Drug design

Going vegan: the rise of animal-free medicines

As more people choose to lead a plant-based lifestyle, pharmaceutical manufacturers are slowing shifting away from using animal products. But is there enough demand yet to go fully vegan?…

Greening the pharmacy shelves: reducing the environmental impact of medicines manufacture

The processes and chemicals used in medicines manufacture are often toxic, expensive and produce a lot of waste, which poses a threat to the environment. But there are signs that the pharmaceutical industry is moving in the right direction when it comes to green chemistry.…

RNA interference therapies could be on the cusp of success

This new way of modifying problematic gene expression has had a rocky start — but things are looking up.…

New tool predicts risk of drug turning toxic in the body

Researchers have developed a quantitative risk assessment tool to predict whether a drug will turn into a toxic version of itself, or lose efficacy, once it has entered the body…

Artificial Intelligence: will it change the way drugs are discovered?

The pharmaceutical industry is beginning to invest in artificial intelligence (AI), with many large pharmaceutical companies partnering with AI start-ups in 2017 in order to develop better diagnostics or biomarkers, to identify drug targets and to design new drugs. But when will the first AI-designe…

An update on the management of chronic hepatitis B and C infection

Chronic hepatitis B and C infection are leading causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection consisting of nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) rarely lead to functional cure. With a better understanding of the HBV lifecycle, nove…

Researchers create opioid that only activates at pain sites

Opioid-receptor agonist demonstrated similar level of pain relief to fentanyl but without typical side effects associated with opioids.…

Current treatments and future targeted treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia

While the initial therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) treatment is relatively standardised, the high incidence of refractory/relapsed disease remains a great challenge. Progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of both initial and recurrent disease phases, leading to rigorous…

Devising ways to improve medicines adherence

There are many reasons why patients do not take their medicines as prescribed. Discovering the specific cause of non-adherence is the best way to improve it.…

Platelet-disguised nanoparticles could enhance drug delivery

Nanoparticles coated in platelet membranes could be used to deliver drugs to sites around the body at lower doses than currently used.…