Nature Reviews Drug Discovery contents April 2017 Volume 16 Number 4 pp 223-296

If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.

Advertisement
Make target identification failure a thing of the past 40% of all clinical trial failures show no connection between a target and disease.  An additional 29% of clinical trials fail because the wrong target was selected.  What if you could take the pain out of target identification and make the process repeatable? See how you can by reaching beyond the data.  Free Webinar
TABLE OF CONTENTS
April 2017 Volume 16 Number 4		Advertisement
2015 2-year Impact Factor 47.120 Journal Metrics 2-year Median 31	In this issue Comment News and Analysis Research Highlights Reviews Correspondence Also this month  Featured article: Marked for death: targeting epigenetic changes in cancer Sophia Xiao Pfister & Alan Ashworth	Find out how Ginger got her voice back. Behind every patient stands thousands of scientists and researchers working together to develop life-saving treatments. So what happens when a patient meets the people that helped save her life? Watch as Ginger Tam, a professional singer and lung cancer patient, meets the researchers who worked on her cancer treatment.  View the video
Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter
Advertisement
Harrington drug discovery research grants - awards up to $700,000 Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio solicits proposals for the 2018 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award, offering physician-scientists the resources to advance discoveries into medicines. Letters of Intent accepted through April 5, 2017. Apply now at HarringtonDiscovery.org/Grant.
Advertisement
BIOPHARMA DEALMAKERS Company Profiles and Partnering Opportunities
Advertisement
Synthesis design tool that facilitates innovation ICSYNTH from InfoChem, a Nature Research company, is a powerful computer-aided synthesis design software that can help you find the best route to synthesis. The advanced chemoinformatics algorithm can perform retrosynthetic analysis on target molecules and generate many possible synthetic routes, even if the target molecules are novel and/or unpublished. FIND OUT MORE
Comment: Managing intellectual property to develop medicines for the world's poorest Sylvie Fonteilles-Drabek, David Reddy & Timothy N. C. Wells p223 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.24 It has been argued that patents impede the development and access of medicines for tropical diseases such as malaria. However, we believe that intellectual property can be a key tool to enable timely progression of drug development projects involving multiple partners and to ensure equitable access to successful products. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
NEWS AND ANALYSIS		Top
Fragment-based phenotypic screening is a hit Monya Baker p225 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.56 Libraries of functionalized small-molecule fragments that can be screened in whole cells could take phenotypic drug discovery to the next level, providing new opportunities against undertargeted proteins. PDF
PRIME time at the EMA Asher Mullard p226 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.57 The European Medicines Agency's PRIME scheme to accelerate the development of promising drugs that address unmet medical needs has enrolled 19 products in its first year, showing considerable overlap with FDA breakthrough therapy designees but also key differences. PDF
NEWS IN BRIEF PARP inhibitors plough on Asher Mullard p229 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.61 PDF
FDA approves Novartis's CDK4/6 inhibitor Asher Mullard p229 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.62 PDF
TransCelerate makes progress Asher Mullard p229 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.63 PDF
BIOBUSINESS BRIEFS Patent watch: Patent insight into polymer-free drug-eluting stents Vadim Demidov, Daniel Currie & Justin Wen p230 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.32 PDF
BIOBUSINESS BRIEFS Market watch: Upcoming market catalysts in Q2 2017 Eric Ho p231 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.47 PDF
AN AUDIENCE WITH Jay Bradner p232 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.50 Jay Bradner, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, discusses increased interest in chemical biology and open science at Novartis. PDF
FROM THE ANALYST'S COUCH The SCCHN drug market Jennifer Bamford & Rachel M. Webster p235 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.261 Two PD-1 directed checkpoint inhibitors have recently been approved for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Further checkpoint inhibitors, as well as other molecularly targeted agents and cytokine-based immunotherapies, are currently in the late-stage pipeline and are poised to change the treatment paradigm for SCCHN. PDF
