News & Views |
Featured
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News |
Experimental obesity drug packs double punch to reduce weight
Test of weight-loss candidate in mice shows that there is still room for improvement in a burgeoning field.
- Asher Mullard
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News Feature |
How to kill the ‘zombie’ cells that make you age
Researchers are using new molecules, engineered immune cells and gene therapy to kill senescent cells and treat age-related diseases.
- Carissa Wong
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Article
| Open AccessGLP-1-directed NMDA receptor antagonism for obesity treatment
Unimolecular integration of NMDA receptor antagonism with GLP-1 receptor agonism effectively reverses obesity, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia in rodent models of metabolic disease.
- Jonas Petersen
- , Mette Q. Ludwig
- & Christoffer Clemmensen
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Article |
Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3
- Josh Abramson
- , Jonas Adler
- & John M. Jumper
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Research Briefing |
Toad psychedelic points to biological target for antidepressants
A hallucinogenic compound secreted by toads has served as a springboard for research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. The findings suggest that these compounds exert antidepressant effects in part by binding an under-appreciated target in the brain.
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News |
Major AlphaFold upgrade offers boost for drug discovery
Latest version of the AI models how proteins interact with other molecules — but DeepMind restricts access to the tool.
- Ewen Callaway
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of potent small-molecule inhibitors of lipoprotein(a) formation
Biochemical screening and optimization identify small molecules that inhibit the formation of lipoprotein(a), and these inhibitors reduce the levels of Lp(a) in several animal models, suggesting that they could provide a therapeutic option in humans.
- Nuria Diaz
- , Carlos Perez
- & Laura F. Michael
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News |
UTIs make life miserable — scientists are finding new ways to tackle them
Researchers are developing vaccines and fresh drug approaches to prevent and treat recurring infections without antibiotics.
- Carissa Wong
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Arts Review |
Las Borinqueñas remembers the forgotten Puerto Rican women who tested the first pill
Clinical trials of the first oral contraceptive recalled in a bold theatre production.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Explainer |
Plastic pollution: three numbers that support a crackdown
As negotiators haggle over a global treaty to curb plastics pollution, a flood of data outlines how a treaty could make a difference.
- Nicola Jones
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Analysis
| Open AccessRefining the impact of genetic evidence on clinical success
Human genetic evidence increases the success rate of drugs from clinical development to approval but we are still far from reaching peak genetic insights to aid the discovery of targets for more effective drugs.
- Eric Vallabh Minikel
- , Jeffery L. Painter
- & Matthew R. Nelson
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News Feature |
Obesity drugs aren’t always forever. What happens when you quit?
Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off them.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Article |
Metabolic rewiring promotes anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids
Glucocorticoids reprogram the mitochondrial metabolism of macrophages, resulting in increased and sustained production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate and, as a consequence, inhibition of the inflammatory response.
- Jean-Philippe Auger
- , Max Zimmermann
- & Gerhard Krönke
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Article |
Bitter taste receptor activation by cholesterol and an intracellular tastant
Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the type 2 taste receptor TAS2R14 in complex with Ggust and Gi1 identify cholesterol as an orthosteric agonist and the bitter tastant cmpd28.1 as a positive allosteric modulator and agonist.
- Yoojoong Kim
- , Ryan H. Gumpper
- & Bryan L. Roth
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Comment |
AI can help to tailor drugs for Africa — but Africans should lead the way
Computational models that require very little data could transform biomedical and drug development research in Africa, as long as infrastructure, trained staff and secure databases are available.
- Gemma Turon
- , Mathew Njoroge
- & Kelly Chibale
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Article
| Open AccessTumour-selective activity of RAS-GTP inhibition in pancreatic cancer
RMC-7977, a multi-selective RAS(ON) inhibitor, exhibits potent tumour-selective activity in multiple pre-clinical models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through a combination of pharmacology and oncogene dependence.
