Table of contents
In this issue
p371 | doi:10.1038/nrd2581
Editorial: Paul Ehrlich: founder of chemotherapy
p373 | doi:10.1038/nrd2582
News and Analysis
Cardiovascular imaging in the light of ENHANCE | PDF (1,156 KB)
p375 | doi:10.1038/nrd2583
News Feature
Of medicine and meta-analysis | PDF (1,156 KB)
p376 | doi:10.1038/nrd2584
News in Brief
Patent watch
No new rules at the US patent office | Speeding generics to market? | FAAH modulators | PDF (186 KB)
p380 | doi:10.1038/nrd2586
An Audience With
Clifford Rosen | PDF (154 KB)
p382 | doi:10.1038/nrd2580
From the analyst's couch
Demographic factors in the Chinese health-care market | PDF (249 KB)
p383 | doi:10.1038/nrd2527
Fresh from the Pipeline
Rilonacept | PDF (235 KB)
p385 | doi:10.1038/nrd2579
Research Highlights
Antiparasitics: Fighting back against resistant worms | PDF (218 KB)
p387 | doi:10.1038/nrd2574
Autoimmune diseases: Targeting sugar coating | PDF (488 KB)
p388 | doi:10.1038/nrd2573
High-throughput screening: First fruits | PDF (185 KB)
p388 | doi:10.1038/nrd2575
Cardiovascular disease: Spice might protect the heart | PDF (308 KB)
p389 | doi:10.1038/nrd2576
Anticancer drugs: Scaffold to selectivity | PDF (247 KB)
p390 | doi:10.1038/nrd2577
In brief
Traditional Chinese medicine | Musculoskeletal disorders | Cancer | Antibacterial drugs | PDF (315 KB)
p390 | doi:10.1038/nrd2578
Perspectives
Innovation
High-throughput kinase profiling as a platform for drug discovery
David M. Goldstein, Nathanael S. Gray & Patrick P. Zarrinkar
p391 | doi:10.1038/nrd2541
High-throughput profiling of compound libraries against large panels of kinases is becoming technically feasible. In contrast to the traditional linear, target-centric approach to discovery, this approach may provide a choice of targets to pursue that is guided by the quality of lead compounds available, rather than by target biology alone, and could thereby significantly improve the productivity of kinase inhibitor discovery.
Reviews
Article series: Case Histories
Case history
Aliskiren: the first renin inhibitor for clinical treatment
Chris Jensen, Peter Herold & Hans Rudolf Brunner
p399 | doi:10.1038/nrd2550
The renin–angiotensin system, which is a key regulator of blood pressure, has been successfully targeted by several classes of drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, renin — the protease at the top of the cascade — although highly attractive as a target, has also proved to be challenging. Here, we describe how these challenges were tackled in the discovery and development of aliskiren, the first renin inhibitor to be approved for clinical use.
The TWEAK–Fn14 cytokine–receptor axis: discovery, biology and therapeutic targeting
Jeffrey A. Winkles
p411 | doi:10.1038/nrd2488
TWEAK, a member of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily, is a multifunctional cytokine that acts on cells by binding to a small cell-surface receptor named Fn14. Here, Winkles summarizes the biology of the TWEAK–Fn14 axis and describes the recent evidence supporting the notion that this axis could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer, chronic autoimmune diseases and acute ischaemic stroke.
Targeting the glutamatergic system to develop novel, improved therapeutics for mood disorders
Gerard Sanacora, Carlos A. Zarate, John H. Krystal & Husseini K. Manji
p426 | doi:10.1038/nrd2462
There is mounting evidence of the involvement of the glutamatergic system in mood-disorder pathophysiology as well as of the efficacy of glutamatergic agents in mood disorders. In this Review, the authors examine the contribution of abnormalities in the glutamatergic system to the impairments in neural plasticity that are observed in patients with mood disorders, and how this knowledge can be applied to the development of antidepressants with more rapid and sustained effects.
Targeting the endocannabinoid system: to enhance or reduce?
Vincenzo Di Marzo
p438 | doi:10.1038/nrd2553
In this Review, the author discusses how prolonging the lifespan of endocannabinoids or toning down their action may be beneficial in a range of conditions such as pain, affective and neurodegenerative disorders, gastrointestinal inflammation, and obesity and metabolic dysfunctions.
Careers and Recruitment
Correspondence
Correspondence: Globalization of sponsored clinical trials
Johan P. E. Karlberg
p458 | doi:10.1038/nrd2441-c1
Author Reply: Globalization of sponsored clinical trials: reply
Fabio A. Thiers, Anthony J. Sinskey & Ernst R. Berndt
p458 | doi:10.1038/nrd2441-c2
Erratum: Ranbaxy loses in Caduet dispute
Charlotte Harrison
p458 | doi:10.1038/nrd2569
Corrigendum: The way forward in HCV treatment — finding the right path
Michael P. Manns, Graham R. Foster, Jürgen K. Rockstroh, Stefan Zeuzem, Fabien Zoulim & Michael Houghton
p458 | doi:10.1038/nrd2570
