Scientists have found that many receptors with high potential for drug discovery take a different configuration inside the body than in the test tube. The findings could explain why some promising drugs fail in clinical trials, and potentially open doors to new drug-development approaches.
Ruta, who investigates how the brain is modified by experience, has received a MacArthur Fellowship, an award intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.
Cell division is critical to creating and sustaining life. It’s also incredibly difficult to study. Now, advanced technology is enabling researchers to take their understanding of this process to the next level.
For the brain to function smoothly, its cells must carefully regulate which proteins are produced and when. By studying gene regulation, researchers are now shedding light on complex brain conditions like autism and stroke.
Drugs known as potentiators alleviate some symptoms of cystic fibrosis. Researchers recently figured out how these compounds work—a finding that may lead to better drugs that patients can more easily afford.
Animals learn the hard way which sights, sounds, and smells are relevant to survival. New research in flies shows that the timing of these cues plays an important role in how mental associations arise, and elucidates brain pathways involved in this process.
In autoimmune disorders, the body’s defense system erroneously attacks normal cells, leading to serious health problems. Researchers have developed new molecules that potentially could be used to treat many of these conditions.
Recent research has shown that a drug known as MI-2 can kill cells that cause a fatal brain cancer. But only now have scientists been able to explain how the compound works: by targeting cholesterol production in tumors.
