Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

Machine learning drives drug repurposing for neuroblastoma

Using machine learning and a large volume of data on genes and existing drugs, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have identified a combination of statins and phenothiazines that is particularly promising in the treatment of the aggressive form of neuroblastoma. The results from experimental trials showed slowing of tumour growth and higher survival rates.

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New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell

When you take a drug, where in your body does it actually go? For most medications, scientists can make only educated guesses about the answer to this question. Traditional methods can measure the concentration of a drug in an organ like the liver, but they can’t pinpoint exactly which cells the drug binds to - or reveal unexpected places where the drug takes action.

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Right blood pressure drug can reduce healthcare costs

Patients who start their blood pressure treatment with ARB drugs continue with the same medicine to a greater extent than patients who start out with other drugs. Choosing the right drug from the outset can therefore improve both health and quality of life - as well as bringing down healthcare costs. This is shown in a new study based on data from 340,000 patients.

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The natural human protein drug may halt neuron death in Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz have discovered that while brain neuron changes, including cell loss, may begin in early life, a drug long-approved for other conditions might be repurposed to slow this damage, offering new hope for those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other cognition issues.

The study was published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

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Groundbreaking discovery turns household plastic recycling into anti-cancer medication

A groundbreaking discovery led by the University of St Andrews has found a way to turn ordinary household plastic waste into the building block for anti-cancer drugs.

Household PET (polyethylene terephthalate) waste, such as plastic bottles and textiles, can be recycled in two main ways: mechanically or chemically.

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Accelerated cancer drug approvals deliver limited survival gains at high cost

Early access to new cancer drugs, granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has provided mixed benefits for patients while costing Medicare billions of dollars, reveals new research published in the journal BMJ Medicine.

Researchers found that between 2012 and 2020, 178,000 Medicare beneficiaries received early access to cancer drugs through the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway.

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Tiny viral switch offers hope against drug-resistant bacteria

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals how viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages or “phages,” use a tiny piece of genetic material to hijack bacterial cells and make more copies of themselves.

The research shows that a very small RNA molecule, called PreS, acts like a hidden “switch” inside the bacterial cell. By flipping this switch, the virus can change how the bacterial cell works and push the infection forward.

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NU-9 halts Alzheimer's disease in animal model before symptoms begin

An experimental drug developed at Northwestern University has demonstrated further promise as an early intervention for Alzheimer’s disease.

In a new study, Northwestern scientists identified a previously unknown highly toxic sub-species of amyloid beta oligomers - toxic clusters of peptides - that appear to drive several of the brain’s earliest changes, including neuronal dysfunction, inflammation and activation of immune cells.

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The antibiotic delafloxacin emerges as a potential therapeutic alternative against Legionella

A study led by researchers at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) shows, in an experimental laboratory model, that delafloxacin inhibits the intracellular replication of Legionella more effectively than one of the current standard treatments. The findings provide new evidence of its potential therapeutic value and support the need for future clinical studies in patients with Legionnaires' disease.

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Accelerating drug combination discovery with machine learning

Discovering effective drug combinations may now be easier thanks to a screening platform made public today by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists. Many diseases, including cancers, require combinations of drugs whose effects are more than the sum of their parts to create effective treatment regimens. However, the number of new drugs and potential combinations has exploded, making classical screening methods impractical.

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