Pre-clinical research

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.…

Pain relief: designing better opioids

While opioids are powerful painkillers, they come with dangerous side effects and carry a sometimes fatal risk of addiction. However, new, safer opioids are being developed using a variety of innovative strategies to maximise analgesic properties, while reducing the burden of side effects.…

Zika vaccine development: two years on from the outbreak

Two years after the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, researchers have made good progress in developing vaccines against the disease, with some candidates now in phase II trials. However, the brief nature of the outbreak is…

Achieving my career potential through the FIP Young Pharmacists Group Mentorship Program

Oscar Ekpenyong participated in the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s Young Pharmacists Group Mentorship Program in 2016 and describes the benefits of being mentored as “tremendous” and “unquantifiable”. Here he explains how participation has shaped his car…

Life Sciences Industrial Strategy can help ensure the future of UK life sciences sector

The UK has some of the world’s most exciting science, a supportive business environment, and strong companies led by experienced management teams. It also has a unique ecosystem that is wider than just industry, with world-leading universities (the top two universities in the world), charity s…

New antibiotic shown to be effective against gonorrhoea superbug

A new class of antibiotic has been found to be effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae according to researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.…

A brief history of ibuprofen

This timeline traces the history of popular anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, from its invention in the 1960s to its association with cardiac side effects.…

Rhinovirus vaccine development is about more than fighting colds

Rhinovirus, the pathogen behind the common cold, can cause severe, acute lung disease in children and those with underlying respiratory conditions. Since the 1970s, vaccine development has been hindered by the presence of numerous virus serotypes and the lack of a good animal model to test vaccine c…

A barrier to progress: getting drugs to the brain

Getting drugs across the blood-brain barrier could be key to developing more successful therapies to treat central nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression and epilepsy. Scientists are investigating a number of ways to achieve this, from using Trojan horses to smuggle …

Spider venom peptide could protect against stroke brain damage

Researchers say that Hi1a, a peptide found in funnel-web spider venom, was highly neuroprotective in rats and could be used to protect the human brain from ischaemic injury caused by stroke.…