Australian researchers have developed the first potent new small-molecule inhibitors capable of blocking the activation of apoptotic cell death before it causes damage to mitochondria, they reported in a study published in the Oct. 7, 2019, issue of Nature Chemical Biology.

Ten targeted cancer drugs currently being tested in clinical trials involving 1,000 patients do not reach the targets at which they are aimed, according to recently published research.

Plasma coagulation factor VII (FVII), FIX and FX have been shown to be effective antibacterial proteins against drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria and may offer alternative strategies for combating the increasingly urgent global health threat posed by those resistant pathogens.

LONDON – The largest-ever genomics study of Clostridium difficile has found an emerging new species of the bacterium is selected to thrive on a Western sugar-rich diet and to produce high levels of resistant spores, adapting it to maximize transmission in hospitals and other health care facilities.

HONG KONG – The complexity of interactions between the interleukin-17 (IL-17) family of receptors and ligands has been elucidated in a Chinese study, which may lead to development of specific targeting strategies for treating IL-17-related autoimmune inflammatory diseases, notably psoriasis.