Kedar Puvar Reading time: 3 minutes Much of the time, when scientists think of cancer-causing agents, they think of DNA damage. Indeed, some of the most infamous causes of cancer, such as excessive sunlight, tobacco smoke, or environmental pollutants, act by inducing mutations in key regions of our genes which can lead to effects such... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 4 minutes Kedar Puvar Designing new anticancer compounds is often a deliberate process, where the mechanism of action involves the blocking of a certain target, like a receptor or other cellular protein. Researchers would then optimize potential leads until a potent and effective drug is ready for clinical trials. This pipeline is considered... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 3 minutes Kedar Puvar At first glance, mushrooms, being immobile and nutritious, seem to be rather unassuming. Why, then, would you want to turn to mushrooms of all things as a source of new medicines? It turns out that they make up for their evolutionary weaknesses with a powerful toolbox of molecular defenses... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 4 minutes You may have heard of the infamous thalidomide, a morning sickness drug that was patented in the 1950s. Its potent anti-nausea effects made it ideal as a remedy for morning sickness in pregnant women and thalidomide was sold in over 40 countries, going as far as to be made available over... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 3 minutes Kedar Puvar Diseases are typically caused by defective or malicious proteins. Traditionally, treatments for these diseases use a strategy of inhibition - use a small molecule that can block the offending protein from carrying out its function and thereby, bring things back to normal. But what if we went one step... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 4 minutes Kedar Puvar Cancerous cells by definition are constantly growing and multiplying and therefore have devised ways to sustain that growth. If one wishes to create a brand new therapeutic against cancer, it’s necessary to identify molecular mechanisms that cancer cells use to grow, then attempt to shut down that mechanism with... Continue Reading →
OncoBites 