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Understanding the basis of variability in the response of patients to the dose of a drug and a willingness to vary the dose regimen as well as the choice of drug should be one of the key pillars of precision medicine.
Single-cell analysis tools are rapidly evolving, enabling cellular analyses at the genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Here, Heath and colleagues provide an overview of recently developed single-cell analysis technologies, discuss their biological applications and highlight their potential uses in drug discovery and development, focusing on the field of oncology.
CNS myeloid cells mediate the local immune response during development, health and brain diseases and are emerging as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here, Biber and colleagues assess strategies for targeting CNS myeloid cells and consider key issues associated with their clinical translation.
What could be the benefits of moving the treatment paradigm for serious neuropsychiatric disorders towards earlier intervention, and what is needed to achieve this?
Cells within the microvascular compartment, particularly leukocytes, can affect angiogenesis, inflammation and fibrosis. Kreuger and Phillipson discuss how to target these cells therapeutically, focusing on ways to interfere with intracellular communication and reprogramme leukocytes, which could have applications in the design of drugs and their delivery systems.
Optogenetics has already had a major impact on neuroscience research, particularly in the study of cognitive and emotional processes. Here, Song and Knöpfel discuss emerging applications of optogenetic technologies, focusing on their potential to transform neuroscience drug discovery programmes and to provide novel therapeutic approaches for conditions such as Parkinson disease, mood disorders and epilepsy.