Featured
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Research Highlight |
That new car smell has a whiff of health hazards
Surface temperature drives emissions of chemicals that give a newly manufactured vehicle its signature aroma.
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News |
Abortion-pill ruling threatens FDA’s authority, say drug firms
A US judge’s decision to overturn the approval of mifepristone could put other drugs at risk, pharmaceutical-industry executives warn.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Feature |
Conquering Alzheimer’s: a look at the therapies of the future
Researchers are looking to drug combinations, vaccines and gene therapy as they forge the next generation of treatments for the condition.
- Alison Abbott
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Where I Work |
Cultivating cannabis in the shadow of a volcano
Agriculturist Rohan McDonald is rebuilding a medical-cannabis laboratory after an eruption destroyed his team’s work.
- James Mitchell Crow
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News |
Antibody-patent row could have far-reaching impact on biotech
The results of a US case could dictate how broad patents are, and have knock-on effects for those developing drugs.
- Heidi Ledford
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Clinical Briefing |
Inhibition of the protein menin shows early promise in leukaemia
Leukaemias characterized by the rearrangement of the gene KMT2A or mutation of the NPM1 gene depend on the protein menin. In a first-in-human trial, the menin inhibitor revumenib had minimal severe adverse effects and showed promising clinical activity in individuals with these types of leukaemia.
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Article |
Structural basis of odorant recognition by a human odorant receptor
Through the use of cryo-electron microscopy and molecular dynamics stimulations, mechanistic insight into the binding of an odorant to the human odorant receptor OR51E2 is provided.
- Christian B. Billesbølle
- , Claire A. de March
- & Aashish Manglik
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Article
| Open AccessBlocking NS3–NS4B interaction inhibits dengue virus in non-human primates
JNJ-1802—a highly potent dengue virus inhibitor—blocks the NS3–NS4B interaction within the viral replication complex, and is highly effective against viral infection with DENV-1 or DENV-2 in non-human primates.
- Olivia Goethals
- , Suzanne J. F. Kaptein
- & Marnix Van Loock
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Technology Feature |
How cell-free processes could speed up vaccine development
Rather than relying on yeast and bacteria, bioengineers are looking for cheaper and easier ways to make proteins and other biomolecules.
- Carrie Arnold
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Outlook |
SGLT2 inhibitors breathe life into kidney-disease care
Researchers want to expand the use of drugs that protect the hearts and kidneys of people with chronic kidney disease.
- Amanda B. Keener
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Article |
Molecular sensing of mechano- and ligand-dependent adhesion GPCR dissociation
A technique to detect the release of N-terminal fragments of Drosophila adhesion G-protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) provides insight into the dissociation of aGPCRs, and shows that receptor autoproteolysis enables non-cell-autonomous activity of aGPCRs in the brain.
- Nicole Scholz
- , Anne-Kristin Dahse
- & Tobias Langenhan
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News |
COVID pill is first to cut short positive-test time after infection
The antiviral ensitrelvir, which is not approved in the United States, shortens symptoms in people with mild COVID and might reduce risk of long COVID — but more data are needed.
- Mariana Lenharo
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Research Highlight |
Custom-built drug shows its powers against tuberculosis
An upgraded antibiotic holds promise for treating tuberculosis strains that are resistant to existing treatments.
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobiota-derived 3-IAA influences chemotherapy efficacy in pancreatic cancer
Indole-3-acetic acid (3-IAA), a tryptophan metabolite derived from the gut microbiota, is associated with a better response to chemotherapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and dietary interventions could have a role in the treatment of PDAC.
- Joseph Tintelnot
- , Yang Xu
- & Nicola Gagliani
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News Feature |
How a pioneering diabetes drug offers hope for preventing autoimmune disorders
The approval of an antibody therapy that pauses the progression of type 1 diabetes is a first in the field, and some say a model for other drug developers.
- Elie Dolgin
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A slew of remarkable trials have raised the profile of a class of weight loss drugs, but there are concerns about cost and weight stigma.
- McKenzie Prillaman
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Book Review |
A crash course in biotech success — and failure
The unlikely discovery of a life-changing leukaemia drug uncovers harsh realities of profit and loss.
- Heidi Ledford
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Career Q&A |
How a failed eczema treatment triggered an interest in traditional medicine
Grace Nambatya Kyeyune uses modern technology and clinical trials to help validate the efficacy and safety of products based on traditional medicine.
- Christopher Bendana
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News Feature |
The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers
A class of drugs that quash hunger have shown striking results in trials and in practice. But can they help all people with obesity — and conquer weight stigma?
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Outlook |
Why children have to wait years for new drugs
A shortage of participants means that paediatric trials take longer and there is less financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies.
- Dalmeet Singh Chawla
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Nature Index |
Biomedical breakthroughs come of age
Approaches to therapy that have long been stuck in the lab are finally finding their way into the clinic.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Nature Index |
Three ways to combat antimicrobial resistance
With a dearth of new antibiotics coming to market, researchers are finding creative ways to keep bacteria at bay.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Nature Index |
Challenging the high-dose paradigm for cancer drugs
The US Food and Drug Administration is looking at ways to lower approved doses to improve quality of life during chemotherapy.
