MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'drug discovery'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:30:03 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952952&cid=t_121436_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fscience-across-the-spectrum.html Penrose, Escher, back – M.C. Escher‘s famously paradoxical illustration of 1960 depicting a stairway atop an “impossible” building, and made famous recently in a dreamscape of the Hollywood movie “Inception“, that seems to ascend or descend interminably is a good example of how projecting our 3D world into two dimensions in artwork can be exploited to manipulate our perceptions. The stairway was originally conceived by father and son team Lionel and Roger Penrose in 1959. Now, Japanese chemists have reconstructed the illusion using a single molecule. Yet another source of antioxidants, in the trees – Researchers in France explain how several species of poplar tree have been used in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. They h... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952952 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:16:06 +0100 4952952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813670&cid=t_121436_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2bddsM2iuRo%2F If numbers tell a story, then the numbers pertaining to Phase II clinical trials offer a sobering tale. A new analysis finds that Phase II success rates fell from 28 percent in 2006 and 2007 to just 18 percent in 2008 and 2009, according to the Centre for Medicines Research, which examined trials undertaken by 16 drugmakers. The upshot? Phase II success rates are lower than at any other phase of development, although success rates do vary between therapeutic areas and between small molecules and biologics. Nonetheless, the implication is that the overall attrition of late-stage drug development seems to be unsustainably high. The findings appear in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. Specifically, the analysis looked at 108 reported Phase II failures from 2008 to 2010 for new drugs and major ne... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813670 Wed, 11 May 2011 12:38:25 +0100 4813670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789313&cid=t_121436_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fresurrecting-the-flatlining-pharma-industry.html – In 2008, there were 800,000 medical papers published and 21 drugs approved by the FDA. Something of a disparity between amount of effort and productive output, you might say. So, why has drug discovery flatlined and how can we drag it out of the valley of death and revitalise it? Despite significant increases in funding, the advent of genomics, computerized molecular modelling, high-throughput drug screening and synthesis drug submissions (and so approvals) are at an all time low. For a discovery to reach the threshold where a pharmaceutical company will move it forward what’s needed is called “translational” research — research that validates targets and reduces the risk, according to David Bornstein's NYT Opinion piece aimed at fixing the indust... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789313 Wed, 04 May 2011 16:05:04 +0100 4789313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545255&cid=t_121436_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fj7-yb8Q-oVg%2F Rise and shine, everyone, another shiny day is on the way. What lies in store? Meetings and deadlines, no doubt, and we relate. To cope, we are brewing our mandatory cup of stimulation and invite you to join us. Meanwhile, we will pause to hustle one of the short people off to the local schoolhouse. So here are a few tidbits. Also, please note that we posted some items last night, but placed them above our morning greeting in the event some people did not see them. Have a great day and stay in touch… Traditional Drug Discovery Model Is Ripe For Reform (Nature) McKesson Fights $212M Pricing Fine Levied By Arizona (Courthouse News) Lilly To Outsource Bioanalytical Work (Pharma Times) Eisai To Cut 900 Jobs Over Five Years (Bloomberg News) Panel Told No Guarantees Against Unethical Resea... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545255 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:00:30 +0100 4545255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482968&cid=t_121436_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FwL9iyIedicI%2F The drug development race is pockmarked with efforts to discover and market a first-in-class treatment. Of course, not everyone can be first, which means there are likely to be other meds that become available. This has become known as the ‘me too’ syndrome, in which one drugmaker after another tries to develop a med similar to a big seller and grab a piece of the business. This approach, however, has been skewered for failing to yield needed innovations and using resources - at companies and at the FDA - that might be put to better use. So how can this be modified in a way that would realign priorities and generate better outcomes and returns for all considered? An essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests an alternative approach - require me-too meds ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482968 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:06:19 +0100 4482968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322506&cid=t_121436_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fneuropsychology-abstract-of-day.html Today's recommended article to read; abstract from PubMed:Bergmans BA & De Strooper B. gamma-secretases: From cell biology to therapeutic strategies. Lancet Neurology. 2010 Feb; 9(2 ): 215-226.Department of Molecular and Developmental Genetics, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.Presenilins form the catalytic part of the gamma-secretases, protein complexes that are responsible for the intramembranous cleavage of transmembrane proteins. The presenilins are involved in several biological functions, but are best known for their role in the generation of the beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide in Alzheimer's disease and are therefore thought to be important drug targets for this disorder. Mutations in the presenilin genes cause early-onset... