Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

BioSeek, Merck Serono sign new BioMAP collaboration agreement

BioSeek, LLC, a subsidiary of Asterand plc, a pioneer in the application of predictive human biology to drug discovery, announced today that it has signed a new, three-year collaboration agreement with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

29 Mar 2012

Regulatory agencies approve plans for e-Therapeutics' ETS2101 phase I trials in cancer

e-Therapeutics plc announces that regulatory agencies in the UK and the US have approved plans for phase I trials of the Company's anti-cancer drug ETS2101 and that enrolment of patients into trials in these two countries will begin shortly.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists uncover new layer of information in the genetic code

A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells - including the speed with which proteins are made.

29 Mar 2012

Later-stage cancers thrive by finding detours around drug roadblocks

Later-stage cancers thrive by finding detours around roadblocks that cancer drugs put in their path, but a Purdue University biochemist is creating maps that will help drugmakers close more routes and develop better drugs.

28 Mar 2012

Pulsed photoacoustic techniques can diagnose different cancer cell types

Researchers have developed multiple techniques and procedures to detect cancer cells during the earliest stages of the disease or after treatment. But one of the major limitations of these technologies is their inability to detect the presence of only a few cancer cells.

28 Mar 2012

CRF initiates Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in AMI II trial

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) today announced the initiation of the HORIZONS-AMI II randomized trial, evaluating Promus Element platinum-chromium everolimus-eluting stents versus Omega bare-metal stents in patients with heart attack undergoing primary angioplasty with bivalirudin anticoagulation.

28 Mar 2012

Simple placebo pill can track footprints of prior antidepressant use

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) often undergo multiple courses of antidepressant treatment during their lives. This is because the disorder can recur despite treatment and because finding the right medication for a specific individual can take time.

27 Mar 2012

Enrollment complete in Clovis' CO-101 pivotal study for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Clovis Oncology, Inc. announced today that it has reached the target enrollment in its pivotal LEAP (Low hENT1 and Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas) study of CO-101 in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

26 Mar 2012

Insulin resistance occurs in the brains of people with Alzheimer's

Insulin resistance in the brain precedes and contributes to cognitive decline above and beyond other known causes of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Insulin is an important hormone in many bodily functions, including the health of brain cells.

26 Mar 2012

Researchers pinpoint new mechanism that potently activates T-cells in leprosy

UCLA researchers pinpointed a new mechanism that potently activates T-cells, the group of white blood cells that play a major role in fighting infections.

26 Mar 2012

Nerve pain patients in Wales gain access to first of a kind treatment which can provide lasting pain relief

For the first time NHS patients in Wales with peripheral nerve pain (known as peripheral neuropathic pain) can be treated with a patch containing capsaicin, which can provide at least 12 weeks pain relief following a single 30- or 60-minute application.

25 Mar 2012

Treatment with aromatase inhibitors enables some women to have lumpectomy

Preoperative treatment with aromatase inhibitors increases the likelihood that postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer will be able to have breast-conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy, according to the results of a national clinical trial presented today at the Society of Surgical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

23 Mar 2012

Scripps scientists generate synthetic memory trace

Scripps Research Institute scientists and their colleagues have successfully harnessed neurons in mouse brains, allowing them to at least partially control a specific memory. Though just an initial step, the researchers hope such work will eventually lead to better understanding of how memories form in the brain, and possibly even to ways to weaken harmful thoughts for those with conditions such as schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder.

23 Mar 2012

Alpha-5 GABA type A receptors linked to anesthesia-related memory loss

A drug targeting one specific receptor may provide the first effective approach to treatment for the common problem of memory loss after surgery and anesthesia, according to an experimental study in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

22 Mar 2012

Pannexins may contribute to symptoms related to IBD

Researchers from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) and the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine have discovered a pathway that may contribute to the symptoms related to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

22 Mar 2012

Scientists reveal first-ever glimpse of complete kappa opioid receptor structure

At the molecular level, drugs like salvinorin A (the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum) work by activating specific proteins, known as receptors, in the brain and body.

22 Mar 2012

Peripheral nerve stimulation may help manage neuropathic pain in injured soldiers

An peripheral nerve stimulation technique may be a valuable new approach for relief of severe neuropathic (nerve-related) pain in injured soldiers, reports an article in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

22 Mar 2012

Cannabinoid drugs can directly inhibit HIV in late-stage AIDS

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have discovered that marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found in late-stage AIDS, according to new findings published online in the journal PLoS ONE.

21 Mar 2012

Heart Failure Congress 2012 to take place from May 19-22

Four days of scientific sessions will be devoted to the latest advances and controversies in heart failure at this year's Heart Failure Congress 2012. The latest results from drugs and devices trials will be announced at the meeting.

21 Mar 2012

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling may contribute to ASD

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling in the brain may contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other "enduring effects on behavior," Vanderbilt University researchers report.

21 Mar 2012