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Contract research organizations (CROs) have a key role in drug discovery and development, but processes for evaluating, engaging and managing CRO contracts may not be well established in academic institutions or small companies. Here, we recommend an approach to optimize the execution of drug discovery programmes in such environments.
Immunotherapies that target the PD1–PDL1 axis continue to generate solid clinical data, and fresh combination trial results offer tantalizing hints of greater effectiveness to come.
Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision loss in the elderly. Evans and Syed discuss the pipeline of therapies for dry AMD and the future of the market.
Although neurotrophins could provide benefit in neurological diseases, their therapeutic application is limited by poor pharmacological properties and undesirable pleiotropic actions. Here, Longo and Massa highlight recent progress in the targeting of individual neurotrophin receptors using small-molecule ligands in an effort to overcome these limitations.
More than half of all patients with cancer receive radiation therapy, but normal tissue tolerance to radiation often limits the ability to cure tumours with radiation therapy. Here, Moding, Kastan and Kirsch discuss current approaches and possible future directions for combining radiation therapy with targeted therapies to enhance the probability of tumour cure.
Current treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) do not reduce disease progression or suppress chronic inflammation. This Review highlights new therapeutic targets that have been discovered through a better understanding of the underlying inflammation in COPD and provides an update on the development of anti-inflammatory drugs for this disorder.
