Accelerating drug discovery

Evaluation of factors associated with recruitment rates in early phase clinical trials based on the European Clinical Trials Register data

Effective participant recruitment is a critical challenge in clinical trials. Inadequate enrollment of participants can precipitate delays, escalated costs, and compromise scientific integrity. Despite its relevance, particularly during the early phases, it persists as an obstacle in the field of clinical research. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the recruitment rates of early-phase clinical trials and evaluate their potential associations with key trial characteristics. Using a descriptive and statistical analysis, a research study was conducted based on the early-phase trials registered at the European Clinical Trials Register (EU-CTR), spanning the timeframe from January 2017 to December 2021. Among the 194 trials examined, we found median recruitment rates of 68%. A more detailed exploration revealed a greater level of success in terms of recruitment achievement in pediatric trials when compared to trials involving adults, non-oncologic trials, or those also developed in non-European countries. It is important to underscore that only 69 trials out of the total managed to conclude recruitment, with the most prevalent reason for premature cessation being the presence of efficacy and safety issues or sponsor's strategy. This number can be greatly improved. Despite certain disparities observed in the information within EU-CTR, we have successfully determined the recruitment rates of the studies and established associations with some of the clinical trial characteristics analyzed. Owing to the inherent constraints of this study, further research is warranted to gain a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between trial characteristics and their impact on recruitment rates in early-phase studies.

Artificial Intelligence in Regenerative Medicine: Applications and Implications

The field of regenerative medicine is constantly advancing and aims to repair, regenerate, or substitute impaired or unhealthy tissues and organs using cutting-edge approaches such as stem cell-based therapies, gene therapy, and tissue engineering. Nevertheless, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has opened new doors for research in this field. AI refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence in ways such as learning the patterns in the data and applying that to the new data without being explicitly programmed. AI has the potential to improve and accelerate various aspects of regenerative medicine research and development, particularly, although not exclusively, when complex patterns are involved. This review paper provides an overview of AI in the context of regenerative medicine, discusses its potential applications with a focus on personalized medicine, and highlights the challenges and opportunities in this field.

Walking the talk in digital transformation of regulatory review

Cloud-based regulatory platforms have the potential to substantially transform how regulatory submissions are developed, transmitted, and reviewed across the full life cycle of drug development. The benefits of cloud-based submission and review include accelerating critical therapies to patients in need globally and efficiency gains for both drug developers and regulators. The key challenge is turning the theoretical promise of cloud-based regulatory platforms into reality to further the application of technology in the regulatory processes. In this publication we outline regulatory policy journeys needed to effect the changes in the external environment that would allow for use of a cloud-based technology, discuss the prerequisites to successfully navigate the policy journeys, and elaborate on future possibilities when adoption of cloud-based regulatory technologies is achieved.

From function to translation: Decoding genetic susceptibility to human diseases via artificial intelligence

While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have discovered thousands of disease-associated loci, molecular mechanisms for a considerable fraction of the loci remain to be explored. The logical next steps for post-GWAS are interpreting these genetic associations to understand disease etiology (GWAS functional studies) and translating this knowledge into clinical benefits for the patients (GWAS translational studies). Although various datasets and approaches using functional genomics have been developed to facilitate these studies, significant challenges remain due to data heterogeneity, multiplicity, and high dimensionality. To address these challenges, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has demonstrated considerable promise in decoding complex functional datasets and providing novel biological insights into GWAS findings. This perspective first describes the landmark progress driven by AI in interpreting and translating GWAS findings and then outlines specific challenges followed by actionable recommendations related to data availability, model optimization, and interpretation, as well as ethical concerns.

Multi-Drug Cocktail Therapy Improves Survival and Neurological Function after Asphyxial Cardiac Arrest in Rodents

BACKGROUND

Cardiac arrest (CA) can lead to neuronal degeneration and death through various pathways, including oxidative, inflammatory, and metabolic stress. However, current neuroprotective drug therapies will typically target only one of these pathways, and most single drug attempts to correct the multiple dysregulated metabolic pathways elicited following cardiac arrest have failed to demonstrate clear benefit. Many scientists have opined on the need for novel, multidimensional approaches to the multiple metabolic disturbances after cardiac arrest. In the current study, we have developed a therapeutic cocktail that includes ten drugs capable of targeting multiple pathways of ischemia-reperfusion injury after CA. We then evaluated its effectiveness in improving neurologically favorable survival through a randomized, blind, and placebo-controlled study in rats subjected to 12 min of asphyxial CA, a severe injury model.

