Table of contents
In this issue
p585 | doi:10.1038/nrd2384
Editorial: Getting personal
p587 | doi:10.1038/nrd2385
News and Analysis
Transatlantic regulatory cooperation expanded | PDF (462 KB)
p589 | doi:10.1038/nrd2392
Scanning for success | PDF (462 KB)
p590 | doi:10.1038/nrd2393
News in Brief
Cost-effective anticancer therapies | RNAi technology receives pharma boost | First personalized brain cancer vaccine approved in Switzerland | US maps route for follow-on protein products | $100 million breast cancer prevention study cancelled | Taiwan to invest $1 billion in biotech | PDF (306 KB)
p592 | doi:10.1038/nrd2394
Patent watch
B patent casesFrom the analyst's couch
Antihypertensive therapies | PDF (161 KB)
p597 | doi:10.1038/nrd2354
Fresh from the Pipeline
Temsirolimus | PDF (227 KB)
p599 | doi:10.1038/nrd2382
Research Highlights
Drug delivery: siRNA: brain delivery breakthrough | PDF (137 KB)
p601 | doi:10.1038/nrd2386
Neurodegenerative diseases: Channel switch rejuvenates neurons | PDF (115 KB)
p602 | doi:10.1038/nrd2387
Osteoporosis: Building up the bone | PDF (137 KB)
p602 | doi:10.1038/nrd2389
Metabolic diseases: A shared target | PDF (146 KB)
p603 | doi:10.1038/nrd2388
Analgesics: CatS relief | PDF (124 KB)
p604 | doi:10.1038/nrd2390
In brief
Neurodegenerative diseases | Antiviral drugs | Endocannabinoids | PDF (93 KB)
p604 | doi:10.1038/nrd2391
Perspectives
Innovation
Embryonic stem cells as a source of models for drug discovery
Colin W. Pouton & John M. Haynes
p605 | doi:10.1038/nrd2194
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be used as a source of cellular models for a wide range of adult differentiated cells, providing that reliable differentiation protocols are established. Here, Pouton and Haynes discuss challenges and opportunities regarding the use of ESC-derived models for drug discovery.
Reviews
Small-molecule therapies for cardiac hypertrophy: moving beneath the cell surface
Timothy A. McKinsey & David A. Kass
p617 | doi:10.1038/nrd2193
Hypertrophy of heart cells stimulated by pathological stress from cardiovascular disease increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, and inhibition of such hypertrophy is attracting increasing attention as a therapeutic strategy. McKinsey and Kass provide a comprehensive summary of small-molecule inhibitors of cardiac hypertrophy and intracellular signalling pathways that offer further promising therapeutic targets.
Article series: A guide to drug discovery
The application of discovery toxicology and pathology towards the design of safer pharmaceutical lead candidates
Jeffrey A. Kramer, John E. Sagartz & Dale L. Morris
p636 | doi:10.1038/nrd2378
Toxicity is a leading cause of attrition at all stages of the drug development process. In their Review, Kramer and colleagues discuss how the early application of preclinical safety assessment can aid the design of safer pharmaceutical lead candidates.
Modelling of the blood–brain barrier in drug discovery and development
Romeo Cecchelli, Vincent Berezowski, Stefan Lundquist, Maxime Culot, Mila Renftel, Marie-Pierre Dehouck & Laurence Fenart
p650 | doi:10.1038/nrd2368
In vitro models of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) allow predictions of brain uptake for candidate drugs. Providing guidance through the plethora of BBB models, the authors discuss the pros and cons of different models, and their applications at various stages of drug discovery and development.
Peroxynitrite: biochemistry, pathophysiology and development of therapeutics
Csaba Szabó, Harry Ischiropoulos & Rafael Radi
p662 | doi:10.1038/nrd2222
Peroxynitrite — the product of the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide radical — is a potent inducer of cell death. Szabó and colleagues review the biochemistry and pathophysiology of peroxynitrite and discuss pharmacological strategies to attenuate its toxic effects, which have lead to potential drug development candidates for cardiovascular, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
