Another blow for inhaled protein therapeutics | PDF (263 KB)

p189 | doi:10.1038/nrd2545

Analgesia: Picking out the pieces of GABA receptors | PDF (300 KB)

p201 | doi:10.1038/nrd2536

Anticancer drugs: Antisense angiogenesis inhibition | PDF (253 KB)

p202 | doi:10.1038/nrd2534

Obesity drugs: Illuminating weight loss | PDF (243 KB)

p202 | doi:10.1038/nrd2538

Cardiovascular disease: Hormone mimic reduces cholesterol | PDF (205 KB)

p203 | doi:10.1038/nrd2537

Pharmacogenetics: Predicting antidepressant response | PDF (386 KB)

p204 | doi:10.1038/nrd2535

Genome-wide association studies: progress and potential for drug discovery and development

Stephen F. Kingsmore, Ingrid E. Lindquist, Joann Mudge, Damian D. Gessler & William D. Beavis

p221 | doi:10.1038/nrd2519

Genome wide association (GWA) is emerging as a powerful new tool for identifying genetic variants related to common complex diseases, including diabetes and cancer. This article reviews recent successes that demonstrate the potential of GWA studies to identify genetic biomarkers of disease and reveal novel therapeutic targets and strategies.

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Interleukin 21: combination strategies for cancer therapy

Kresten Skak, Michael Kragh, Diana Hausman, Mark J. Smyth & Pallavur V. Sivakumar

p231 | doi:10.1038/nrd2482

Interleukin 21 (IL21) is an immune-stimulating cytokine that has demonstrated antitumour activity in preclinical models and has recently entered clinical trials. Here, the authors discuss the antitumour effects of IL21 and describe strategies to combine IL21 with other drugs for future cancer therapies.

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Hormones of the gut–brain axis as targets for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal disorders

Gareth J. Sanger & Kevin Lee

p241 | doi:10.1038/nrd2444

The neuronal and hormonal pathways of the gut–brain axis can provide new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal disorders. Sanger and Lee provide an overview of potential points of intervention and the progress in developing drugs to target them.

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Prodrugs: design and clinical applications

Jarkko Rautio, Hanna Kumpulainen, Tycho Heimbach, Reza Oliyai, Dooman Oh, Tomi Järvinen & Jouko Savolainen

p255 | doi:10.1038/nrd2468

The development of prodrugs — chemically modified versions of pharmacologically active agents that must undergo transformation in vivo to release the active drug — is a well-established strategy for improving physicochemical, biopharmaceutical or pharmacokinetic properties of compounds. Rautio and colleagues overview common functional groups that are amenable to prodrug design and highlight the wide range of applications of the prodrug strategy using compounds that are in clinical use or are undergoing clinical trials.

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Biotech education

p271 | doi:10.1038/nrd2542

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• PDF (204 KB)