in new grants to investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded $48.2 million in new grants to investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center to support cancer-related projects and to recruit pre-eminent cancer researchers.

6 Aug 2012

Medicines with the same active ingredient and size of dose will work the same in the body

In the wake of reports that a number of medicines will increase in price this week, NPS MedicineWise is reminding Australians that while the cost of a medicine may differ from brand to brand, if the active ingredient and size of the dose are the same then the medicine will work the same in their body.

6 Aug 2012

Alcohol decreases turnover of bone in post-menopausal women

Women after menopause tend to develop weaker bones from what is known as osteoporosis, which may lead to fractures (especially hip fractures) from falling. The weakness of the bones results from an imbalance between the normal resorption (a type of dissolving of old bone) and the laying down of new bone, an ongoing process for both men and women referred to as "bone turnover."

3 Aug 2012

Chk1 gene alone is sufficient to kill cancer cells

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a mutant form of the gene, Chk1, that when expressed in cancer cells, permanently stopped their proliferation and caused cell death without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs.

1 Aug 2012

GenSpera receives FDA clearance to commence G-202 Phase II trial in prostate cancer

GenSpera, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for initiation a Phase II human clinical trial of its lead compound, G-202, in the treatment of prostate cancer patients who have failed prior hormonal therapy.

31 Jul 2012

Treatments for peripheral neuropathic pain compared

The first study to compare the 8% capsaicin patch with pregabalin as a treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain begins, with enrolment of the first patient.

31 Jul 2012

Photoacoustics limited in its ability to identify multiple types of cancer

One person dies every hour from melanoma skin cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. A technique, known as photoacoustics, can find some forms of melanoma even if only a few cancerous cells exist, but a recent study by MU researchers found that the technique was limited in its ability to identify other types of cancer.

31 Jul 2012

Physical activity teaching in UK medical schools virtually “non-existent”

UK medical school teaching on physical activity is “sparse or non-existent,” finds research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

30 Jul 2012

New computational method to help organize scientific data

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will help organize scientific data, making it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and connections between drugs. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions.

27 Jul 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

Vanderbilt researchers receives new $2.1M grant to develop microbrain bioreactor

Take a millionth of a human brain and squeeze it into a special chamber the size of a mustard seed. Link it to a second chamber filled with cerebral spinal fluid and thread both of them with artificial blood vessels in order to create a microenvironment that makes the neurons and other brain cells behave as if they were in a living brain. Then surround the chambers with a battery of sensors that monitor how the cells respond when exposed to minute quantities of dietary toxins, disease organisms or new drugs under development.

25 Jul 2012

New algorithm can help scientists predict gene and drug interactions

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will make it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and strategies for repositioning drugs that are already on the market. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions. The new algorithm will also help scientists identify fellow researchers with whom they can collaborate.

25 Jul 2012

Synthetic triterpenoids block development of Parkinson's disease

A new and powerful class of antioxidants could one day be a potent treatment for Parkinson's disease, researchers report.

23 Jul 2012

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

A protein essential for metabolism and recently associated with neurodegenerative diseases also occurs in several brain-specific forms. This discovery emerged in the course of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the findings of which have now been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

23 Jul 2012

Marshall University faculty member receives $426,000 NIH grant for lung cancer study

A Marshall University faculty member has been awarded a three-year, $426,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further her lung cancer research.

21 Jul 2012

Top 5 Pharma selects Certara’s PKS Online for PK/PD analysis

Certara, a leading provider of scientific software and consulting services to improve productivity and decision-making from drug discovery through drug development, announced that a Top 5 Pharma selected PKS Online as the platform of choice to support their regulatory compliant NCA analysis for clinical pharmacology.

20 Jul 2012

UNMC's ART injectables can successfully treat HIV infection

This has been a good week for breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS. Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill, Truvada, which reduces the risk of HIV infection. Today, a University of Nebraska Medical Center research team's progress toward developing weekly or twice-monthly injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) nanomedicines for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection will be highlighted as the cover story in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

19 Jul 2012

ADHD drugs do not appear to have long-term effects on the brain

Drugs used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do not appear to have long-term effects on the brain, according to new animal research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

19 Jul 2012

c-Kit receptor plays critical role in development and function of insulin-producing beta cells

Scientists from Western University in London, Canada and the Children's Health Research Institute, an Institute within the Lawson Health Research Institute, have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes.

18 Jul 2012