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Two independent teams have identified activating mutations in the promoter of TERT that occur in more than 70% of melanoma cases. The functional role of these mutations still needs further exploration before their …
Published on 2/21/2013
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Targets & Mechanisms: Stressing out over depression and anxiety Figure 1. Dopamine stressed out over glucocorticoids. Environmental triggers induce the release of plasma glucocorticoids [a], which influence dopamine …
Published on 2/14/2013
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MIT researchers have shown that the widely used cholesterol drug lovastatin can correct fragile X syndrome in mice. The findings add to a growing list of unconventional strategies for this common form of mental …
Published on 2/14/2013
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Two teams have shown that enhanced glucocorticoid signaling in the brain triggers aberrant behavior in mouse models of depression and anxiety. The groups are now studying the mechanisms underlying the effect to …
Published on 2/14/2013
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NIBR and UCSF researchers have shown that altering the dosing regimen of Zelboraf can prevent the development of drug resistance in mouse models of melanoma. The team will now test an intermittent Zelboraf dosing …
Published on 2/7/2013
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Laval University and GlaxoSmithKline have shown that peripheral administration of the adjuvant MPL can help treat Alzheimer's disease in mice. Although the findings point to a potential immunomodulatory approach for …
Published on 1/31/2013
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European researchers have shown that NOD2 deficiency can disrupt enteric microbiota and predispose the host to colitis and colitis-associated cancer. The group is seeking to understand how NOD2 deficiency leads to …
Published on 1/24/2013
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Japanese and U.S. researchers have shown that inhibiting gamma-secretase in the middle ear can promote hair cell regeneration and recovery from deafness in rodents. Keeping potentially toxic gamma-secretase inhibitors …
Published on 1/17/2013
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A group of U.S. researchers has developed inhibitors of the influenza A virus M2 mutant that is responsible for most resistance to amantadine. InfluMedix has licensed the compounds and expects to bring a new influenza …
Published on 1/17/2013
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Novartis has shown that the absence of pyruvate kinase M2 isozyme has no effect on cancer cell proliferation in mice, thus suggesting PKM2 inhibition alone might not be an effective strategy to stop tumor growth. …
Published on 1/17/2013
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Targets & Mechanisms: What to do with PKM2 Figure 1. Metabolic pathways regulated by pyruvate kinase. To block the cancer metabolism pathway driven by the pyruvate kinase M2 isozyme (PKM2) dimer, researchers are …
Published on 1/17/2013
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German researchers have implicated the inflammasome as a key player in Alzheimer's disease. The findings provide additional evidence that AD could be treated with anti-inflammatory agents that act upstream of Beta-…
Published on 1/10/2013
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Emory University School of Medicine researchers have identified excessive daytime sleepiness as a repurposing opportunity for flumazenil. A new formulation may allow for the use of GABA A receptor antagonists in this …
Published on 12/20/2012
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Researchers at Charite-University Hospital Berlin and the University of Zurich have shown that p40, a protein subunit shared by IL-12 and IL-23, could be a new therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease. The group now …
Published on 12/20/2012
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Muscling up on Myozyme Figure 1. Next-generation Myozyme. Researchers from Oxyrane U.K. Ltd. and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. have separately published two new strategies for delivering Pompe's disease enzyme …
Published on 12/13/2012
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Oxyrane and BioMarin have separately reported on their next-generation enzyme replacement therapies for Pompe's disease. Both molecules cleared glycogen from mouse muscle better than the marketed drug Myozyme from …
Published on 12/13/2012
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Therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease that aim to reduce levels of beta-amyloid have thus far come up empty-handed in the clinic. Now, two European teams have proposed contrasting strategies focused on hitting …
Published on 12/6/2012
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Thinking outside the amyloid box Figure 1. APP processing in AD. In early Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, amyloid precursor protein (APP) is processed by a series of proteases to yield several neurotoxic protein …
Published on 12/6/2012
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Solving triptolide Figure 1. Model of triptolide release from minnelide. Minnelide consists of a phosphonooxymethyl prodrug group that increases the compound's solubility in water. Phosphatases, which are present in…
Published on 11/29/2012
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University of Minnesota researchers have developed a water-soluble prodrug of the poorly soluble cancer therapeutic triptolide that could give a second life to the plant-derived compound. Minneamrita Therapeutics holds …
Published on 11/29/2012
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A Canadian team has found that compounds from sea sponges could be useful for treating cystic fibrosis. The compounds work in part by inhibiting a new family of targets for the disease: poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases. The…
Published on 11/29/2012
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Yale researchers have mouse data showing that vaginal application of two chemokines recruits memory T cells into vaginal tissue and improves the protective effect of an HSV-2 vaccine. The team is now working to prolong …
Published on 11/1/2012
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UCSF, Oregon Health & Science University and StemCells researchers have shown that neural stem cell transplants can remyelinate axons and treat myelination disorders including Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease. The biotech …
Published on 10/25/2012
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French researchers have isolated peptides from black mamba venom that block acid-sensing channels to alleviate pain. The technology has been licensed to Theralpha.
Published on 10/18/2012
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Epizyme and GSK have independently reported small molecule inhibitors of the histone methyltransferase EZH2 that showed efficacy in preclinical models of lymphomas with activating mutations of the target. Both companies…
Published on 10/18/2012