Drug

The Pill only works if you remember to take it every single day. To reduce that risk and hassle, researchers at MIT have updated their slow-release, star-shaped oral capsules to last up to four weeks, and used it to deliver contraceptive drugs.

Kidney stones are a common health problem, and while manageable, they can be quite painful. Now, researchers at MIT have found a particular combination of two drugs that can relax urinary tract tubes, allowing stones to be passed more easily.

Researchers at Northeastern University have discovered a new antibiotic called darobactin, hiding in the gut of a tiny, soil-dwelling, parasitic worm. Tests on mice have so far proved promising against gram-negative bacteria.

Cancer cells are more metabolically active than normal cells, which helps them grow out of control – but this could also be their weakness. New research shows that leukemia is particularly vulnerable to a drug cocktail that targets mitochondria.

Australian researchers have discovered a fungus in Tasmania that produces novel molecules with similar activity to opioids. These never-before-seen molecules may have similar analgesic properties to morphine but without its dangerous side effects.

Cancer drugs are getting more effective at killing tumors, but there’s one big problem: many work like a shotgun blast and harm healthy cells as well. Researchers from Georgia Tech have now developed a new way to deliver drugs only to where they need to be, using nanoscale “glass” bottles.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, thanks largely to the fact that the tumors tend to be much more solid. But now researchers have identified a promising new drug candidate that could linger for longer to worm its way in, and works when paired with other cancer drugs.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a new biodegradable circuit that can be implanted to deliver painkillers in the body on demand. When the device is heated up from a source outside the body, it releases a controlled dose of a drug, before safely dissolving away when it’s no longer needed.

Antibiotics aren’t picky, blasting good and bad bacteria alike and messing up the delicate balance of the gut microbiome. But now researchers have developed a more targeted approach, with drugs that are able to zero in on specific species of bacteria.

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to a new cancer drug called selinexor. This pill has been found to be successful in treating multiple myeloma in patients that hadn’t had success with other treatments. But at this very early stage the drug comes with some major caveats.

Researchers at MIT have identified a surprising new dynamic drug duo to fight cancer, combining two classes that are already beginning to be widely used. Interestingly, the combo appears to work in a completely different way to what scientists previously expected.

By guiding evolution, scientists have managed to manipulate micro-organisms into producing useful new drugs and materials, but it’s a time-consuming process. Now, UNC researchers have developed a new tool that speeds up the process in mammalian cells, creating new therapeutics in a matter of days.