Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Exequiel O. J. Porta, Karunakaran Kalesh, Patrick G. Steel
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by T. cruzi, is a significant public health burden in Latin America, particularly in impoverished regions. There is a lack of effective treatment options, with current medications nifurtimox and benznidazole having serious side effects and low efficacy. Drug repurposing, particularly combination therapy, offers a promising approach to overcome the challenges associated with treating Chagas disease. This review explores recent advances and challenges in drug repurposing, aiming to accelerate the development of new, safe, and effective treatments for Chagas disease.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Seyed Ebrahim Alavi, Hasan Ebrahimi Shahmabadi
Summary: Drug repositioning is a critical process to identify new applications for existing drugs, which can reduce the chance of failure, lower development costs, and shorten approval times. Anthelmintics, known for their antiparasitic properties, have shown promising anticancer effects, suggesting potential for cancer therapy.
SAUDI PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Urszula Bak, Anna Krupa
Summary: Drug repositioning, also known as drug repurposing or rediscovery, is a promising strategy to speed up the development of new drugs. This review summarizes the efforts made in the past decade to identify new therapeutic targets for celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. The clinical potential of celecoxib in metronomic cancer therapy, mental disorders, and infectious diseases is discussed. Additionally, the challenges faced by formulators in developing new oral dosage forms, long-acting injectables, and topical formulations for celecoxib are presented, along with the latest trends in pharmaceutical technology.
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesco Agostini, Anna Masato, Luigi Bubacco, Marco Bisaglia
Summary: This article reviews the potential mechanisms and clinical applications of metformin in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Studies have shown that metformin may exert neuroprotective effects by regulating cellular pathways such as autophagy, degradation of pathological proteins, and mitochondrial function. Epidemiological studies on the correlation between long-term metformin use and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease are also discussed. However, there is controversy regarding the results obtained from experimental models and clinical studies, and further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms and efficacy of metformin in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daniel J. Sheldon, Mark R. Crimmin
Summary: This review article aims to summarize the current applications, environmental issues, destruction methods, and recent progress in the field of chemical repurposing of F-gases. It highlights the opportunity to tackle the environmental and sustainability issues caused by F-gases through developing reactions that repurpose these molecules.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Trang T. T. Truong, Bruna Panizzutti, Jee Hyun Kim, Ken Walder
Summary: Drug repurposing is a crucial approach in treating psychiatric disorders, offering a more efficient, cost-effective, and less risky alternative to de novo drug discovery. Network-based drug repurposing methods provide a potential avenue for understanding multiple domains of knowledge and discovering repurposing candidates for complex psychiatric disorders.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mohamadmahdi Samandari, Farnoosh Saeedinejad, Jacob Quint, Sharon Xin Ying Chuah, Razieh Farzad, Ali Tamayol
Summary: Cellular agriculture is a new field that combines tissue engineering practices from biomedical applications to engineer meat-mimicking cell structures. However, conventional strategies for cultured meat production may not be suitable for achieving the goals of food production due to differences in requirements. This review critically compares the two fields and discusses the limitations of biomedical tissue engineering practices in food production, while also highlighting potential solutions and promising biomanufacturing strategies for cellular agriculture.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Laura Chaffey, Annabell Roberti, David R. Greaves
Summary: Drug repurposing is a promising approach in drug discovery for cardiovascular disease. Chronic inflammation plays a significant role in cardiovascular pathology, and targeting inflammation is a potential therapeutic strategy. However, challenges remain due to off-target effects and long-term conditions. Assessing repurposed anti-inflammatory drugs in cardiovascular clinical trials has shown mixed successes.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deisy Morselli Gysi, Italo do Valle, Marinka Zitnik, Asher Ameli, Xiao Gan, Onur Varol, Susan Dina Ghiassian, J. J. Patten, Robert A. Davey, Joseph Loscalzo, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
Summary: The study utilized multiple algorithms to rank a large number of drugs, finding that combining the consensus of various predictive methods significantly improves the success rate of drug screening and proposes new medications for treating COVID-19. Furthermore, it was discovered that the majority of drugs successfully reducing viral infection do not bind to the target proteins of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting a network-based mechanism rather than docking strategies.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Eva O. L. Lantsoght, Yvonne Tse Crepaldi, Silvia G. Tavares, Kathleen Leemans, E. W. Misty Paig-Tran
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, academic parents experienced both challenges and opportunities in their work, requiring long-term solutions. Through literature review and a global survey, support and successful strategies can be provided for academic parents and universities.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaojuan Wang, Shuzhang Du, Rui Zhang, Xuedong Jia, Ting Yang, Xiaojian Zhang
Summary: Drug-drug cocrystals have advantages of low risk, low cost, and high reward, improving the properties of medicines without chemical modifications. However, reported cases are rare, highlighting opportunities and challenges for their development.
ASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yan Ling Ng, Cyrill Kafi Salim, Justin Jang Hann Chu
Summary: Drug repurposing is gaining attention as an alternative to traditional drug development due to its lower risk and time-saving advantages. Computational and experimental approaches are commonly used in drug repurposing strategies.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xinlei Li, Tao Peng
Summary: Emerging or re-emerging viruses continue to pose major threats to public health. While prophylactic vaccines are effective, antivirals offer more promise for viruses against which vaccines are not effective or currently unavailable. Drug repurposing, particularly with well-characterized therapeutics, is an attractive strategy due to slow novel antiviral discovery and high costs, in identifying new directions for treating virus infections.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Rita Rebelo, Barbara Polonia, Lucio Lara Santos, M. Helena Vasconcelos, Cristina P. R. Xavier
Summary: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly tumor with limited diagnostic and treatment options. Drug repurposing may offer a time-efficient and cost-effective approach for PDAC treatment. Multiple drugs have been studied for repurposing in PDAC treatment, but further research is needed to support their clinical applications.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Francesc X. Ruiz, Anthony Hoang, Christopher R. Dilmore, Jeffrey J. DeStefano, Eddy Arnold
Summary: Infection with HIV and HBV are major public health problems affecting millions of people globally. The polymerases from both viruses are common drug targets, with drugs like emtricitabine and lamivudine being widely used inhibitors, but details of their binding have remained unknown.
DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Lucy K. Shewell, Christopher J. Day, Xavier De Bisscop, Jennifer L. Edwards, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to previous antibiotics, necessitating the development of novel antimicrobials. Carbamazepine has been shown to block the interaction between gonococcal pili and human complement receptor 3, as well as effectively clear established gonococcal infections. Concentrations of carbamazepine in vaginal fluid from women taking the drug were found to be sufficient to significantly reduce the number of viable gonococci recovered from cervical cell infections. These findings support the further development of carbamazepine as a host-targeted therapy for gonococcal cervicitis.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucy K. Shewell, Christopher J. Day, Tiana Hippolite, Xavier De Bisscop, James C. Paton, Adrienne W. Paton, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive and deadly type of skin cancer, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. Currently, there are no serum biomarkers available for the early detection of cutaneous melanoma. However, researchers have developed a Neu5Gc-specific lectin called SubB2M, which can detect elevated levels of Neu5Gc-containing biomarkers in the serum of cancer patients. This discovery suggests that serum Neu5Gc-containing glycoconjugates can serve as novel biomarkers for cutaneous melanoma and contribute to its early diagnosis.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Johannes Zeller, Karen S. Cheung Tung Shing, Tracy L. Nero, James D. McFadyen, Guy Krippner, Balazs Bogner, Sheena Kreuzaler, Jurij Kiefer, Verena K. Horner, David Braig, Habiba Danish, Sara Baratchi, Mark Fricke, Xiaowei Wang, Michel G. Kather, Bernd Kammerer, Kevin J. Woollard, Prerna Sharma, Craig J. Morton, Geoffrey Pietersz, Michael W. Parker, Karlheinz Peter, Steffen U. Eisenhardt
Summary: C-reactive protein (CRP) is highly upregulated during inflammatory reactions and exhibits pro-inflammatory effects. We discovered a mechanism in which CRP undergoes conformational changes, resulting in highly inflammatory forms. By designing a low molecular weight CRP inhibitor that mimics phosphocholine, we demonstrated its ability to inhibit CRP-driven inflammation while preserving its pathogen-defense functions. This represents a promising and potentially broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory therapy.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Allergy
Harshita Pant, Timothy R. Hercus, Damon J. Tumes, Kwok Ho Yip, Michael W. Parker, Catherine M. Owczarek, Angel F. Lopez, David P. Huston
Summary: The family of cytokines IL-3, IL-5, and GM-CSF, which was discovered over 30 years ago, continues to expand in its biological activities and impact on clinical medicine. These cytokines have been identified as bone marrow growth factors and are also recognized as key mediators of inflammation and immunologic diseases. The understanding of their functions has led to increased interest in modulating them for clinical management.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Preeti Garai, John M. Atack, Brandon M. Wills, Michael P. Jennings, Lauren O. Bakaletz, Kenneth L. Brockman
Summary: This study investigated the role of ModA phasevarions in regulating the adherence of NTHi to specific host substrates in the respiratory tract. The findings suggest that NTHi adherence is substrate-specific and dependent on the ModA allele encoded, with adhesins Protein E and P4 playing a significant role. Understanding the substrate-specific regulation of NTHi adherence by ModA phasevarions can aid in the development of targeted vaccines and therapeutics against NTHi.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nusrat Nahar, Greg Tram, Freda E-C Jen, Zachary N. Phillips, Lucy A. Weinert, Janine T. Bosse, Jafar S. Jabbari, Quentin Gouil, Mei R. M. Du, Matthew E. Ritchie, Rory Bowden, Paul R. Langford, Alexander W. Tucker, Michael P. Jennings, Conny Turni, Patrick J. Blackall, John M. Atack
Summary: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, has been found to possess phase-variable regulons known as phasevarions, which lead to altered expression of multiple genes via epigenetic mechanisms. This variation is caused by the variable expression of DNA methyltransferases, resulting in methylation differences within the bacterial population. The identification of these phasevarions in A. pleuropneumoniae is important for the development of a subunit vaccine against this veterinary pathogen.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jing Wang, Lucy K. Shewell, Christopher J. Day, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: One form of abnormal glycosylation in human tumors is the expression of Neu5Gc, a type of acid. The enzyme responsible for producing Neu5Gc in mammals is believed to be inactive in humans. However, low levels of Neu5Gc have been found in healthy humans, indicating its acquisition from diet, such as red meat. Elevated levels of Neu5Gc have been consistently detected in cancer tissues, cells, and serum samples, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for cancer. This review examines the use of Neu5Gc-containing tumor glycoconjugates as cancer biomarkers for detection, monitoring, prognosis, and therapeutic targets.
TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Joanna E. Musik, Jessica Poole, Christopher J. Day, Thomas Haselhorst, Freda E. -C. Jen, Thomas Ve, Veronika Masic, Michael P. Jennings, Yaramah M. Zalucki
Summary: This study designed 11 peptides to mimic signal peptides that are inefficiently cleaved by LepB. The binding affinity and inhibitory potential of these peptides against LepB were assessed. It was found that the tryptophan residue in the signal peptide inhibited the cleavage of the peptide by LepB, and replacing this residue with alanine improved the cleavage efficiency.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuan Zhang, Freda E. -C. Jen, Kate L. Fox, Jennifer L. Edwards, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: Phosphorylcholine (ChoP) is present in all life forms, including bacteria. Recent research has shown that ChoP modification and phase variation play a role in bacterial pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms of ChoP synthesis in some bacteria are still unclear. This review examines the recent developments in ChoP-modified proteins and glycolipids, as well as ChoP biosynthetic pathways, and discusses the role of ChoP in bacterial pathobiology and immune response modulation.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Freda E. -C. Jen, Jodie L. Abrahams, Benjamin L. Schulz, Araceli Lamelas, Gerd Pluschke, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: In the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa, cyclic meningococcal epidemics coincide with clonal waves of Neisseria meningitidis. A whole-genome sequencing study with meningococcal isolates collected during outbreaks identified the pilin glycosylation (pgl) locus as a hotspot of recombination. The exchange of pgl genes in N. meningitidis results in variable glycosylation patterns of pilin and other surface glycoproteins. Investigating pilin glycosylation can shed light on bacterial adaptation and potential targets for therapies and vaccines.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Bijun Zeng, Davide Moi, Lynn Tolley, Natalie Molotkov, Ian Hector Frazer, Christopher Perry, Riccardo Dolcetti, Roberta Mazzieri, Jazmina L. G. Cruz
Summary: This study successfully established two humanized mouse models that exhibited strong antigen-specific responses and demonstrated tumor regression following vaccination. These models serve as valuable platforms for assessing the efficacy of therapeutic cancer vaccines targeting HPV16-dysplastic skin and diverse tumor antigens specifically delivered to CD141+ DCs.
Article
Microbiology
Yuan Zhang, Freda E. -C. Jen, Jennifer L. L. Edwards, Michael P. P. Jennings
Summary: Phosphorylcholine (ChoP) modification on bacterial surface proteins and carbohydrates contributes to host mimicry and survival in the host. This study systematically analyzed bacterial genomes to identify the potential ChoP biosynthetic pathways, and found the association between specific pathways and the type of ChoP-modified surface factors.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Catherine G. Fitzgerald Dickmann, Alexander F. F. McDonald, Nhi Huynh, Angela Rigopoulos, Zhanqi Liu, Nancy Guo, Laura D. D. Osellame, Michael A. A. Gorman, Michael W. W. Parker, Hui K. K. Gan, Andrew M. M. Scott, Uwe Ackermann, Ingrid J. G. Burvenich, Jonathan M. M. White
Summary: A novel molecule, [F-18]BiPET-2, radiolabelled with positron emitting fluorine-18, has been developed and evaluated in vitro and preclinically in glioblastoma models.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Greg Tram, Freda E. -C. Jen, Zachary N. Phillips, John F. Lancashire, Jamie Timms, Jessica Poole, Michael P. Jennings, John M. Atack
Summary: This study characterized the ModA phasevarion in H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius, finding ModA13 in non-BPF causing strains and ModA16 unique to BPF causing isolates. Phase variation of ModA13 and ModA16 resulted in genome-wide changes to DNA methylation, leading to altered protein expression. However, these changes did not affect serum resistance in H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius strains.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
John M. Atack, Kenneth L. Brockman, Lauren O. Bakaletz, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: This study presents high-depth coverage RNA-Seq data from prototype NTHi strains 723 and R2866, which encode two of the most common phase-variable ModA alleles found in NTHi strains, ModA2 and ModA10.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2023)