Understanding the way a drug interacts with our body, and the risks that this poses, is a critical part of drug development. In this article, we describe the basic aspects of ADME Tox, with specific examples.
These versatile cells, known for their multiple roles in engulfing and digesting cellular debris, pathogens, and attacking cancer cells as well as rebuilding damaged tissue, are at the center of a new wave of treatments. Companies around the world are exploiting the unique properties of macrophages to develop groundbreaking therapies for a wide range of diseases.
Cancer treatment has long been a battlefield of precision, targeting tumors with treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. However, a rare and fascinating phenomenon known as the abscopal effect has intrigued oncologists and researchers, offering a glimpse into the hidden power of the body to fight cancer beyond the direct line of treatment.
A research article published recently in Nature suggests that, at least in some cases, reducing the amount of protein in a diet can help tip the balance in favour of normal cells and suggests ways to modify macrophages to out-compete cancer cells.
In recent years, the field of synthetic biology has emerged as a revolutionary branch of science, blending engineering principles with biology to reshape the way we understand and interact with living organisms. This groundbreaking discipline combines the power of genetics, biochemistry, and computer science to design, construct, and optimize new biological systems. With its vast potential to address critical global challenges, synthetic biology has garnered immense attention from researchers, innovators, regulators and policymakers alike.
Pattern recognition is one of the mechanisms by which the immune system discriminates pathogens from self. Immune cells are not simply identifying common pathogenic patterns, but instead, respond to fragments of pathogens released during unsuccessful pathogenic adaptation activities.
As pathogens evolve, they develop ingenious survival strategies. Perhaps some of the most fascinating are the pathogens that have hit upon the strategy of taking up residence in the very cells tasked with their termination: phagocytic immune cells. This strategy also makes the task of clearing infections using drugs very challenging.
Preserving maternal RNA transmitted by an oocyte to its progeny is an essential aspect of oogenesis, yet not much is known about how this is achieved in mammalian species. In a recent issue of Science, researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Gottingen, Germany [Cheng et al. (2022)] uncovered the MARDO, a novel structure that may help answer this longstanding question.
The tumour microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic, highly heterogeneous structure consisting of both transformed (mutated) cells, non-transformed cells (including immune cells, stromal cells and blood vessels) and microbes. These cells are held in an extracellular matrix of proteins and other factors secreted by the cells. An increased understanding of the TME is behind many of the latest advancements in cancer therapy.
The goal of precision medicine is to understand the factors that contribute to the variability in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drugs. It is now clear that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in the markedly different responses of individuals to identical drug therapy.