RESULTS

14 rats were given the cocktail and 14 received the vehicle after resuscitation. At 72 h post-resuscitation, the survival rate was 78.6% among cocktail-treated rats, which was significantly higher than the 28.6% survival rate among vehicle-treated rats (log-rank test; p = 0.006). Moreover, in cocktail-treated rats, neurological deficit scores were also improved. These survival and neurological function data suggest that our multi-drug cocktail may be a potential post-CA therapy that deserves clinical translation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that, with its ability to target multiple damaging pathways, a multi-drug therapeutic cocktail offers promise both as a conceptual advance and as a specific multi-drug formulation capable of combatting neuronal degeneration and death following cardiac arrest. Clinical implementation of this therapy may improve neurologically favorable survival rates and neurological deficits in patients suffering from cardiac arrest.

Integrative toxicogenomics: Advancing precision medicine and toxicology through artificial intelligence and OMICs technology

More information about a person's genetic makeup, drug response, multi-omics response, and genomic response is now available leading to a gradual shift towards personalized treatment. Additionally, the promotion of non-animal testing has fueled the computational toxicogenomics as a pivotal part of the next-gen risk assessment paradigm. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to provid new ways analyzing the patient data and making predictions about treatment outcomes or toxicity. As personalized medicine and toxicogenomics involve huge data processing, AI can expedite this process by providing powerful data processing, analysis, and interpretation algorithms. AI can process and integrate a multitude of data including genome data, patient records, clinical data and identify patterns to derive predictive models anticipating clinical outcomes and assessing the risk of any personalized medicine approaches. In this article, we have studied the current trends and future perspectives in personalized medicine & toxicology, the role of toxicogenomics in connecting the two fields, and the impact of AI on personalized medicine & toxicology. In this work, we also study the key challenges and limitations in personalized medicine, toxicogenomics, and AI in order to fully realize their potential.

Vancomycin Resistance in Enterococcus and Staphylococcus aureus

Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus are both common commensals and major opportunistic human pathogens. In recent decades, these bacteria have acquired broad resistance to several major classes of antibiotics, including commonly employed glycopeptides. Exemplified by resistance to vancomycin, glycopeptide resistance is mediated through intrinsic gene mutations, and/or transferrable van resistance gene cassette-carrying mobile genetic elements. Here, this review will discuss the epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus and S. aureus in healthcare, community, and agricultural settings, explore vancomycin resistance in the context of van and non-van mediated resistance development and provide insights into alternative therapeutic approaches aimed at treating drug-resistant Enterococcus and S. aureus infections.

Modulation of Reactive Oxygen Species Homeostasis as a Pleiotropic Effect of Commonly Used Drugs

Age-associated diseases represent a growing burden for global health systems in our aging society. Consequently, we urgently need innovative strategies to counteract these pathological disturbances. Overwhelming generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with age-related damage, leading to cellular dysfunction and, ultimately, diseases. However, low-dose ROS act as crucial signaling molecules and inducers of a vaccination-like response to boost antioxidant defense mechanisms, known as mitohormesis. Consequently, modulation of ROS homeostasis by nutrition, exercise, or pharmacological interventions is critical in aging. Numerous nutrients and approved drugs exhibit pleiotropic effects on ROS homeostasis. In the current review, we provide an overview of drugs affecting ROS generation and ROS detoxification and evaluate the potential of these effects to counteract the development and progression of age-related diseases. In case of inflammation-related dysfunctions, cardiovascular- and neurodegenerative diseases, it might be essential to strengthen antioxidant defense mechanisms in advance by low ROS level rises to boost the individual ROS defense mechanisms. In contrast, induction of overwhelming ROS production might be helpful to fight pathogens and kill cancer cells. While we outline the potential of ROS manipulation to counteract age-related dysfunction and diseases, we also raise the question about the proper intervention time and dosage.

Discovery of Potential Antiviral Compounds against Hendra Virus by Targeting Its Receptor-Binding Protein (G) Using Computational Approaches

