Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Study results on bifeprunox in patients with schizophrenia

Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Lundbeck A/S presented clinical study results on bifeprunox at an international medical congress this week.

2 Apr 2007

Study describes how estradiol helps to maintain bone density

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have described a novel pathway by which estradiol, the primary estrogen in humans, aids in maintaining bone density, a function critical to avoiding osteoporosis.

25 Mar 2007

Cells use 'noise' to make cell-fate decisions

Electrical noise, like the crackle heard on AM radio when lightning strikes nearby, is a nuisance that wreaks havoc on electronic devices. But within cells, a similar kind of biochemical "noise" is beneficial, helping cells transform from one state to another, according to a new study led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher.

25 Mar 2007

Newly discovered peptide could help transplant for diabetes

A peptide developed by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College may expand the availability and durability of islet cell transplant for patients with type-1 diabetes, which is characterized by a lack of these insulin-producing cells.

21 Mar 2007

Inflammation plays key role in the metastasis of prostate cancer

Many would assume that "mounting an immune response" or "having your body fight the cancer" is a good thing.

19 Mar 2007

Clinical and imaging evidence of Zolpidem effect in hypoxic encephalopathy

A new study reported that zolpidem, a drug normally used to treat insomnia, temporarily improved brain function in a patient suffering from akinetic mutism, a condition in which the person is alert but cannot speak or move.

13 Mar 2007

Why your teenager is so vile!

Researchers in the U.S. say they may have found a reason for the erratic mood swings of teenagers.

12 Mar 2007

More research needed in "minimally conscious state"

Headline-grabbing news stories involving severely brain-damaged patients such as Terri Schiavo and Terry Wallis aren't doing much to clear up the public's confusion surrounding brain injury and the likelihood that specific patients will recover, say experts at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

11 Mar 2007

Metabolic response to colitis varies depending upon whether inflammation is chronic or acute

A new study being published by the American Physiological Society finds that the body responds differently to colitis (inflammation of the colon) based on whether the disease is acute (sharp and brief) or chronic (long-term).

27 Feb 2007

HIV protein TAT used to pull protein Bim into cancer cells - helps kill cancer cells

Cancer cells are sick, but they keep growing because they don't react to internal signals urging them to die. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found an efficient way to get a messenger into cancer cells that forces them to respond to death signals. And they did it using one of the most sinister pathogens around - HIV.

15 Feb 2007

Apolipoprotein E gene raises newborns' cerebral palsy risk

Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a gene associated with heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease in adults, can also increase the likelihood that brain-injured newborns will develop cerebral palsy, researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have discovered.

5 Feb 2007

Institute of Materia Medica and TB Alliance partner to tackle tuberculosis

The Institute of Materia Medica (IMM), a member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership accelerating the discovery and development of new TB drugs, today announced plans to pursue a joint research partnership to develop promising, novel anti-tuberculosis agents.

31 Jan 2007

RNA used to turn on genes to alleviate disease

A new technique that employs RNA, a tiny chemical cousin of DNA, to turn on genes could lead to therapeutics for conditions in which nudging a gene awake would help alleviate disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center say.

28 Jan 2007

Spinal cord uses network mechanisms similar to those used in the brain

Our findings contradict conventional wisdom about spinal cord functions, says Rune W. Berg from Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

23 Jan 2007

Research offers hope for alcoholics

Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered a system in the brain that stops an alcoholic's craving for alcohol, as well as prevent relapse once they have recovered from alcohol addiction.

12 Dec 2006

Cancer Research Technology and University of Manchester announce collaboration in oncology with AstraZeneca

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, and The University of Manchester have entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to establish a clinical pharmacology biomarker research and discovery collaboration.

20 Nov 2006