Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Study reveals key role of melatonin receptor in sleep regulation

A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University has made a major breakthrough by unraveling the inner workings of melatonin, also known as the "sleep hormone."

14 Dec 2011

New high-alcohol-seeking mice mimics human consumption patterns

A line of laboratory mice developed by a researcher from the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis drinks more alcohol than other animal models and consumes it in a fashion similar to humans: choosing alcohol over other options and binge drinking.

13 Dec 2011

Reata, Abbott partner to develop and commercialize AIMs for chronic diseases

Abbott and Reata Pharmaceuticals today announced that they have entered into a worldwide collaboration to jointly develop and commercialize Reata's portfolio of second-generation oral antioxidant inflammation modulators.

12 Dec 2011

Syndax announces data from entinostat phase 2 study on HL

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that data from ENGAGE 501, a multicenter, phase 2 study, demonstrated entinostat, a novel, oral small molecule inhibitor of class I histone deacetylases, showed activity as a single agent in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma.

12 Dec 2011

Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility: Study

Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility, according to a study that appears in the online open access journal, Journal of Pharmacy Practice, published by SAGE.

12 Dec 2011

caprotec's CCMS technology identifies novel co-targets of three anti-cancer drugs

caprotec bioanalytics GmbH announced today the discovery of previously unknown specific drug-protein interactions for several anti-cancer drugs and the identification of potential novel co-targets of the drug molecules through the use of company's CCMS technology.

9 Dec 2011

Positive results from Metabolex arhalofenate plus febuxostat study on hyperuricemia, gout

Metabolex announced positive results from its clinical study of arhalofenate in combination with febuxostat. A key goal in the treatment of gout is to address the patient's underlying hyperuricemia by treatment with drugs that lower serum uric acid.

9 Dec 2011

ISARIC aims to prepare clinical research community for next influenza pandemic

An international consortium aimed at ensuring that the clinical research community is better prepared for the next influenza pandemic or other rapidly emerging public health threat is launched today by leading funders of medical research from across the globe.

8 Dec 2011

Euthymics presents EB-1020 preclinical data on ADHD at ACNP annual meeting

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. today announced that it has presented preclinical data demonstrating that EB-1020, a next-generation product candidate for adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be effective for treating ADHD without the burden of drug abuse liability.

8 Dec 2011

Future of drug discovery and development to be highlighted at 2011 BPS Winter Meeting

The future of drug discovery and development at the bench and in the boardroom will be highlighted at a major international pharmacology conference in London, Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 December.

7 Dec 2011

Combination of cannabinoids and opiates could help reduce chronic pain

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids - the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana - to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

7 Dec 2011

Biosensors can detect oxidant production in living organism

Arterial calcification and coronary heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, cancer and even the aging process itself are suspected to be partially caused or accelerated by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises in tissues when there is an excess of what are called reactive oxygen species.

6 Dec 2011

Dust storms have adverse effect on hospital EDs for COPD

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that dust storms have an adverse effect on emergency hospital admission for chronic lung disease, often known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

6 Dec 2011

EnVivo presents positive EVP-6124 Phase 2b trial data on schizophrenia at 50th ACNP meeting

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing a broad range of novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, announced today that it is presenting the comprehensive analysis of a recently completed Phase 2b clinical trial of EVP-6124, a novel, orally bioavailable nicotinic alpha-7 agonist, in schizophrenia at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting.

5 Dec 2011

Researchers identify ADHD gene variants involved in glutamate signaling

Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants—potentially, half a million U.S. children.

5 Dec 2011

Dye derived from Canary Island lichens may help treat Alzheimer's disease

A red dye derived from lichens that has been used for centuries to color fabrics and food appears to reduce the abundance of small toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. The dye, a compound called orcein, and a related substance, called O4, bind preferentially to small amyloid aggregates that are considered to be toxic and cause neuronal dysfunction and memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2011

New method reveals complete set of aberrant signaling pathways that give rise to cancers

One major obstacle in the fight against cancer is that anticancer drugs often affect normal cells in addition to tumor cells, resulting in significant side effects. Yet research into development of less harmful treatments geared toward the targeting of specific cancer-causing mechanisms is hampered by lack of knowledge of the molecular pathways that drive cancers in individual patients.

2 Dec 2011

New gene therapy approach safe for patients with muscular dystrophy

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that it is safe to cut and paste together different viruses in an effort to create the ultimate vehicle for gene therapy. In a phase I clinical trial, the investigators found no side effects from using a "chimeric" virus to deliver replacement genes for an essential muscle protein in patients with muscular dystrophy.

1 Dec 2011

Inflammasome may lead to more damage following heart attack

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that an inflammatory mechanism known as inflammasome may lead to more damage in the heart following injury such as a heart attack, pointing researchers toward developing more targeted strategies to block the inflammatory mechanisms involved.

30 Nov 2011

Crucial part of nervous system linked to increased risk of death from heart failure

A team of neuroscientists and anaesthetists, who have been using pioneering techniques to study how the brain regulates the heart, has identified a crucial part of the nervous system whose malfunction may account for an increased risk of death from heart failure.

29 Nov 2011