As well as the important ethical reasons for minimising animal use in research, the reality is sometimes animals just aren’t that good at predicting human responses.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Drug development
Displaying 1 - 20 of 102 articles
Cell cultures are common tools in biology and drug development. Bringing them up to scale to meet the meat needs of societies will require further development.
Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.
Fungal infections can be among the hardest to treat, and since the pandemic began they’ve become only more common. To prevent future antifungal resistance, scientists have developed tiny molecular drills.
While mRNA vaccines are designed to last longer in the body than mRNA molecules typically would, they are also tested to ensure they are eliminated from livestock long before milking or slaughter.
Multidrug-resistant fungal infections are an emerging global health threat. Figuring out how fungi evade treatments offers new avenues to counter resistance.
Cells degrade and recycle damaged parts of themselves through a process called autophagy. When this “self-devouring” goes awry, it may promote cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
Annual flu vaccines are in a constant race against a rapidly mutating virus that may one day cause the next pandemic. A one-time vaccine protecting against all variants could give humanity a leg up.
Successes in the lab mostly don’t translate to people. Research models that better mimic the human body could close the gap.
The pharma industry claims lower prescription drug prices will mean less access to new medication for Canadians. It’s an old threat that pits profits against patients’ rights to affordable drugs.
The proteins that cover nanoparticles are essential to understanding how they work in the body. Across 17 proteomics facilities in the US, less than 2% of the identified proteins were identical.
Despite technological advancements, many challenges remain in getting a drug from lab to pharmacy shelf. Reframing what is a “medicine” could expand treatment options for researchers and patients.
There hasn’t been a new form of male birth control since the 1980s. More contraception options for all partners could help reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies.
Eye drops might one day be a safe, non-invasive and less costly alternative to cataract surgery.
In silico clinicial trials have the potential to speed up trials and cut costs.
From thalidomide to resveratrol, molecules with the exact same chemical properties can have drastically different effects in the body depending on how they’re arranged in space.
With the dual threats of antibiotic resistance and emerging pandemics, finding new drugs becomes even more urgent. A trove of medicines may be lying under our nose.
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.
While pills are more practical than injections or infusions, digestion in the stomach prevents many drugs from being taken orally. Better drug design could change this.
From tablets and patches to ointments and infusions, the best way to deliver a drug is the one that gets the right amount to the right place.
Top contributors
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Prof. Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
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Professor of Neuroscience, Lancaster University
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Biostatistician, The University of Melbourne
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Director of Natural Product Discovery Core; Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan
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Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
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Professor, UNSW Sydney
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Associate Professor of History, University of Wollongong
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Senior Lecturer Biostatistics and Data Management, The University of Queensland
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Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management, York University, Canada
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Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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Professor of Molecular Cell Biology, Royal Holloway University of London
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Anti-Infectives Consulting
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Emeritus Professor of Medical Ethics, The University of Queensland
