Home / Archive / November 2021

November 2021 Volume 17, Issue 11

Volume 17, Issue 11 | November 2021

November 2021

In this Issue

Cancer

A scientist wearing blue gloves and a lab coat pipets liquid into a clear tube.

A promising protein degrader trashed a key oncogenic protein

Targeting oncogenic transcription factors like MYC is challenging, but researchers found a way to target its regulator, WDR5, for degradation, exemplifying the capacity of protein degraders to target the “undruggable.”

Person in white lab coat with a stethoscope around neck holds a blue cancer ribbon

A new AI tool identifies generic drugs with anticancer potential

Researchers use machine learning to identify generic drugs that are promising candidates for affordable and accessible cancer treatments.

SCLC cells have high levels of DNA damage.

New targets for lung cancer treatment

A young cancer researcher made a big splash when she discovered that inhibiting DNA damage response proteins sensitizes treatment-resistant lung cancer cells to immunotherapy.

Bionaut Labs develops brain-probing microrobots to treat cancers like brain stem glioma.

Meet the microrobots primed to take down cancer

Sperm, bacteria, bubbles, and shuttles are just some of the latest cancer-treating microrobots in development for human use in the next few years.

Psychiatry

A doctor swabs a pregnant woman's arm with a cotton ball.

Drug safety during pregnancy

Pregnant people with mental health disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder often face an impossible decision: risk their health or their future child's health by discontinuing or continuing their medication.

A neurosteroid hope for postpartum depression

A pioneer in reproductive psychiatry, Samantha Meltzer-Brody investigates new therapeutics for depression during and after pregnancy.

Growing indoor psylocybin psychedelic mushroom

Psilocybin may effectively treat addiction

Psilocybin research was "outlawed" in the 70s, but it's back now. It may offer a powerful new tool for treating addictions to substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and opioids.

Dermatology

A person wearing blue gloves holds a piece of white fish skin between their fingers.

Fish skin heals the toughest wounds

Researchers from Iceland to Brazil investigate the healing powers of fish skin, providing a low-cost and improved solution for treating wounds.

Maggots used therapeutically are the larvae of Lucilia sericata, or the common blowfly. They are only a few millimeters long.

Larva therapy makes a comeback

A centuries-old wound-cleaning technique is finding its place in modern medicine.

Ointment on hand. Applying the ointment and emollient cream in the treatment and hydration of the skin

Neosporin may slow wound healing

The commonly used ointment Neosporin may disrupt skin’s regenerative microbiome, delaying healing.

Editors Insight

Ivermectin is a wonder drug, but not a cure-all

Before its COVID-19 era hype, ivermectin was already a wonder drug for parasitic infections. Its renewed interest underscores the need for effective COVID-19 treatments and communication on proper research study design and analysis.

Metabolism

Pharmacogenetics informs disease risk, risk of drug toxicity, and potential drug efficacy.

Genetic variation in metabolic genes affects drug responses

People metabolize drugs differently, changing the effectiveness and toxicity of drugs between individuals. Genetic testing to identify mutations in metabolic genes that may affect how someone processes a drug is an important step towards precision medicine that is becoming more common in the clinic.