Clinical Research

Bones are typically thought of as calcified, inert structures, but researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have now identified a surprising and critically important novel function of the skeleton: they’ve shown for the first time that the skeleton is an endocrine organ that helps control our sugar metabolism and weight and, as such, is a major determinant of the development of type 2 diabetes. The research demonstrates that bone cells release a hormone called osteocalcin, which controls the regulation of blood sugar (glucose) and fat deposition through synergistic mechanisms…

Thanks to Barry Bunin of Collaborative Drug Discovery, we now have a collaborator who will run assays on the compounds from our CombiUgi project. We'll be using our account on CDD to manage the activity results. Phil Rosenthal from UCSF has agreed to run assays on the inhibition of falcipain-2, an enzyme used by the malaria parasite to digest hemoglobin. As described in UCSF magazine, the Rosenthal group discovered the enzyme and have developed an assay. That means we'll have to do docking of our 500K library on falcipain-2. The PDB file is available here. This is very good news for…

Estrogen plays an important role in determining how sensitive a person is to pain, and the estrogen receptor known as ER-beta is particularly significant in this context. These are the conclusions of a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. "This may mark the beginning of the production of a new class of analgesic drugs", says Professor Jan-Åke Gustafsson, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition. Earlier studies have shown that estrogen affects how we experience pain, but the mechanisms behind this have been unclear. Estrogen can bind to two different receptors,…

Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin disease that causes facial redness and affects nearly 14 million Americans. Doctors can tell patients what triggers can worsen their condition: spicy foods, heat, alcohol, even embarrassment. But until now, science could not explain what caused rosacea. A team of researchers, led by Richard L. Gallo, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Dermatology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has determined that it is not one, but a combination of two abnormal factors, that result in rosacea. “It’s like having lots of…

Decades ago a gene was discovered that was linked to the susceptibility of multiple scleroris (MS). Since then, the search has been on to uncover the puzzling mix of genes, environment and immunity that could aid in the treatment of the 350,000 people just in America who have the disease. A pair of large-scale genetic studies supported by the National Institutes of Health has revealed two genes that influence the risk of getting MS. "These studies describe the first genes conclusively linked to MS in more than 20 years," said Ursula Utz, Ph.D., a program director at the National Institute of…

Experiments using pigs genetically engineered for compatibility with the human immune system have raised hopes that cross-species transplantation could soon become an option for patients with diabetes and other currently incurable diseases. However, scientific hurdles remain before the ultimate goal of inducing long-term tolerance of animal tissues and organs in human recipients, according to Dr. David Cooper of Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "The potential benefits of successful xenotransplantation to large numbers of patients with very…

Human cells function through the concerted action of thousands of proteins that control their growth and differentiation. Yet, the specific function of most human proteins remains either unknown or poorly characterized. Diseases being often due to aberrations in the function of key cellular proteins, numerous large-scale research initiatives have been launched internationally to crack the function of all human proteins. A research team led by Dr. Benoit Coulombe from the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) describes a powerful proteomics approach that promises to have a…

Dr. Éric A. Cohen, Director of the Human Retrovirology Research Unit at Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, and his team have published a discovery that could lead to the development of a new class of drugs to combat HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes AIDS by depleting essential immune cells called CD4+T lymphocytes in infected individuals, resulting in a compromised immune system. At the center of this process is the HIV protein, viral protein R (Vpr), which stops infected CD4+T cells from dividing and as a consequence compromises their immune function. In…

Post-menopausal women with lower levels of testosterone are more likely to suffer from heart disease. Research, published in the June edition of the European Journal of Endocrinology, shows that higher testosterone levels in post-menopausal women may have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. Researchers led by Dr Erik Debing at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium examined the levels of sex hormones in natural post-menopausal women (i.e. those not taking hormone replacement therapy) and their association with the presence of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition…

Scientists will only make real breakthroughs in children’s medicine if they include children in research programmes as well as adults, according to a leading paediatric expert. Professor John Warner was speaking today at the opening of the Paediatric Research Unit, the UK’s first unit solely devoted to paediatric clinical research. The unit is run by researchers from Imperial College London and St Mary’s Hospital, and it is based next to the hospital’s paediatric wards in Paddington. Professor Warner, who is Chair in Paediatrics and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Imperial College…