Table of contents
October 2008 Vol 7 No 10
In this issue
p785 | doi:10.1038/nrd2692
Editorial: Advertising oversell?
p787 | doi:10.1038/nrd2693
News and Analysis
Wellcome boost for open-access chemistry | PDF (162 KB)
p789 | doi:10.1038/nrd2723
New hope for Parkinson's disease progression delay | PDF (141 KB)
p791 | doi:10.1038/nrd2724
News in Brief
Biobusiness Briefs
Trial Watch: Recent positive Phase III trials | PDF (149 KB)
p794 | doi:10.1038/nrd2729
Deal Watch: Cytos expands collaborations in therapeutic vaccines | PDF (131 KB)
p794 | doi:10.1038/nrd2731
Market Watch: Pharma industry performance metrics: 2007–2012E | PDF (136 KB)
p795 | doi:10.1038/nrd2730
Patent watch
An Audience With
Willy de Greef | PDF (151 KB)
p798 | doi:10.1038/nrd2727
The new Secretary General of EuropaBio discusses the biopharma industry in Europe.
From the analyst's couch
Hepatitis C therapies | PDF (230 KB)
p799 | doi:10.1038/nrd2661
Fresh from the Pipeline
Icatibant | PDF (241 KB)
p801 | doi:10.1038/nrd2694
Research Highlights
Autoimmune Disease: Blocking the drivers | PDF (143 KB)
p803 | doi:10.1038/nrd2686
Immunomodulators: Two for the price of one? | PDF (128 KB)
p804 | doi:10.1038/nrd2688
Immunotherapy: Cancer cells BiTE the dust | PDF (125 KB)
p804 | doi:10.1038/nrd2690
Anticancer Drugs: Partnering to promote apoptosis | PDF (133 KB)
p805 | doi:10.1038/nrd2687
Antipsychotics: Tuning muscarinic receptor signalling | PDF (129 KB)
p806 | doi:10.1038/nrd2689
In brief
Nuclear receptors | Lead identification | Antiviral drugs | Muscular disorders | PDF (149 KB)
p806 | doi:10.1038/nrd2691
Perspectives
Opinion
Pharmacogenetics in drug discovery and development: a translational perspective
Allen D. Roses
p807 | doi:10.1038/nrd2593
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.
Opinion
Balancing early market access to new drugs with the need for benefit/risk data: a mounting dilemma
Hans-Georg Eichler, Francesco Pignatti, Bruno Flamion, Hubert Leufkens & Alasdair Breckenridge
p818 | doi:10.1038/nrd2664
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.
Reviews
The IL-33/ST2 pathway: therapeutic target and novel biomarker
Rahul Kakkar & Richard T. Lee
p827 | doi:10.1038/nrd2660
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.
Sirtuins — novel therapeutic targets to treat age-associated diseases
Siva Lavu, Olivier Boss, Peter J. Elliott & Philip D. Lambert
p841 | doi:10.1038/nrd2665
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.
Therapeutic application of histone deacetylase inhibitors for central nervous system disorders
Aleksey G. Kazantsev & Leslie M. Thompson
p854 | doi:10.1038/nrd2681
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.