Hendra virus (HeV) belongs to the paramyxoviridae family of viruses which is associated with the respiratory distress, neurological illness, and potential fatality of the affected individuals. So far, no competitive approved therapeutic substance is available for HeV. For that reason, the current research work was conducted to propose some novel compounds, by adopting a Computer Aided Drug Discovery approach, which could be used to combat HeV. The G attachment Glycoprotein (Ggp) of HeV was selected to achieve the primary objective of this study, as this protein makes the entry of HeV possible in the host cells. Briefly, a library of 6000 antiviral compounds was screened for potential drug-like properties, followed by the molecular docking of short-listed compounds with the Protein Data Bank (PDB) structure of Ggp. Docked complexes of top two hits, having maximum binding affinities with the active sites of Ggp, were further considered for molecular dynamic simulations of 200 ns to elucidate the results of molecular docking analysis. MD simulations and Molecular Mechanics Energies combined with the Generalized Born and Surface Area (MMGBSA) or Poisson-Boltzmann and Surface Area (MMPBSA) revealed that both docked complexes are stable in nature. Furthermore, the same methodology was used between lead compounds and HeV Ggp in complex with its functional receptor in human, Ephrin-B2. Surprisingly, no major differences were found in the results, which demonstrates that our identified compounds can also perform their action even when the Ggp is attached to the Ephrin-B2 ligand. Therefore, in light of all of these results, we strongly suggest that compounds (S)-5-(benzylcarbamoyl)-1-(2-(4-methyl-2-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl)-6-oxo-3,6-dihydropyridin-1-ium-3-ide and 5-(cyclohexylcarbamoyl)-1-(2-((2-(3-fluorophenyl)-2-methylpropyl)amino)-2-oxoethyl)-6-oxo-3,6-dihydropyridin-1-ium-3-ide could be considered as potential therapeutic agents against HeV; however, further in vitro and in vivo experiments are required to validate this study.

The antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects of Ionophores for the treatment of human infection

Ionophores are a diverse class of synthetic and naturally occurring ion transporter compounds which demonstrate both direct and in-direct antimicrobial properties against a broad panel of bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic pathogens. In addition, ionophores can regulate the host-immune response during communicable and non-communicable disease states. Although the clinical use of ionophores such as Amphotericin B, Bedaquiline and Ivermectin highlight the utility of ionophores in modern medicine, for many other ionophore compounds issues surrounding toxicity, bioavailability or lack of in vivo efficacy studies have hindered clinical development. The antimicrobial and immunomodulating properties of a range of compounds with characteristics of ionophores remain largely unexplored. As such, ionophores remain a latent therapeutic avenue to address both the global burden of antimicrobial resistance, and the unmet clinical need for new antimicrobial therapies. This review will provide an overview of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties of ionophores, and their potential uses in clinical medicine for combatting infection.

Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing as the Next Pharma Disruptors

Artificial intelligence (AI) consists of a synergistic assembly of enhanced optimization strategies with wide application in drug discovery and development, providing advanced tools for promoting cost-effectiveness throughout drug life cycle. Specifically, AI brings together the potential to improve drug approval rates, reduce development costs, get medications to patients faster, and help patients complying with their treatments. Accelerated pharmaceutical development and drug product approval rates can further benefit from the quantum computing (QC) technology, which will ultimately enable larger profits from patent-protected market exclusivity.Key pharma stakeholders are endorsing cutting-edge technologies based on AI and QC , covering drug discovery, preclinical and clinical development, and postapproval activities. Indeed, AI-QC applications are expected to become standard in the pharma operating model over the next 5-10 years. Generalizing scalability to larger pharmaceutical problems instead of specialization is now the main principle for transforming pharmaceutical tasks on multiple fronts, for which systematic and cost-effective solutions have benefited in areas such as molecular screening, synthetic pathway design, and drug discovery and development.The information generated by coupling the life cycle of drugs and AI and/or QC through data-driven analysis, neural network prediction, and chemical system monitoring will enable (1) better understanding of the complexity of process data, (2) streamlining the design of experiments, (3) discovering new molecular targets and materials, and also (4) planning or rethinking upcoming pharmaceutical challenges The power of AI-QC makes accessible a range of different pharmaceutical problems and their rationalization that have not been previously addressed due to a lack of appropriate analytical tools, demonstrating the breadth of potential applications of these emerging multidimensional approaches. In this context, creating the right AI-QC strategy often involves a steep learning path, especially given the embryonic stage of the industry development and the relative lack of case studies documenting success. As such, a comprehensive knowledge of the underlying pillars is imperative to extend the landscape of applications across the drug life cycle.The topics enclosed in this chapter will focus on AI-QC methods applied to drug discovery and development, with emphasis on the most recent advances in this field.