- Urszula N. Wasko
- , Jingjing Jiang
- & Kenneth P. Olive
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News |
‘A landmark moment’: scientists use AI to design antibodies from scratch
Modified protein-design tool could make it easier to tackle challenging drug targets — but AI antibodies are still a long way from reaching the clinic.
- Ewen Callaway
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Nature Index |
A spotlight on the stark imbalances of global health research
An expansion of the Nature Index to include more than 60 medical journals has revealed the clear leaders in the field.
- Bec Crew
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News Feature |
Can non-profits beat antibiotic resistance and soaring drug costs?
Effective, affordable antimicrobial drugs aren’t moneymakers, despite being desperately needed. Can non-profit organizations pick up the slack?
- Maryn McKenna
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Article |
Anti-TIGIT antibody improves PD-L1 blockade through myeloid and Treg cells
A high baseline of intratumoural macrophages and regulatory T cells is associated with better outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with atezolizumab plus tiragolumab, but not with atezolizumab alone.
- Xiangnan Guan
- , Ruozhen Hu
- & Namrata S. Patil
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Technology Feature |
How phase separation is revolutionizing biology
Imaging and molecular manipulation reveal how biomolecular condensates form and offer clues to the role of phase separation in health and disease.
- Elie Dolgin
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News Explainer |
‘Breakthrough’ allergy drug: injection protects against severe food reactions
A study suggests that the asthma treatment omalizumab can reduce the risk of dangerous allergic reactions to peanuts and other foods.
- Sara Reardon
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News |
Drug-resistant microbes: ‘brain drain’ is derailing the fight to stop them
A lack of investment is driving researchers who study antimicrobial resistance out of the field, an industry body warns.
- Lilly Tozer
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News |
Mirror-image molecules separated using workhorse of chemistry
The ability to distinguish between left- and right-handed molecules using mass spectrometry could streamline a laborious part of drug discovery.
- Katharine Sanderson
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Correspondence |
Clinical trials: Japan’s opt-out policy raises risks of adverse drug responses
- Mira Namba
- , Yudai Kaneda
- & Tetsuya Tanimoto
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Comment |
Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: why tumour naming needs to change
The conventional way of classifying metastatic cancers according to their organ of origin is denying people access to drugs that could help them.
- Fabrice André
- , Elie Rassy
- & Benjamin Besse
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News |
AlphaFold found thousands of possible psychedelics. Will its predictions help drug discovery?
Researchers have doubted how useful the AI protein-structure tool will be in discovering medicines — now they are learning how to deploy it effectively.
- Ewen Callaway
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News & Views |
A new type of antibiotic targets a drug-resistant bacterium
Infections caused by drug-resistant strains of the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii have been hard to treat in the clinic. A new class of antibiotics has been identified with the potential to tackle these microbes.
- Morgan K. Gugger
- & Paul J. Hergenrother
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Article
| Open AccessA novel antibiotic class targeting the lipopolysaccharide transporter
A tethered macrocyclic peptide antibiotic class described here—which shows potent antibacterial activity against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii—blocks the transport of bacterial lipopolysaccharide from the inner membrane to its destination on the outer membrane through inhibition of the LptB2FGC complex.
- Claudia Zampaloni
- , Patrizio Mattei
- & Kenneth A. Bradley
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Research Briefing |
‘Explainable’ AI identifies a new class of antibiotics
An artificial-intelligence graph neural network was trained on experimental data and used to identify chemical substructures that underlie selective antibiotic activity in more than 12 million compounds. This led to the discovery of a class of antibiotics with in vitro and in vivo activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus.
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Article |
Discovery of a structural class of antibiotics with explainable deep learning
An explainable deep learning model using a chemical substructure-based approach for the exploration of chemical compound libraries identified structural classes of compounds with antibiotic activity and low toxicity.