- Marcus A. Banks
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Nature Index |
The ebb and flow of the biomedical sciences in the pandemic era
The field’s overall footprint in the Nature Index continues to grow, but trends vary at regional and institutional levels.
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Nature Index |
Organoids open fresh paths to biomedical advances
Miniaturized versions of human tissue offer greater complexity than the Petri dish and could be an alternative to animal testing.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Nature Index |
Tackle antimicrobial resistance with a pandemic-style mobilization
Solving the public health crisis will take time, money and cooperation.
- David Hyun
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Nature Index |
How gene therapy is emerging from its ‘dark age’
After years of setbacks, the field is starting to deliver on its promises.
- Gemma Conroy
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News |
Researchers welcome $3.5-million haemophilia gene therapy — but questions remain
The world’s most expensive drug has the potential to save lives. But it cannot treat the most common form of the disease.
- Miryam Naddaf
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Article |
Structure-based design of bitopic ligands for the µ-opioid receptor
Bitopic functionalized ligands based on fentanyl can target the sodium ion-binding site of the mu-opioid receptor and selectively modulate downstream signalling pathways, potentially leading to safer analgesics.
- Abdelfattah Faouzi
- , Haoqing Wang
- & Susruta Majumdar
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Correspondence |
Psychedelic drugs: more emphasis on safety issues
- Florian Naudet
- , Eiko I. Fried
- & Ioana A. Cristea
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Nature Index |
US agency seeks to phase out animal testing
The Food and Drug Administration commits to exploring alternative methods to replace laboratory animals in developing new drugs and products.
- Rachel Nuwer
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News Feature |
The shape-shifting blobs that shook up cell biology
More than a decade ago, scientists started finding peculiar droplets inside cells. Now researchers are trying to work out how these ubiquitous beads form and what they do.
- Elie Dolgin
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News Feature |
Cancer drugs are closing in on some of the deadliest mutations
The protein KRAS, mutated in many cancers, was deemed ‘undruggable’. Now scientists are hoping to save lives with a batch of new compounds that target it.
- Heidi Ledford
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Where I Work |
A Jamaican medicinal-plant scientist explores his African roots
Damian Cohall’s studies of traditional medicine have sprouted new ideas for diabetes treatment and cross-Atlantic collaboration.
- Czerne Reid
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Spotlight |
Blood vessel growth in benign tumours can illuminate malignant ones
Joyce Bischoff studies infant haemangiomas to glean insights into potential cancer drugs.
- Helen Santoro
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Nature Podcast |
Virtual library of LSD-like drugs could reveal new antidepressants
Researchers develop a library of 75 million compounds to search for new drugs, and the 2022 Nobel Prizes.
- Benjamin Thompson
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Article |
Antibiotic combinations reduce Staphylococcus aureus clearance
Different pairs of antibiotics show qualitatively different bacterial clearance interactions—some pairs show reciprocal suppression whereby the drug mixture efficacy is weaker than the individual drugs alone, and the clearance efficacy decreases as more drugs are added.
- Viktória Lázár
- , Olga Snitser
- & Roy Kishony
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News |
Alzheimer’s drug slows mental decline in trial — but is it a breakthrough?
Researchers are cautiously optimistic following companies’ announcement of positive results for lecanemab.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Outlook |
Psychedelic medicine faces the acid test
Mind-bending drugs are entering the therapeutic arena
- Herb Brody
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Outlook |
Finding medical value in mescaline
After millennia of sacramental use, mescaline is finally entering fully powered clinical trials.
- Eric Bender
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Outlook |
Taking the tripping out of psychedelic medicine
Drugs under development offer the mental-health benefits of psilocybin and similar substances without inducing strong hallucinatory effects.
- Elie Dolgin
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Outlook |
How MDMA resensitizes the brain
Gül Dölen explains how psychedelics restore the brain’s capacity for plasticity, which fades with age, and make possible new mental-health therapies.
- Alla Katsnelson
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Outlook |
Psychedelic microdosing hits a rough patch in clinical trials
Recent results cast doubt on claims that small amounts of these drugs can benefit mental health.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Outlook |
Research round-up: psychedelic medicine
Predicting bad trips, treating depression without hallucinations, and other highlights from studies of psychedelics.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Outlook |
The psychedelic escape from depression
Clinical trials suggest that psilocybin — the active ingredient in magic mushrooms — can provide durable remission from an increasingly common mental health condition.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Outlook |
Hope that psychedelic drugs can erase trauma
Some researchers are finding clues that MDMA might be able to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. But the science has yet to catch up with the optimism.
- Lauren Gravitz
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Outlook |
Psychedelic research and the real world
Clinical trials of psychedelic drugs impose constraints that make it difficult to judge how effective they will be in treating people.
- Paul S. Appelbaum
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Outlook |
The psychedelic remedy for chronic pain
Drugs best known for their hallucinogenic properties, such as psilocybin, could help people beat the agony of migraines and other painful maladies.
- Clare Watson
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Research Briefing |
Innovative chemistry yields potential antidepressant drugs
Computational simulation of interactions of each of 75 million molecules with a model structure of the 5-HT2A receptor, which mediates the actions of psychedelic drugs, identified molecules that selectively activate the receptor. When tested in mice, two of these compounds had antidepressant-like actions without the side effects of psychedelic drugs.