All Drug Discovery articles
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ArticleOrgan chips move closer to drug discovery pipelines
From uncovering new drug targets to predicting human toxicity, organ chips are showing what they could bring to drug discovery. Professor Donald Ingber of Harvard University discusses where the technology is heading next.
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NewsKCL-286 targets multiple Alzheimer’s pathways in preclinical study
A repurposed small molecule originally developed for spinal cord injury has demonstrated the ability to address multiple disease-relevant pathways in Alzheimer’s disease, including DNA damage and neuroinflammation, offering a potential route to disease-modifying therapy.
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NewsInsilico Medicine launches Phase III trial of AI-designed Rentosertib drug
Insilico Medicine has advanced its AI-discovered TNIK inhibitor Rentosertib into a 320-patient Phase III trial for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, marking a landmark moment for generative AI drug discovery.
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ArticleAI’s real value in drug discovery may be choosing the right experiment
AI is becoming more capable, but its value still depends on the data, questions and decisions behind it. Where is it genuinely improving drug discovery and where do the limitations remain?
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NewsAI and lab techniques accelerate tuberculosis drug discovery
Researchers at UMass Amherst have combined high-throughput laboratory screening with an AI neural network to identify compounds capable of breaching the protective outer membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, potentially accelerating the search for new TB therapeutics.
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Newsbit.bio launches iPSC-derived cell culture media kits to democratise human cell research
Cambridge-based cell programming company bit.bio has introduced two new media kits for its iPSC-derived ioGlutamatergic Neurons and ioMicroglia, reducing media preparation costs by around 18-fold and simplifying workflows to widen access to human-relevant research models.
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NewsXL20 drug candidate shields motor neurons from ALS-linked TDP-43 damage
A newly identified experimental compound, XL20, has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in mouse models and human motor neurons by targeting a conserved disease-linked region of TDP-43, a protein central to ALS pathology.
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NewsATRX mutations reprogram chromatin to drive glioma progression
Scientists at MD Anderson Cancer Center have revealed how ATRX mutations restructure chromatin and activate oncogenic developmental pathways in glioma, pointing towards novel therapeutic targets including the HOXA signalling axis.
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NewsFish-inspired sensor detects heartbeat of lab-grown cardiac organoids
A biomechanical well plate inspired by the pressure-sensing lateral line of fish can wirelessly monitor the pulse of multiple lab-grown cardiac organoids simultaneously, offering a scalable new platform for cardiovascular drug testing.
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NewsMETTL3 protein finds new mechanism driving breast cancer metastasis
Scientists at Umeå University have uncovered a previously unknown function for the RNA-modifying protein METTL3, revealing it plays a distinct role in enabling breast cancer cells to invade surrounding tissue and form metastases – findings that could open new avenues for therapeutic targeting.
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NewsTranexamic acid cuts post-hepatectomy liver failure risk threefold
An international multi-centre study has found that tranexamic acid, a widely available and inexpensive haemostatic agent, could reduce the risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure threefold, offering a potential new preventive strategy for one of liver surgery’s most feared complications.
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NewsHidden vulnerability in persister cells could prevent KRAS cancer relapse
Scientists at Chiba University have identified a metabolic vulnerability in drug-tolerant cancer cells that survive KRAS-targeted therapy, opening a potential route to combination treatments designed to prevent disease recurrence in lung, pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
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InterviewThe global push to reduce animal testing in drug development
Non-animal methods are already used throughout early drug discovery, yet animal testing continues to dominate regulatory safety assessment. Recent initiatives suggest change is coming, but significant scientific and practical challenges remain.
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NewsStreptomyces antibiotic ‘megacluster’ targets biotin to combat drug-resistant infections
Researchers at McMaster University have identified an unprecedented antibiotic ‘megacluster’ in Streptomyces bacteria, harbouring four co-located gene clusters that produce compounds collectively targeting bacterial biotin biosynthesis, uptake and utilisation — with two proving effective against multidrug-resistant E. coli in animal models.
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NewsLargest chemical reactions database launched to boost AI drug discovery
Researchers at the University of Michigan have assembled a database of more than 50,000 chemical experiments, offering AI systems an unprecedented resource to accelerate drug discovery and reduce reliance on scarce precious metal catalysts.
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NewsResearchers reveal how entinostat disrupts pancreatic cancer repair
Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered how the investigational HDAC inhibitor entinostat disrupts DNA repair mechanisms in pancreatic cancer cells, potentially enabling more effective combination therapies with reduced toxicity through novel nanoparticle delivery systems.
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NewsAI uncovers antimicrobial peptides hidden within prion proteins
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have used artificial intelligence to identify a new class of antimicrobial peptides within prion proteins, traditionally associated with neurodegenerative disease. The discovery reveals 1,179 potential antibiotic candidates, with laboratory and animal studies confirming activity against drug-resistant bacterial strains.
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NewsThalidomide shows potential for treating rare brain vascular malformations
Researchers in China have reported encouraging preclinical and early clinical evidence that thalidomide may help stabilise and reduce rare vascular malformations affecting the brain and spinal cord, potentially offering the first medical treatment option for patients with central nervous system arteriovenous malformations who are unsuitable for invasive procedures.
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NewsMembrane lipid composition directly regulates EGFR activity in cells
MIT researchers have demonstrated that cell membrane composition directly influences EGFR activity, with elevated negatively charged lipids locking the receptor into a growth-promoting state.
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ArticleSmall tags, big advances: studying endogenous proteins in their native context
By combining CRISPR knock-in with small peptide tags, researchers can study proteins in their native cellular context, generating more predictive data for translational drug discovery.