Friday, December 6, 2013

Drug Discovery@nature.com 6 December 2013

Drug Discovery

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 December 2013

News
Analysis
Research Highlights
Research & Reviews
Careers
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News

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Learning from the 2012-2013 class of breakthrough therapies
doi:10.1038/nrd4196
The expedited US regulatory pathway for 'breakthrough therapies' has already yielded its first two approvals and more than 26 designations, for 30 candidates in 22 indications.
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The GHIT fund shows its cards
doi:10.1038/nrd4197
Japan's biggest pharmaceutical companies, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Japanese government have awarded their first round of global health research grants.
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Market watch: Defining and quantifying the use of personalized medicines
doi:10.1038/nrd4177
The authors propose a definition for personalized medicines and provide an objective and longitudinal quantification of worldwide use of personalized medicines, which could serve as a baseline from which to measure their future uptake.
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Trial watch: Phase II boost for glutamate-targeted antidepressants
doi:10.1038/nrd4178
The results of a Phase II trial suggest that the ketamine-like drug lanicemine has a sustained antidepressant effect without the acute psychosis-like side effects of ketamine.
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Analysis

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Glucokinase alternative
doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.1279
Compounds that directly activate glucokinase effectively reduce blood sugar in patients with diabetes but increase the risk of adverse hypoglycemic events. Now, researchers from Amgen have identified compounds that act via a glucokinase regulator, opening the door to a potentially safer strategy to modulate hepatic glucokinase activity.
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Does size matter in R&D productivity? If not, what does?
doi:10.1038/nrd4164
This analysis of factors that affect the likelihood of success in drug research and development (R&D) indicates that scientific acumen and good judgment – particularly with regard to the early termination of less viable drug candidates – are crucial.
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Research Highlights

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Autoimmune disease: Parkinson's drug promotes myelin repair
doi:10.1038/nrd4181
A study in Nature reports that a drug currently approved for the treatment of Parkinson's disease promotes neuronal myelination and decreases the clinical severity of MS in mouse models.
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Neurological disorders: Chloride extrusion alleviates neuropathic pain
doi:10.1038/nrd4183
Activators of the potassium-chloride co-transporter KCC2 show promising oral efficacy in a rat model of neuropathic pain.
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Bone disorders: Targeting NOX4 knocks down osteoporosis
doi:10.1038/nrd4182
NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) – an enzyme that is involved in the production of reactive oxygen species – could be a therapeutic target for disorders characterized by bone loss, such as osteoporosis.
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Research & Reviews

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Modulation of oxidative stress as an anticancer strategy
doi:10.1038/nrd4002
The role of ROS in cancer cells is controversial as they can have both pro-tumorigenic and antitumorigenic properties. This article discusses recent findings that cancer cells upregulate antioxidant pathways to counteract ROS, and explores the potential of anticancer strategies that target the antioxidant capacity of tumour cells.
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Chemical predictive modelling to improve compound quality
doi:10.1038/nrd4128
The potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetic characteristics of small-molecule compounds are some of the key factors influencing their chances of success in clinical trials. This article discusses the application of computational methods, particularly quantitative structure-activity relationships, in guiding the selection of higher-quality drug candidates.
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bHLH–PAS proteins in cancer
doi:10.1038/nrc3621
Mammalian basic HLH (helix-loop-helix)-PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH-PAS) proteins are heterodimeric transcription factors. Recently determined structures of their PAS domains and successful small-molecule screening programmes are now providing new opportunities to discover selective agonists and antagonists directed against this multitasking family of transcription factors.
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Antimalarial drug discovery – approaches and progress towards new medicines
doi:10.1038/nrmicro3138
Current antimalarial therapy heavily relies on artemisinins, a drug class that only targets the blood stages of the parasite and which is increasingly feared to elicit drug resistance. This article discusses the approaches used to develop novel drugs that are active against different life cycle stages with the ultimate aim of eliminating malaria.
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Drug Discovery
JOBS of the week
Staff Scientist - Aerosol Drug Delivery
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
PhD students and postdoctoral researchers positions in Drug Discovery
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Imaging of control drug release materials using hyperpolarised 129Xe MRI
The University of Nottingham
Postdoctoral Researcher in Biomaterials and Drug Delivery
Vanderbilt University, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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10.02.14
Dubai
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Careers

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Career snapshots archive
Career snapshots feature people associated with drug discovery and drug development, with the aim of providing expert insights and advice on a wide range of positions and career paths in this field.
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