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Articles on Drug discovery

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Ancient DNA preserved in the tooth tartar of human fossils encodes microbial metabolites that could be the next antibiotic. Werner/Siemens Foundation

Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics

Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs.
Depending on how you look at it, drugs that can act on multiple targets could be a boon instead of a challenge. Andrew Brookes/Image Source via Getty Images

Many medications affect more than one target in the body – some drug designers are embracing the ‘side effects’ that had been seen as a drawback

Many approved drugs work on the body in ways that researchers still aren’t entirely clear about. Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a flaw may lead to better treatments for complex conditions.
A factor holding back African research is the lack of strong collaborative networks between African laboratories and institutions. Shutterstock

What it would take to set up an African drug discovery ecosystem

Drug discovery research in Africa receives modest but essential international funding through philanthropic foundations and selected pharmaceutical companies.
The subtleties of how genes are transcribed into RNA molecules like the one depicted here are key to understanding the inner workings of cells. Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Machine learning plus insights from genetic research shows the workings of cells – and may help develop new drugs for COVID-19 and other diseases

Machine learning is great at finding patterns but doesn’t know what those patterns mean. Combine it with knowledge gained from genetic research and you have a powerful view into the workings of cells.
The pipes imprinted on microfluidic chips are about the size of a human hair, and in many ways are like miniaturizing a chemical manufacturing plant. (Katherine Elvira)

New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp

Artificial cells on tiny microfluidic chips can provide early insight into how new cancer drugs behave in cells, and why certain kinds of cancer are more resistant to chemotherapy treatment.
Gene-based vaccines had never been approved for humans before the coronavirus pandemic. Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

3 medical innovations fueled by COVID-19 that will outlast the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has driven a lot of scientific progress in the past year. But just as some of the social changes are likely here to stay, so are some medical innovations.
There are 20,000 FDA approved drugs. One of them might fight COVID-19, if we can find it. Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

COVID-19 treatment might already exist in old drugs – we’re using pieces of the coronavirus itself to find them

Among the more than 20,000 drugs approved by the FDA, there may be some that can treat COVID-19. A team at the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying possible candidates.

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