Strategies & Technologies Driving Drug Discovery to Market
Small World, Big Dreams
October 10, 2007 3:47 pm | by Ted Agres, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be taking a cautious, deliberative approach as it approaches the myriad of scientific and regulatory issues involving nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine.
Tear Down to Build Up
October 10, 2007 3:37 pm | Articles | CommentsIf, like other readers, your top priority is to accelerate the drug discovery and development process, we have some new features in this issue to help you find information faster.
Abusus non tollit usum
October 10, 2007 1:08 pm | Articles | CommentsAs more drug discovery and development processes cross borders, drug researchers must make sure that drug safety does not get lost in translation.
RNA Transcript Jumble Adds Splice to Life
October 10, 2007 12:47 pm | by Alan Dove, PhD, contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen researchers discovered that some genes could produce multiple forms of mRNA, they thought the phenomenon was rare. Now, alternative splicing of gene transcripts may be the rule, not the exception, and genomics researchers need to adapt their experimental strategies.
Gene Expression and the Search for Fountain of Youth
October 10, 2007 12:16 pm | by Bill Schu, Senior Editor | Articles | CommentsAs they learn more about the genetic reasons for aging and cell death, researchers have already made aging a "curable disease" in model organisms. If similar successes can be achieved in humans, science will once again confront an ethical barrier.
Do You Compute?
October 10, 2007 12:06 pm | Articles | CommentsPK/PD scientists are using computer-assisted modeling more than ever.
Opening a Portal: The Strange New World of MicroRNA
October 10, 2007 12:05 pm | by Alan Dove, PhD, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsWith the discovery of RNAi in the late 1990s, researchers had a whole new collection of experimental and therapeutic tools. Recent work on microRNA is now uncovering a surprising new level of natural gene regulation.
Symbiosis at Work
October 10, 2007 11:51 am | by Tanuja Koppal, Editor in Chief | Articles | CommentsG&P June, 2005 Editorial
Users, Creators Wonder How Open Are Open-Source Tools
October 10, 2007 11:22 am | by Bernard Tulsi, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsDespite constraints, the solid commitment of federal funding, along with a willing army of code contributors, bode well for the future of open-source bioinformatics. However, standardization and quality control remain concerns for this decentralized phenomenon.
In Silico Techniques Tell How the Protein Turns
October 10, 2007 11:09 am | by Elizabeth Tolchin, Life Science News Editor | Articles | CommentsComputational methods that can predict the structure of a protein from its amino acid sequence are improving. Developers of such programs say that the technology may one day completely supplant experimental structure determination.
The Very Model of a Modern Model Genome
October 10, 2007 11:01 am | by Alan Dove, PhD, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsBiologists rely on experimentally accessible model organisms to study aspects of anatomy, physiology, disease, and genetics. With high-throughput sequencing, scientists now have the ability to compare these diverse models at the molecular level.
Evolutionary Science
October 10, 2007 10:52 am | by Tanuja Koppal, Editor in Chief | Articles | CommentsG&P July/August, 2005 editorial
Multifaceted Microfluidics Showcases Multiple Applications
October 10, 2007 10:43 am | by Mark Terry, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsIndustry and researchers are striving to miniaturize, both as a necessity and as a way to cut costs. Microfluidics, generally seen as microscopic versions of valves and channels, is coming into its own as new and innovative applications are developed.
Mass Spec and Metabolomics Are a Powerful Combination
October 10, 2007 10:35 am | by Catherine Shaffer, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsNow more than ever, mass spectrometry, with new choices for automation, accessibility, convenience, and sheer power, eclipses all other methods for rapidly and accurately characterizing a metabolome, across a wide range of organisms and subspecialties.
Sects, Strangers, and Drugs: Genotyping Gets Specific
October 10, 2007 10:28 am | by Alan Dove, PhD, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsFor years, geneticists have had to rely on microsatellites—small pieces of repetitive DNA—to map human genotypes. Now, tools based on single nucleotide polymorphisms allow researchers to determine genotypes faster, more reliably, and in more detail than ever before.
