Drug repurposing

A new study has shown that blood thinner warfarin could also treat cancer, as it stops tumours from interfering with a self-destruct mechanism that cells initiate when they detect mutations or other abnormalities (ferroptosis). The research by Columbia University researchers was conducted in human cells and in mice to uncover molecular processes that regulate ferroptosis. […]

What are benefits of drug repurposing and why do clinical drug trials so often fail? Diana Spencer summarises the key messages from the ‘Drug Repurposing: Challenges and Opportunities’ Symposium held at the 19th World Congress of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology (WCP) 2023. The Drug Repurposing symposium at WCP 2023 was chaired by Oscar Della Pasqua, Chair […]

Following the death of a cancer patient after they were given an unlicensed drug, Diana Spencer unpacks the practice of prescribing unlicensed and off-label medicines. This month, a cancer patient died and three others were hospitalised in the UK after they were administered an unlicensed version of the chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel. In a statement, the […]

Researchers have discovered a clinical drug that sensitises glioblastoma (GBM) cells to radiotherapy and could replace the current standard of care.  Scientists from Korea and the US have unveiled the mechanism of radioresistance in GBM cells, identifying therapeutic targets to overcome radioresistance.  GBM is a WHO grade IV brain tumour with dismal prognosis. Although post-surgical […]

A free online toolkit has been launched to help researchers navigate the opportunities and challenges of repurposing medicines for different indications. The toolkit was created by medical research charity LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC). “Having learned the challenges of repurposing firsthand, I think this toolkit is enormously practical and valuable,” commented Professor Patrick […]

Researchers have shown that the medication saracatinib shows promise as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).   Saracatinib worked as well or better than two approved drugs at reducing tissue scarring in preclinical models of IPF according to the study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.   Researchers at National Jewish […]

DDW Editor Reece Armstrong explores the rise of drug repurposing and the benefits and disadvantages it brings to drug discovery and development.  Drug repurposing, the act of finding new clinical targets for both approved and unapproved drugs, has emerged as a viable alternative to traditional drug discovery approaches.   It’s common knowledge that drug discovery […]

Scientists from the University of Manchester have found that the drug Viagra, used to treat sexual impotence, can strongly suppress abnormal heart rhythms known as arrythmias in sheep.  The British Heart Foundation funded study, published in Circulation Research, could have important implications on the management of the condition on humans.  In female sheep, the drug, […]

A new study is trialling whether giving aspirin alongside immunotherapy drug avelumab could improve its effectiveness for people affected by breast cancer.   The clinical trial is being funded by the Breast Cancer Now Catalyst Programme, which aims to accelerate progress in breast cancer research through innovation and collaboration. As part of the Programme, Pfizer has provided Breast Cancer Now with funding […]

Mount Sinai researchers have found that widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory genes have reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Following its publication in Cell, and reporting by DDW, Megan Thomas spoke to Dr Ivan Marazzi, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School […]

Mount Sinai researchers have found that a widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory gene has reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. In a study published in Cell, the team reported that the drug, topotecan (TPT), inhibited the expression of inflammatory genes in the lungs of mice as late as four days […]

Listen to this article on the DDW Podcast: In the wake of Covid-19 interest in repurposing a drug for a different indication to the one it was developed for has been high. Madison Knapp, Marketing Communications Specialist, and Dr. Brian Ogilvie, Vice President of Scientific Consulting, SEKISUI XenoTech offer insight into the process. In November 2020, […]