Table of contents
July 2008 Vol 7 No 7
In this issue
p543 | doi:10.1038/nrd2623
Editorial: Risks, returns and reassurance
p545 | doi:10.1038/nrd2631
News and Analysis
ASCO presentations highlight value of cancer biomarkers | PDF (717 KB)
p547 | doi:10.1038/nrd2633
News Feature
Nurturing European collaboration | PDF (445 KB)
p548 | doi:10.1038/nrd2634
News in Brief
Patent watch
Supreme Court decides on patent exhaustion | More good news for Lipitor patent | P2X and P2X puringeric receptors | PDF (357 KB)
p552 | doi:10.1038/nrd2632
An Audience With
Ted Kaptchuk | PDF (144 KB)
p554 | doi:10.1038/nrd2629
From the analyst's couch
Novel agents in cystic fibrosis | PDF (265 KB)
p555 | doi:10.1038/nrd2603
Fresh from the Pipeline
Dabigatran etexilate | PDF (253 KB)
p557 | doi:10.1038/nrd2622
Research Highlights
Eye diseases: Convenient leakage reduction | PDF (163 KB)
p559 | doi:10.1038/nrd2630
Metabolic disease: Blocking brain enzyme curbs appetite | PDF (265 KB)
p560 | doi:10.1038/nrd2621
Vaccines: Mast cells key to new vaccine adjuvants | PDF (191 KB)
p560 | doi:10.1038/nrd2628
Monoclonal antibodies: Expanding the mAb pool | PDF (175 KB)
p561 | doi:10.1038/nrd2625
In brief
Obesity | Viral infection | Anticancer drugs | Virtual screening | PDF (152 KB)
p562 | doi:10.1038/nrd2626
Leukaemia: Targeting silent cells | PDF (410 KB)
p562 | doi:10.1038/nrd2627
Perspectives
Outlook
What drives success for specialty pharmaceuticals?
Mark Gudiksen, Edd Fleming, Laura Furstenthal & Philip Ma
p563 | doi:10.1038/nrd2594
Specialty pharmaceuticals — drugs prescribed primarily by specialists rather than primary-care physicians — have become an increasingly important part of the global pharmaceutical landscape. Ma and colleagues analyse the key factors influencing the commercial success and failure for specialty pharmaceuticals.
Opinion
Creating and evaluating genetic tests predictive of drug response
Scott T. Weiss, Howard L. McLeod, David A. Flockhart, M. Eileen Dolan, Neal L. Benowitz, Julie A. Johnson, Mark J. Ratain & Kathleen M. Giacomini
p568 | doi:10.1038/nrd2520
Recent advances in genomic knowledge and associated technologies should help accelerate the development of genetic tests that can predict drug response and toxicity; however several challenges remain. Here, Weiss and colleagues discuss the factors that affect the development, performance and uptake of pharmacogenetic tests.
Reviews
Purinergic signalling and disorders of the central nervous system
Geoffrey Burnstock
p575 | doi:10.1038/nrd2605
There is increasing interest in the role of purinergic signalling in CNS disorders, but few modulators have reached the clinic. Here, Burnstock provides an overview of the role of purinergic signalling in specific disorders, including brain trauma, ischaemia, neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory and neuropsychiatric diseases, and highlights specific purinergic receptor subtypes that represent promising therapeutic targets.
Molecular imaging in drug development
Jürgen K. Willmann, Nicholas van Bruggen, Ludger M. Dinkelborg & Sanjiv S. Gambhir
p591 | doi:10.1038/nrd2290
Molecular imaging, which can allow the non-invasive monitoring of biological processes in living subjects, has the potential to enhance understanding of disease and drug activity in both preclinical and clinical drug studies, aiding effective translational research. Gambhir and colleagues review the applications of molecular imaging in drug development, and discuss challenges that need to be addressed to optimize its utility.
The exploration of macrocycles for drug discovery — an underexploited structural class
Edward M. Driggers, Stephen P. Hale, Jinbo Lee & Nicholas K. Terrett
p608 | doi:10.1038/nrd2590
Natural products comprised of a macrocycle ring structure have proven their therapeutic applications as antibiotics, immunosuppressants as well as anticancer agents. Despite this, macrocyclic compounds remain under-explored. Terrett and colleagues review the properties and features of current macrocycle drugs, emphasizing the vast potential of synthetic macrocyles in drug discovery.
