Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

How fungi make a key medicinal molecule

For roughly a century, ever since Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928, fungi have proven to be a goldmine for medicines. They've provided treatments for a wide range of diseases, from infections and high cholesterol to organ rejection and even cancer.

However, the process by which fungi synthesize some of their most potent compounds remains opaque.

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First successful clinical trial of VU319 brings Alzheimer's treatment one step closer

Researchers at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, a clinical stage biotech within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have detailed the successful drug discovery of a phase I single ascending dose clinical trial of VU319, a drug for memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

"This milestone highlights Vanderbilt’s ability to drive discovery from research to clinical impact," said Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Cybele Raver.

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What is metformin’s secret sauce?

Millions of people take metformin, a Type 2 diabetes medication that lowers blood sugar. The "wonder drug" has also been shown to slow cancer growth, improve COVID outcomes and reduce inflammation. But until now, scientists have been unable to determine how, exactly, the drug works.

A new Northwestern Medicine study has provided direct evidence in mice that the drug reversibly cuts the cell’s energy supply by interfering with mitochondria,

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Nano drug delivery system heralds safer era for drug development

A team of University of Melbourne researchers from the Caruso Nanoengineering Group has created an innovative drug delivery system with outstanding potential to improve drug development.

The team has pioneered a drug delivery system that is a coordination network composed of only metal ions and biomolecules, known as metal-biomolecule network (MBN).

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New drug shows promise against Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A novel drug holds promise for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder that causes severe muscle degeneration.

McGill University researchers have discovered that an experimental compound called K884 can boost the natural repair abilities of muscle stem cells. Current treatments can slow muscle damage, but don’t address the root problem.

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Breakthrough of the Year: A drug that prevents HIV infection, providing six months of protection per shot

As its 2024 Breakthrough of The Year, Science has named the development of lenacapavir - a promising new injectable drug that prevents HIV infection. The award also recognizes related work surrounding gaining a new understanding of the structure and function of HIV's capsid protein. Despite decades of advancements, HIV continues to infect more than a million people annually, with a vaccine remaining elusive. However, a new injectable drug, lenacapavir, offers hope by providing six months of protection per shot.

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Paracetamol may not be as safe as perceived in older people, according to a new study

New research, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that repeated doses of paracetamol in people aged 65 and over, can lead to an increased risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and renal complications.

The new study, which is published in Arthritis Care and Research, shows that care must be taken when repeated doses are required for chronic painful conditions such as osteoarthritis in older people.

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Bayer acquires HiDoc Technologies and Cara Care® app for irritable bowel syndrome

Bayer is today announcing that it plans to acquire HiDoc Technologies GmbH in the first quarter of 2025 and to start commercialization of the digital health application, Cara Care®. Cara Care® is the first prescribed digital health application for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and offers a novel, holistic therapeutic approach for patients with IBS.(1)

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have generally already been through a lot by the time they receive a formal diagnosis, and they face numerous daily challenges and obstacles associated with their symptoms that impair their quality of life.

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New gene therapy reverses heart failure in large animal model

A new gene therapy can reverse the effects of heart failure and restore heart function in a large animal model. The therapy increases the amount of blood the heart can pump and dramatically improves survival, in what a paper describing the results calls "an unprecedented recovery of cardiac function."

Currently, heart failure is irreversible. In the absence of a heart transplant, most medical treatments aim to reduce the stress on the heart and slow the progression of the often-deadly disease.

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Genetic code deploys cancer mafia, new targeted drug gives them an offer they can't refuse

A group of scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has revealed a new genetic code that acts like a cancer ringleader, recruiting and deploying a gang of tumor cells to incite a biological turf war by invading healthy organs and overpowering the normal cells. This discovery - published today, Dec. 9, in Nature Biotechnology - could unveil an entirely different understanding of the origins of cancer within the body, as well as offer groundbreaking insight into new treatment strategies that could target the growth of tumors in their earliest stages.

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