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Realizing the vision of a new class of medicines based on modulating the electrical signalling patterns of the peripheral nervous system needs a firm research foundation. Here, an interdisciplinary community puts forward a research roadmap for the next 5 years.
The US National Cancer Institute is launching an 'exceptional responder' programme to see whether outliers from failed cancer trials can open up new drug development avenues.
Next-generation antibody (NGA) therapeutics incorporate architectural changes that allow for increased efficacy and product differentiation. This analysis provides an overview of the different types of NGAs in development and an outlook of their market potential.
Pangalos and colleagues discuss the results of a comprehensive longitudinal review of AstraZeneca's small-molecule drug projects from 2005 to 2010. They present a framework to guide research and development teams based on the five most important technical determinants of project success and pipeline quality: the right target, the right patient, the right tissue, the right safety and the right commercial potential. A sixth factor — the right culture — is also crucial in encouraging effective decision-making.
The liver X receptors (LXRs) are key regulators of lipid homeostasis. Here, the authors highlight tissue-specific aspects of LXR function with a focus on the liver, intestine and brain, and discuss the implications of recent advances in the understanding of LXR activity for drug development.
Evidence supporting the hypothesis that raising plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol could be cardioprotective has fuelled intense efforts to develop HDL-targeted therapies, but several recent clinical trial failures have introduced controversy. Kingwell and colleagues discuss the current understanding of the HDL hypothesis, considering what has been learned, what remains to be tested and how this knowledge could be used in the development of novel therapies.
Inflammation is now appreciated to have an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and associated complications. Donath describes the underlying mechanisms and discusses the rationale for the use of anti-inflammatory agents — such as those that have been developed for rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases driven by inflammatory processes — in patients with diabetes.
