A massive international study has shown that the experimental oral obesity drug orforglipron can help patients shed over 10% of their body weight, with nearly one in five losing 20% or more. Unlike most GLP-1 agonists that require injections, orforglipron comes as a once-daily pill, potentially making weight-loss treatment more accessible.
Read moreResearchers found that magic mushrooms and fiber caps independently evolved different biochemical pathways to create psilocybin. This convergence shows nature’s ingenuity, but the reason why remains unknown—possibly predator deterrence. Beyond evolutionary mystery, the discovery provides new enzyme tools for biotech, with promising applications for producing psilocybin-based medicines.
Read moreScientists have discovered that cancer uses a hidden hormone to switch off the body’s natural defenses, allowing tumors to grow unchecked. By uncovering this secret signal, they found a way to block it and restore the immune system’s ability to fight back. The breakthrough not only hints at powerful new cancer treatments but also suggests the same pathway could someday be used to calm autoimmune diseases.
Read moreNew research shows that cancer cells don’t just grow; they adapt when stressed. When squeezed inside tissues, they transform into more invasive, drug-resistant versions of themselves. A protein called HMGB2 helps flip this dangerous switch, giving the cells new powers to escape. The findings reveal how the tumor’s environment itself can drive cancer’s deadly flexibility.
Read moreAlcohol-associated liver disease is becoming a massive health and economic burden, but researchers at UC San Diego may have uncovered a new way forward. They discovered that chronic alcohol use blocks a crucial protein that normally helps keep gut bacteria from leaking into the liver, worsening damage. Restoring this protein’s function, using drugs already in development, could not only reduce liver disease but also have implications for treating alcohol addiction itself.
Read moreCredit to Author: Pieter Arntz| Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:54:06 +0000
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| Advancements in biotech could save thousands, if not millions of lives. But what security and privacy challenges do they introduce? We take a close look at recent innovations. Categories: Tags: AIbiosensorsBLEbluetoothdna-testfdapacemakerpharmaceuticalssmart pillsweyntoothvulnerabilities |
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Read moreBacteria that evolve in natural environments — rather than laboratory tests — may become resistant to phage treatments without losing their virulence, new research shows.
Read moreProduction of hazardous waste during drug manufacturing is a serious concern for the pharmaceutical industry. Typically, large amounts of flammable solvents are used during these processes, which usually require several steps to make structurally complex drugs. Researchers now report a method to produce pharmaceutically relevant compounds in just two or three steps, with water as the only waste product, using renewable woodchips as starting material.
Read moreA seven-year project monitoring illicit drug use in 37 countries via wastewater samples shows that cocaine use was skyrocketing in Europe in 2017 and Australia had a serious problem with methamphetamine.
Read moreHow bacteria live – whether as independent cells or in a communal biofilm – determines the course of their evolution, with implications for drug-resistant infections.
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