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322506 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:03:00 +0100 3322506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290893&cid=t_121436_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fneurodegenerative-disease-drug.html From Fierce Biotech:UCSF enters drug discovery agreement with GenentechPosted February 19, 2010"The University of California, San Francisco has signed a partnership agreement with Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, to discover and develop drug candidates for neurodegenerative diseases."Through the agreement, Genentech will provide funding and its research acumen in neuroscience and will collaborate with UCSF to identify small molecules."Read the full article (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290893 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:24:00 +0100 3290893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3059819&cid=t_121436_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F1-zIraMoooo%2F Our inaugural SharpBrains Summit continues to grow momentum – here goes a quick update. New Speakers: Thomas M. Warden is Assistant Vice President and Leader of Allstate’s Research and Planning Center (ARPC). He helps sets ARPC’s research agenda and manage its execution by 60-member ARPC staff, leading the development of significant innovations that contribute to Allstate’s profitable growth. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Dr. Laurence Hirshberg directs the NeuroDevelopment Center and serves on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of the Brown University Medical School as Clinical Assistant Professor. The NeuroDevelopment Center is one of the 20 research sites worldwide participating in the largest study ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3059819 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:28:53 +0100 3059819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1802932&cid=t_121436_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F394542437%2F Where does a researcher turn when toxicology services are in short supply? In a new twist on the outsourcing craze, a new service hopes to fill that void with Assay Depot, an online marketplace that allows bench scientists to buy varying drug discovery services, according to Out-SourcingPharma. An example: a researcher looking for rodent toxicology services can log onto the site and find the relevant section listing various service providers, with prices and turnaround times. The user can also ask for quotes from Assay Depot’s registered providers, and either send samples directly to the provider, or make use of Assay Depot as an intermediary if anonymity is required, OutSourcing writes. The idea is to appeal to small drugmakers and biotechs, universities and virtual drug discovery firm... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802932 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:31:45 +0100 1802932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1642835&cid=t_121436_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F341651534%2F As drugmakers race to discover and develop new drugs, a nagging question may linger – was the proper criteria used to move that compound from the pre-clinical to the clinical phase or was there some bias involved? Mark Lindner, a PhD in pre-clinical behavioral pharmacology and consultant who was previously a principal scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb, says the need for better controls at the pre-clinical phase would lead to better choices and, ultimately, save big pharma big money. He published a paper about this issue a year ago (here it is) and we recently spoke with him about the problem, which he believes is industrywide… Pharmalot: How big a problem is the bias you desribe? Lindner: You can look at the literature to see. The FDA requires clinical trials to have special controls â... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642835 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:56:52 +0100 1642835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1423277&cid=t_121436_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F284391217%2F Here is the abstract of a paper in Hypertension entitled Structure-based identification of small-molecule angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activators as novel antihypertensive agents. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key renin-angiotensin system enzyme involved in balancing the adverse effects of angiotensin II on the cardiovascular system, and its overexpression by gene transfer is beneficial in cardiovascular disease. Therefore, our objectives were 2-fold: to identify compounds that enhance ACE2 activity using a novel conformation-based rational drug discovery strategy and to evaluate whether such compounds reverse hypertension-induced pathophysiologies. We used a unique virtual screening approach. In vitro assays revealed 2 compounds (a xanthenone and resorcinolnaphthalein) t... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1423277 Tue, 06 May 2008 05:40:13 +0100 1423277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1362489&cid=t_121436_132_f&fid=35624&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuicyte.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F10%2Fscience-does-a-webcast-on-ubiquitinproteasome-drug-discovery%2F Yesterday, I have received two ads - disguised as blog-comments - from Walter Jones, apparently the AAAS expert for viral marketing. While one copy would have probably done the job as well, the topic was interesting and pertinent to my blog. Thus, I am willing to assist the AAAS and make their announcement known to a wider audience: my blog readers. Both of them. In their Webinar series, Science Magazine will offer on May 1, 2008 a webinar entitled “The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway: Targets for Disease Treatment and New Tools for Discovery“. This topic is very similar to that of a conference I have attended recently. There doesn’t seem to be an overlap of speakers, though. As the announcement says, there will be three speakers: Alfred Goldberg from Harvard Medical School ... Suicyte Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362489 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:54:19 +0100 1362489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=639759&cid=t_121436_132_f&fid=35624&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuicyte.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F12%2Fmeta-post%2F Discussion and advice on bioinformatics tools or services - i have learned a lot already on what new services are being created out there and what tools other people in the field are using. One excellent example is the description of ’screen scraping’ on Public Rambling. There are many more examples out there. Discussion of recent scientific findings. In particular if these are not just copies of press releases, but contain some discussion on the merits of implications of the finding. A great example, which I enjoyed very much is the post on cell entry of Plasmodium found in The Daily Transcript. ‘Inside stories’ about events/developements I knew about before, but now viewed and commented by somebody who was really involved. A great example from my area of interest ... Suicyte Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=639759 Sat, 12 May 2007 21:18:35 +0100 639759