Researchers have uncovered a potent class of small molecules that selectively turn on the S1P1 receptor, a type of receptor in cells that can be targeted in the design of new treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis. These findings are reported in the Feb. 17 issue of the journal Science. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund and the National Institute of General Medical Science (NIGMS).

Related posts:

  1. Finding of long sought drug target structure may expedite drug discovery Researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key biological receptor. The finding has the potential to speed drug discovery in many areas, from arthritis to respiratory disorders to wound healing, because it enables chemists to better examine and design molecules for use in experimental drugs....
  2. MedicareCard.com, Experimental Immune, Boosting Drug Worsens TB in Mice An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online....
  3. Commissioned study identifies gaps in funding success rates for black researchers Black applicants from 2000-2006 were 10 percentage points less likely than white applicants to be awarded research project grants from the National Institutes of Health after controlling for factors that influence the likelihood of a grant award, according to an NIH-commissioned study in the journal Science. In an accompanying commentary, NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., […]...
  4. Researchers Identify Gene Mutations Underlying Risk for Most Common Form of Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson's disease, which affects about 1.5 million Americans, is a progressive neurologic disorder caused by the degeneration of nerve cells in the portion of the brain that controls movement....
  5. In NIH-funded study, researchers uncover early step in the cascade of brain events leading up to addiction A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal […]...
  6. Medicare Card, Comparable effectiveness shown for two common sudden deafness treatments Direct injection of steroids into the middle ear for the treatment of sudden deafness was shown to be no more or less effective than oral steroids in restoring hearing levels in a large comparison study of patients. The study results appear in the May 25, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. […]...
  7. National Institute of General Medical Sciences reorganizes The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health that supports basic research and research training, has established two new divisions. Each will administer existing NIGMS programs along with programs transferred to NIGMS from the former NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)....
  8. Medicare, Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health....
  9. Study details structure of potential target for HIV and cancer drugs In a technical tour de force, structural biologists funded by the National Institutes of Health have determined the three-dimensional structure of a molecule involved in HIV infection and in many forms of cancer. The high-resolution structure sheds light on how the molecule functions and could point to ways to control its activity, potentially locking out […]...
  10. Study details structure of potential target for HIV and cancer drugs In a technical tour de force, structural biologists funded by the National Institutes of Health have determined the three-dimensional structure of a molecule involved in HIV infection and in many forms of cancer. The high-resolution structure sheds light on how the molecule functions and could point to ways to control its activity, potentially locking out […]...
  11. Medicare Card Coverage – Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. ...
  12. NIH-supported mouse studies suggest treatment target for alcohol problems A molecular pathway within the brain’s reward circuitry appears to contribute to alcohol abuse, according to laboratory mouse research supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings, published online today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also provide evidence that […]...
  13. Researchers show how anti-HIV drug acts to block herpes virus An anti-HIV drug also discovered to stop the spread of the genital herpes virus does so by disabling a key DNA enzyme of the herpes virus, according to findings by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions....
  14. AChemS 2011 — annual meeting of chemosensory researchers offers exciting findings Scientists supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health, will be presenting their latest research findings at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS)....
  15. Shockable cardiac arrests are more common in public than home Cardiac arrests that can be treated by electric stimulation, also known as shockable arrests, were found at a higher frequency in public settings than in the home, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study appearing in the Jan. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine....