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Taking thalidomide out of rehab

Thalidomide, a drug reviled in the 1960s for its teratogenic effects, has been revived in recent years for cancer and leprosy therapy. A study now finds another use for this drug in vascular disease, providing further insights into the drug's mechanisms of action (pages 420–428).

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Figure 1: Thalidomide bypasses the requirement of the TGF-β1–endoglin–Alk-1 signaling pathway for vascular stability.

Kim Caesar

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Correspondence to Rosemary J Akhurst.

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Akhurst, R. Taking thalidomide out of rehab. Nat Med 16, 370–372 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0410-370

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