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Data from a late-stage trial of the most advanced of a new class of drugs targeting the hepatitis C virus protease fuel hopes for major improvements in treatment outcomes.
Metabolism in cancer cells differs from that in normal cells, but it is only recently that opportunities to specifically target these differences to develop novel anticancer drugs are being revealed. Jim Schnabel investigates new collaborations to harness this potential.
The Chairman of Biocon Limited — India's largest biotechnology company — discusses how the country could move from being a service provider to being a source of novel therapies in the future.
The development of drugs for rare diseases — often known as orphan drugs — is attracting increasing interest and investment, catalysed in part by incentives such as those provided by the 1983 US Orphan Drug Act. This article provides the first comprehensive analysis of 25 years of data on the designation and approval of orphan drugs by the US Food and Drug Administration, with the aim of supporting and encouraging future orphan drug development and approval.
Efforts to repeat the success of pioneering molecularly targeted cancer drugs, such as trastuzumab, for particular patient populations have been hampered by factors such as a lack of correlation between the molecular markers used to select patients for treatment and the drug response. This article highlights lessons learned from the development of drugs targeting members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, and discusses strategies to decrease the risk of failure in clinical trials by more effectively integrating molecular diagnostics into anticancer drug discovery and development.
Aptamers are oligonucleotide sequences that are capable of recognizing target proteins with an affinity and specificity rivalling that of antibodies. In this article, Keefe and colleagues discuss the development, properties and therapeutic potential of aptamers, highlighting those currently in the clinic.
Preventing the reabsorption of glucose in the kidney by inhibiting the sodium–glucose co-transporters (SGLTs) is emerging as a promising new strategy to treat type 2 diabetes. Here, Chao and Henry give an overview of the role of the kidney in glucose homeostasis and discuss the development and potential of SGLT2-selective inhibitors, reviewing those agents currently undergoing clinical investigation.
Advances in therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease depend on the identification and qualification of biomarkers. Here, the authors review the current status of candidate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and provide the perspectives of different stakeholders on biomarker discovery and development.
