Pharmacology News and Research

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Pharmacology is the study of how chemical substances interact with living systems. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals. The field encompasses drug composition and properties, interactions, toxicology, therapy, and medical applications and antipathogenic capabilities.

Study suggests the need to characterize patient-specific responses to respiratory syncytial virus

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that while most individuals responded to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) natural reinfection with a typical sustained antibody response associated with protection, a few individuals surprisingly responded atypically, not being able to sustain the antibody response, which declined to levels that made the individuals susceptible to RSV reinfection.

5 Feb 2021

Caffeinated coffee helps to minimize reductions in attention and cognitive function

A new study exploring the impact of repeated sleep loss during a simulated working week has found that consuming caffeinated coffee during the day helps to minimize reductions in attention and cognitive function, compared to decaffeinated coffee.

22 Jan 2021

Common insecticides affect the amount of night's sleep in bumblebees and fruit flies

Just like us, many insects need a decent night's sleep to function properly, but this might not be possible if they have been exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides, the most common form of insecticide used worldwide, suggests research by academics at the University of Bristol.

21 Jan 2021

Sequencing-based solution can help determine patients’ response to infection therapy

Scientists from the University of Helsinki have created a new sequencing-based strategy for identifying pathogens from complex samples.

8 Jan 2021

Scientists identify biosynthetic genes involved in the production of usnic acid in lichens

Scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Complutense University of Madrid have headed an international study that has successfully detected a sequence of biosynthetic genes that play a key role in the synthesis of usnic acid in lichen—a kind of compound that exhibits antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, and neuroprotective activity.

14 Dec 2020

Study shows tRNA fragments play a key role in ischemic stroke

An ischemic stroke occurs when the homeostasis of the body and brain is highly disrupted. The immune system, among other things, activates an inflammatory response that can either overshoot or change into an immune deficiency.

14 Dec 2020

Scientists aim to treat and prevent disease by understanding exercise benefits

A top exercise researcher and colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have launched an ambitious effort to understand the whole-body benefits of exercise so that doctors can use that information to prevent and treat disease.

11 Dec 2020

A genetic shortcut to help visualize proteins at work

A group at Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco (UCSF) has demonstrated that a large-scale and systematic genetic approach can indeed yield reliable and detailed information on the structure of protein complexes.

11 Dec 2020

Scientists successfully edit SIV virus from genomes of non-human primates

Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV - a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS - from the genomes of non-human primates.

1 Dec 2020

Light-activated liposomes could help deliver CRISPR gene therapy

Light-activated liposomes could help to deliver CRISPR gene therapy - and the method could prove safer and more direct than current methods.

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 16 Nov 2020

In-depth review of plant natural products paves way for drug discovery

Scientists have compiled the first comprehensive review of plant natural products that play a role in antibacterial activity, to serve as a guide in the search for new drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

12 Nov 2020

Genetic signature in localized prostate cancer can predict likelihood of tumor metastases

Researchers have identified a genetic signature in localized prostate cancer that can predict whether the cancer is likely to spread, or metastasize, early in the course of the disease and whether it will respond to anti-androgen therapy, a common treatment for advanced disease.

11 Nov 2020

Beetroot peptide may help treat inflammatory, neurodegenerative diseases

A team of researchers have successfully isolated a peptide (a tiny protein molecule) from beetroot in a recent study.

2 Nov 2020

Novel machine learning algorithm helps identify binding sites in drug targets

Scientists from the iMolecule group at Skoltech Center for Computational and Data-Intensive Science and Engineering (CDISE) developed BiteNet, a machine learning (ML) algorithm that helps find drug binding sites, i.e. potential drug targets, in proteins.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers identify a promising target for treating chemo-resistant cancer cells

As medical professionals and scientists work to design new therapies for cancer, they come across a range of difficulties.

26 Oct 2020

UNM researchers identify medications that could help fight COVID-19 infection

University of New Mexico researchers who combed through a "library" of previously approved drugs believe they have identified a medication with the potential to help speed a patient's recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Oct 2020

Synthetic signals could help control tissue regeneration

For a tiny embryo to develop into an adult organism, its cells must develop in precise patterns and interact with their neighbors in carefully orchestrated ways.

16 Oct 2020

Dopamine and serotonin found to be involved in perception, cognitive capacities

In first-of-their-kind observations in the human brain, an international team of researchers has revealed two well-known neurochemicals -- dopamine and serotonin -- are at work at sub-second speeds to shape how people perceive the world and take action based on their perception.

13 Oct 2020

Developing a 'Trojan Horse' nanotherapy to fight breast cancer

With a nearly $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Michigan State University researchers are using nanoscopic particles to turn the body's own cells into weapons that cancer won't see coming.

12 Oct 2020

Researchers develop new testing platform for breast cancer cells

A Purdue University team has developed a novel testing platform to evaluate how breast cancer cells respond to the recurrent stretching that occurs in the lungs during breathing.

7 Oct 2020