A recurrent problem with pain is the absence of therapeutic strategies to selectively block the nociceptors (neurons responsible to detect painful stimuli) that need to be targeted for a particular indication. Things get even worse if we take into account that some molecules used for pain management do affect other, more general physiological processes. Local […]
There are plenty of examples of drugs that have been repurposed in recent years. For instance, thalidomide, the initially prescribed medication for headache in pregnant women which led to countless numbers of babies born with body malformations during the 50s and 60s, now this drug is used for treating certain types of cancer, such as […]
Chemistry • Condensed matter • DIPC Biochemistry • DIPC Photochemistry • Pharmacy
The combination of catalysis and bioorthogonality promises have an impact on drug discovery and bioimaging. Bioorthogonality, a term coined by Carolyn R. Bertozzi in 2003, refers to any chemical reaction that can occur inside of living systems without interfering with native biochemical processes. Hence, catalytic turnover can boost the efficiency of bioorthogonal chemical reactions, unveiling […]
Chemistry • Condensed matter • Medicine • Microbiology • Pharmacy
Antimicrobial resistance is a complex problem that contributes to health and economic losses worldwide. Resistance to antimicrobial therapies reduces the effectiveness of current drugs, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure. Because globalization increases the vulnerability of any country to diseases occurring in other countries, resistance presents a major threat to global public […]
15% of human cancers worldwide may be attributed to viruses, 1 with both DNA and RNA viruses being capable of causing the disease. Epstein-Barr virus, human papilloma virus, hepatitis B virus, and human herpes virus-8 are the four DNA viruses capable of causing the development of human cancer, whereas human T lymphotrophic virus type 1 […]
Biology • Biomedicine • Genetics • Medicine • Pharmacy
Patients suffering from rare diseases (defined by the European as those affecting less than 5 in 10000 people) have traditionally been overlooked by pharmaceutical companies. They are usually looking for the next blockbuster drug, so the lack of a large patient pool means they may not generate the revenue needed to justify the R&D financial […]
Think about a laboratory animal. Have you drawn a mouse in your mind? Perhaps a monkey? I would bet that you had not thought about fish and even less about fish larvae. But, indeed, they are potential animal models for drug discovery, especially the Danio rerio species, better known as zebrafish . As you can […]
Imagine a very simple chemical estructure: 4 carbon and 1 nitrogen forming a ring, with no double bonds, just simple bonds between any two of them and with hydrogen. This compound is called pyrrolidine and is the base of very important biological and farmacological products. Pyrrolidine is found naturally in the leaves of tobacco and […]
Author: Neus Aguilera-Porta is a Ph.D. student (ITN-EJD-TCCM) at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Medicines are a mixture of pharmaceutically active molecules with excipients, designed with the aim of healing, relieving the pain with as minimal side effects as possible. Having this in mind, could the properties of a molecule be modified when absorbing a light […]
Author: Gabriele Dalla Torre is a Ph.D. student (ITN-EJD-TCCM) at UPV/EHU Aluminum is the third most abundant element in Earth’s crust, after oxygen and silicon. As a consequence, during the last century, human intervention has made aluminum so highly bioavailable that C. Exley, one of the leading researcher on Al(III) biochemistry, stated that we are […]