News by Subject Chemistry & Physics

Two receptors in the spinal cord and the right experimental drug: Researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered a new approach that suppresses itch. In a series of experiments in mice and dogs they successfully alleviated different forms of acute as well as chronic itch. For the latter, current treatment options are very limited.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has developed an artificial intelligence technology platform that could potentially change the way drug combinations are being designed, hence enabling doctors to determine the most effective drug combination for a patient quickly.

In tests with mice and in vivo culture, molecule designed in Brazil was capable of killing Plasmodium resistant strains and reducing the number of parasites in the bloodstream by 62 percent without attacking cells of the host organism.

The method could speed the discovery of new drugs and other products by offering the ability to simply and efficiently build a wide variety of molecular architectures.

Researchers at University of Utah Health developed a proof-of-concept technology using nanoparticles that could offer a new approach for oral medications.

Nanoparticles show great promise as diagnostic tools and drug delivery agents. The tiny particles, which scientists can modify with drugs, dyes or targeting molecules, can travel in the circulation and squeeze through small spaces into cells and tissues. But until now, most nanoparticles had to be injected into the bloodstream because they weren't absorbed well orally. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have modified nanoparticles to improve their uptake in the gastrointestinal tract.

Now, scientists at Scripps Research and Bristol-Myers Squibb have created a powerful new tool for precisely controlling the 3D architecture -- also called stereochemistry -- of linkages known as thiophosphates, found in some promising new drugs that target genetic molecules and other disease targets, according to a paper published today in Science.

Scientists have discovered that curcumin to be an effective agent for killing cancer cells. Curcumin's effective has been extremely limited because it isn't natually soluble in water. Recently, however a team led by Dipanjan Pan, a professor of bioengineering, has created a sophisticated metallocyclic complex using platinum that has not only enabled curcumin's solubility, but whose synergy has proven 100 times more effective in treating various cancer types such as melanoma and breast cancer cells than using curcumin and platinum agents separately.