Tag: Pharmacology
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New body-on-a-chip technology to advance pharmacological research
Researchers from MIT have developed “physiome on chip” technology that could be used to evaluate new drugs and detect side effects before the drugs are tested in human clinical trials. This could be used an alternative to animal testing for pharmacological testing before human clinical trials. Body on a chip. Credit: Felice Frankel They used…
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Hemanthamine found in Daffodils has anti-cancer properties
Researchers from Université Libre de Bruxelles discover that alkaloid found in Daffodils has anti-cancer properties. This alkaloid called haemanthamine works by triggering activation of anti-tumor surveillance pathway. This study was led by Dennis Lafontaine and is published in journal Structure. Structure of Ribosome. Credit ULB Researchers found that this compound binds to the ribosome and…
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Research shows efficacy of malarial drug Chloroquine in treating Zika infection
Zika virus remains a major global health risk. In most adults, Zika causes mild flu-like symptoms. But in pregnant women, the virus can cause serious birth defects in babies including microcephaly a neurological condition in which newborns have unusually small heads and fail to develop properly. There is no treatment or way to reverse the…
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Finding new uses for old medication using computer program DrugPredict
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have developed a computer program called DrugPredict to discover new indications for old drugs. This program matches existing data about FDA-approved drugs to diseases, and predicts potential drug efficacy. In a recent study published in Oncogene, the researchers successfully translated DrugPredict results into the laboratory, and…
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New plant based compounds show promise for hepatitis B
Researchers have found that certain plant-derived products may help prevent and treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Proanthocyanidin (PAC) and its analogs, oolonghomobisflavanes, act by inhibiting viral entry into host cells. The life cycle of Hepatitis B Virus. Credit Dr. Graham Colm Wikipedia The investigators noted that PAC was effective even against treatment-resistant HBV strains,…
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