Idrugs最新文献

The European Respiratory Society Congress, held in Barcelona, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the field of respiratory health and disease. This conference report highlights selected presentations on therapies targeting inflammatory cells, with a focus on therapeutic agents for asthma and COPD. This report also includes a discussion of novel therapeutic agents for pulmonary hypertension. Investigational drugs discussed include OC-000459 (Oxagen), SCH-527123 (Merck & Co), AZD-9668 (AstraZeneca), benralizumab (MedImmune/Kyowa Hakko Kirin/BioWa), PF-3429281 (Pfizer), vilanterol (GlaxoSmithKline/Theravance), LAS-100977 (Almirall Prodesfarma), selexipag (Nippon Shinyaku/Actelion) and GW-0742 (GlaxoSmithKline).

The Metastasis and the Tumor Microenvironment Conference, held in Philadelphia, included topics covering new research developments in the field of metastasis and tumor microenvironment. This conference report highlights selected presentations on translation targets from a clinical perspective, antibody inhibitors of TGFβ for metastasis suppression, metastasis in bladder and lung cancer, c-ErbB2/HER2 expression in ductal carcinomas in situ and breast cancer, targeting Hsp90 chaperones in solid cancers, peritoneal carcinomas, and the discovery and exploitation of RANK ligands in bone metastasis. Investigational drugs discussed include the humanized antibody against TGFβ fresolimumab (GC-1008; Genzyme), the anti-VEGFR1 antibody icrucumab (IMC-18F1; ImClone Systems) and the novel Hsp90 inhibitor NVP-AUY-922 (AUY-922, VER-52296; Novartis).

The World Congress of Virus and Infections, held in Busan, South Korea, included topics reviewing the field of zoonoses. This conference report highlights selected presentations on surveillance, epidemiology and measures for the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases. Topics discussed include human factors influencing zoonoses, the molecular epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, the emerging Nipah virus, and the re-emergence of cowpox virus.

Live bacterial vectors may be useful tools for the development of novel cancer therapies that can be added to the repertoire of existing drugs. Several bacterial strains effectively colonize solid tumors and act as antitumor therapeutics. The naturally occurring tumor-colonizing characteristics of bacterial species such as Salmonella sp, Clostridium sp and Escherichia coli can be further modified by genetic manipulations, making these bacterial systems excellent vehicles for the production and targeted delivery of therapeutic molecules into cancer cells. This feature review summarizes recent research on cancer therapy using genetically modified bacteria. Different approaches - bactofection, DNA vaccination, and bacterially mediated protein and RNAi delivery - in which modified bacteria are used as anticancer therapeutics, are discussed.

Mirabegron (YM-178), currently in development by Astellas Pharma Inc, is an orally active β₃-adrenoceptor (AR) agonist for the potential symptomatic treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). Mirabegron demonstrates nanomolar EC50 values against the human β₃-AR in biochemical assays with potent selectivity over the β₁- and β₂-ARs. Originally developed as a treatment for diabetes, the development of mirabegron was later refocused to OAB. Cystometric experiments in rats reported a reduction in resting intravesical pressure and contraction frequency in anesthetized rats, without any effect on the amplitude of micturition contraction. Mirabegron also reduced non-micturition bladder contractions in an awake rat model of bladder outlet obstruction. Top-line results from clinical trials to date indicate that mirabegron has been well tolerated with significant efficacy in reducing the number of incontinence episodes and mean micturition frequency in patients. Evidence of cytochrome P450 (CYP)2D6 inhibition in clinical trials highlighted a concern for pharmacokinetic interaction with other drugs that are CYP2D6 substrates, as confirmed by a rise in the pharmacokinetic parameters of desipramine with concomitant administration of mirabegron. Mirabegron exhibits a novel mode of action in targeting the β₃-AR for bladder relaxation, and the studies and trials conducted to date suggest mirabegron as a promising new treatment in the management of OAB symptoms, such as increased urinary urgency and frequency, and urgency incontinence.

The 2010 Summer Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held in Chicago, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the field of dermatological diseases, including psoriasis. This conference report highlights selected presentations on the use of etanercept, adalimumab and briakinumab in the treatment of psoriasis.

The recent outbreaks of the H5N1 and H1N1 pandemic influenza have highlighted the importance of developing fast, effective therapeutic strategies to prevent and/or limit the spread of future influenza outbreaks. Although current vaccines against influenza are generally effective, several limitations, including those associated with the amount of available vaccine, the time to vaccine production and vaccine efficacy, may encumber a mass vaccination strategy and effective targeting against future outbreaks. This feature review discusses the prospects of SynCon-derived DNA vaccines against influenza; such vaccines are expected to be effective at targeting many currently circulating influenza virus strains, as well as potentially targeting strains that may be associated with future outbreaks. Because of advantages associated with safety, time to production and ease of production, as well as the generation of more effective immune responses, influenza DNA vaccines provide a promising potential solution to a global medical concern.

The 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, held in Boston, included topics covering new therapeutic research. This conference report highlights selected presentations on (S)-adenosylhomocysteine (AHCY) inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, 2,4-diphenyl-1H-imidazole analogs as cannabinoid CB2 agonists for the treatment of pain, checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) and Aurora kinase B as therapeutic targets for cancer treatment, pyridylmethylthio derivatives as VEGFR2 inhibitors, and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) for the treatment of myeloproliferative disorders. Investigational drugs discussed include L-002259713 (Merck & Co), AZD-1480 (AstraZeneca), CYT-387 (YM Biosciences) and ruxolitinib (Incyte).

The Empowered Antibody Therapies conference, held in Burlingame, CA, USA, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the field of multispecific antibodies. This conference report highlights selected presentations on DVD-Igs from Abbott Laboratories, ImmTACs from Immunocore, 'Dock-and-Lock' technology from Immunomedics, the bispecific BiTE antibody blinatumomab from Micromet, and Triomabs from TRION Pharma and Fresenius Biotech.

The International Carbohydrate Symposium (ICS), held in Tokyo, included topics covering new developments in the field of glycoscience research. This conference report highlights selected presentations on glycoside hydrolase 1 (GH1) substrate specificity, antibody/lectin binding to oligosaccharides, probing the enzymatic properties of oligosaccharyltransferase, galactolipid biosynthesis, galactose disaccharide binding to a Pseudomonas lectin, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification of proteins, and NMR J-coupling correlations in saccharides.