Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A recent trial indicates that rasagiline might slow down Parkinson's disease progression, and also highlights challenges for the development of disease-modifying drugs.
The association of genetic profiles to drug response is helping to expedite the development of new drugs and diagnostic tests. Roses discusses the considerations that have to be taken into account when identifying pharmacogenetic variants associated with responses to drugs and designing clinically relevant tests.
Drug regulatory agencies face the challenge of striking the appropriate balance between the need for rapid access to new drugs and the need to obtain comprehensive data on their benefit/risk profiles. This article highlights the scientific and regulatory issues involved, discusses regulatory strategies to address these issues, and speculates on future directions, such as a life-cycle approach to drug regulation.
The recent discovery of the ST2 receptor ligand — interleukin-33 — has provided new insight into the importance of ST2 signalling as a mediator of inflammation. Now, an additional role for this pathway as a novel cardioprotective paracrine system is emerging. Here, Kakkar and Lee review these roles and discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting this pathway to treat associated diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and heart failure.
The highly conserved family of sirtuin proteins target multiple substrates, affecting a diverse range of cellular functions. Following the emergence of their potential role as regulators of mammalian lifespan, Lavu and colleagues discuss specific sirtuins that may be targeted in the treatment of diseases of ageing, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are potentially useful therapeutic targets for a broad range of human disorders. Here, Kazantsev and Thompson discuss how HDAC inhibition could correct transcriptional defects and other acetylation-dependent impairments, and so could be used as treatments for a number of neurodegenerative diseases.