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Top Infectious diseases: Targeting T cells to treat Chikungunya virus infections p237 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.49 PDF Hearing loss: Vector overcomes barrier to gene therapy delivery p238 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.58 PDF Liver disease: Conscious uncoupling in NASH p238 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.60 PDF Anticancer drugs: All roads lead to EZH2 inhibition p239 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.55 PDF Viral infections: Reinvigorating exhausted T cells in hepatitis B infection p240 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.48 PDF IN BRIEF Ocular disorders: Vitamin B3 blocks glaucoma | Drug toxicity: Cardiac safety index for TKIs | Cardiovascular disease: Thioredoxin lowers hypertension | Cancer: Bacterium-based immunotherapy PDF Drug Discovery JOBS of the week Tobacco Cessation Counselor Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Clinical Technologist I Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Assistant / Associate Professor / Professor for Cell Biology and Neuroscience Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Positions Available at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University Multiple Faculty Positions (Open Rank) for the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction University of Minnesota More Science jobs from Drug Discovery EVENT RICT 2017 - 53rd International Conference on Medicinal Chemistry - Drug Discovery & Selection 05.07.17 TOULOUSE, France More science events from
Advertisement
Animation: Alzheimer's disease  Nature Neuroscience presents this animation, which introduces the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms associated with Alzheimer's disease and highlights some of the most recent advances in our understanding of the onset and progression of this devastating neurological condition. Watch the Animation free online >>
REVIEWS		Top
Marked for death: targeting epigenetic changes in cancer Sophia Xiao Pfister & Alan Ashworth p241 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.256 Human cancers commonly have mutations in epigenetic regulatory genes, and several small molecules that target epigenetic regulators are in clinical trials. Here, Pfister and Ashworth discuss the biological complexity of epigenetic regulation in cancer and provide an overview of inhibitors that target gain-of-function mutations, as well as synthetic lethal approaches to target loss-of-function mutations in epigenetic regulators. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Dynamic versus static biomarkers in cancer immune checkpoint blockade: unravelling complexity W. Joost Lesterhuis, Anthony Bosco, Michael J. Millward, Michael Small, Anna K. Nowak & Richard A. Lake p264 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.233 Immune checkpoint blockade is a powerful anticancer approach; however, it only works for some patients. Here, Lesterhuis and colleagues argue that response to immune checkpoint blockade is a critical state transition of a complex system. They discuss recent advances in mathematics and network biology that might facilitate the identification of dynamic biomarkers, which in turn might help distinguish responders from non-responders and determine new targets for combination therapy. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
From basic apoptosis discoveries to advanced selective BCL-2 family inhibitors Avi Ashkenazi, Wayne J. Fairbrother, Joel D. Leverson & Andrew J. Souers p273 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.253 The B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family of proteins has a key role in regulating apoptosis and is often dysregulated in cancer. This has led to the development of several inhibitors of pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins such as BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL1, including the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax, which has recently gained regulatory approval. Here, Ashkenazi and colleagues discuss the latest progress in developing small-molecule inhibitors of pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Applications of chemogenomic library screening in drug discovery Lyn H. Jones & Mark E. Bunnage p285 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.244 Chemogenomic screening is increasingly being applied to expedite the conversion of phenotypic screening projects into target-based drug discovery approaches. Here, Jones and Bunnage discuss the principles of the creation and use of chemogenomic libraries, highlighting key examples and their applications, including target identification, drug repositioning and predictive toxicology. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Advertisement
Looking to recruit? Limited time offer from Naturejobs:  Get a 20% discount on our Premium job posting package when you buy before March 31, 2017. Reach a potential audience of 10.8 million users* via nature.com Be seen first by candidates — your position will appear at the top of related searches for 60 days and be displayed prominently on the Naturejobs home page as Job of the Week. Plus appear as 'Featured' in search results Post a job now. * Publisher data 2016
CORRESPONDENCE		Top
Correspondence: To cleave or not to cleave: therapeutic gene editing with and without programmable nucleases Tod M. Woolf, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Frederick Boyce & Eric B. Kmiec p296 | doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.42 Full Text | PDF
Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com More Nature Events

You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant). For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For print subscription enquiries, please contact our subscription department For other enquiries, please contact our feedback department Nature Publishing Group | One New York Plaza, Suite 4500 | New York | NY 10004-1562 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW. © 2017 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.