- Felix Wong
- , Erica J. Zheng
- & James J. Collins
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Article
| Open AccessThe energetic and allosteric landscape for KRAS inhibition
Analysis of the effects of more than 26,000 KRAS mutations on abundance and interactions with six other proteins is used to construct an energy landscape of KRAS and identify allosteric drug target sites.
- Chenchun Weng
- , Andre J. Faure
- & Ben Lehner
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News Feature |
Weight-loss-drug pioneer: this biochemist finally gained recognition for her work
Svetlana Mojsov led early studies of GLP-1, the hormone behind Wegovy, Ozempic and other blockbusters.
- Elie Dolgin
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Career Q&A |
How my MBA helps me keep my donor-funded research centre afloat
Medicinal chemist Susan Winks shares how she keeps money flowing at the drug-discovery centre she helps to manage.
- Sarah Wild
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News |
EU allows use of controversial weedkiller glyphosate for 10 more years
In the wake of a stalemate among member states, the European Commission has decided to approve the herbicide’s continued use.
- Barbara Casassus
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Research Briefing |
Synthetic drug kills fungi but spares kidney cells
Amphotericin B is a clinically vital antifungal drug, but it has high renal toxicity. The compound kills cells by forming sponge-like aggregates on the cell surface that remove molecules called sterols from the cell membrane. High-resolution structures of these sterol sponges guided rational development and synthesis of a new class of antifungals that are better for renal health.
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Nature Podcast |
How to tame a toxic yet life-saving antifungal
Researchers modify drug to prevent kidney damage, and the mystery of the phosphorus at the Milky Way’s edge.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Article |
Tuning sterol extraction kinetics yields a renal-sparing polyene antifungal
A study reports the development of a structural derivative of amphotericin B with broad antifungal activity in mice but without the renal toxicity associated with amphotericin B.
- Arun Maji
- , Corinne P. Soutar
- & Martin D. Burke
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Article |
Recognition of methamphetamine and other amines by trace amine receptor TAAR1
We report on the structures of the TAAR1–G-protein complex when bound to methamphetamine and other amines.
- Heng Liu
- , You Zheng
- & Fei Xu
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Career Q&A |
My path to heading a biotech company
Shadi Farhangrazi describes how she accidentally became a chief executive.
- Raveena Bhambra
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Where I Work |
I tread the delicate line between culture and conservation
Ethno-ecologist Nolwazi Mbongwa investigates the deeply rooted cultural practices of South African traditional healers, and works with conservationists to protect wildlife.
- Linda Nordling
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Clinical Briefing |
An engineered virus shows potential as an immune therapy in glioblastoma
Therapies for aggressive, recurrent glioblastomas are sorely needed but frequently fail in trials. A first-in-human trial of CAN-3110, an engineered herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), shows that it is safe and seems to extend survival and stimulate immune responses — particularly in people with antibodies to HSV1.
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Editorial |
AI’s potential to accelerate drug discovery needs a reality check
Companies say the technology will contribute to faster drug development. Independent verification and clinical trials will determine whether this claim holds up.
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News |
Gene therapies for rare diseases are under threat. Scientists hope to save them
As industry steps aside, scientists seek innovative ways to make sure expensive treatments can reach people who need them.
- Heidi Ledford
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News Feature |
Why rings of RNA could be the next blockbuster drug
The commercial success of RNA vaccines for COVID-19 has revved up interest in circular RNAs as the next generation of therapies.
- Elie Dolgin
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Outlook |
RSV treatments are here: now the work begins
Efforts to prevent infections and keep vulnerable people out of hospital are beginning to pay off, but deploying these strategies presents new challenges.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Outlook |
Antibody therapies set to transform respiratory syncytial virus prevention for babies
Drugs that counter RSV infection can safeguard newborns, offering another mode of protection alongside vaccines.
- Elie Dolgin
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Outlook |
Better awareness of RSV in older adults is needed to fight a growing burden
Respiratory syncytial virus is usually associated with babies, but the virus can also cause serious disease in older adults and people with chronic medical conditions.
- Rachel Nuwer