Predicting drug targets by homology modelling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteins of unknown function

The efficacy of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections declines rapidly due to antibiotic resistance. This problem has stimulated the development of novel antibiotics, but most attempts have failed. Consequently, the idea of mining uncharacterized genes of pathogens to identify potential targets for entirely new classes of antibiotics was proposed. Without knowing the biochemical function of a protein, it is difficult to validate its potential for drug targeting; therefore, the functional characterization of bacterial proteins of unknown function must be accelerated. Here, we present a paradigm for comprehensively predicting the biochemical functions of a large set of proteins encoded by hypothetical genes in human pathogens to identify candidate drug targets. A high-throughput approach based on homology modelling with ten templates per target protein was applied to the set of 2103 P. aeruginosa proteins encoded by hypothetical genes. The >21000 homology modelling results obtained and available biological and biochemical information about several thousand templates were scrutinized to predict the function of reliably modelled proteins of unknown function. This approach resulted in assigning one or often multiple putative functions to hundreds of enzymes, ligand-binding proteins and transporters. New biochemical functions were predicted for 41 proteins whose essential or virulence-related roles in P. aeruginosa were already experimentally demonstrated. Eleven of them were shortlisted as promising drug targets that participate in essential pathways (maintaining genome and cell wall integrity), virulence-related processes (adhesion, cell motility, host recognition) or antibiotic resistance, which are general drug targets. These proteins are conserved in other WHO priority pathogens but not in humans; therefore, they represent high-potential targets for preclinical studies. These and many more biochemical functions assigned to uncharacterized proteins of P. aeruginosa, made available as PaPUF database, may guide the design of experimental screening of inhibitors, which is a crucial step towards the validation of the highest-potential targets for the development of novel drugs against P. aeruginosa and other high-priority pathogens.

Pharmacoinformatics approaches in the discovery of drug-like antimicrobials of plant origin

Medicinal plants have served as an important source for addressing the ailments of humans and animals alike. The emergence of advanced technologies in the field of drug discovery and development has helped in isolating various bioactive phytochemicals and developing them as drugs. Owing to their significant pharmacological benefits and minimum adverse effects, they not only serve as good candidates for therapeutics themselves but also help in the identification and development of related drug like molecules against various metabolic and infectious diseases. The ever-increasing diversity, severity and incidence of infectious diseases has resulted in an exaggerated mortality and morbidity levels. Geno-proteomic mutations in microbes, irrational prescribing of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance and human population explosion, all call for continuous efforts to discover and develop alternated therapeutic options against the microbes. This review article describes the pharmacoinformatics tools and methods which are currently used in the discovery of bioactive phytochemicals, thus making the process more efficient and effective. The pharmacological aspects of the drug discovery and development process have also been reviewed with reference to the in silico activities. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Early Drug Development and Evaluation of Putative Antitubercular Compounds in the -Omics Era

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to the WHO, the disease is one of the top 10 causes of death of people worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an intracellular pathogen with an unusually thick, waxy cell wall and a complex life cycle. These factors, combined with M. tuberculosis ability to enter prolonged periods of latency, make the bacterium very difficult to eradicate. The standard treatment of TB requires 6-20months, depending on the drug susceptibility of the infecting strain. The need to take cocktails of antibiotics to treat tuberculosis effectively and the emergence of drug-resistant strains prompts the need to search for new antitubercular compounds. This review provides a perspective on how modern -omic technologies facilitate the drug discovery process for tuberculosis treatment. We discuss how methods of DNA and RNA sequencing, proteomics, and genetic manipulation of organisms increase our understanding of mechanisms of action of antibiotics and allow the evaluation of drugs. We explore the utility of mathematical modeling and modern computational analysis for the drug discovery process. Finally, we summarize how -omic technologies contribute to our understanding of the emergence of drug resistance.

Drug development for cystic fibrosis

The first regulatory approval for a drug developed specifically for cystic fibrosis (CF) occurred in 1993, and since then, several other drugs have been approved. Median predicted survival in people with CF in the United States has increased from approximately 30 years to 44.4 years over that same period. Highly effective modulators of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator became available to approximately 90% of people with CF ages 12 years and older in the United States in 2019 and in Europe in 2020. These transformative therapies will surely reduce morbidity and further extend longevity. The drug development pipeline is filled with therapies that address most aspects of CF disease. As survival and CF therapies advance, and the complexity of CF care increases, the process of drug development has become more sophisticated. In addition, detecting meaningful changes in outcome measures has become more difficult as the health status of people with CF improves. Innovative approaches are required to continue to advance drug development in CF. This review provides a general overview of drug development from the preclinical phase through Phase IV. Special considerations with respect to CF are integrated into the discussion of each phase of drug development. As CF care evolves, drug development must continue to evolve as well, until a one-time cure is available to all people with CF.

Industry payments to hospitalist physicians: a 5-year analysis of the Open Payments programme from 2014 to 2018

We analysed Open Payments programme data (https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov) on industry-to-physician payments to hospitalists for the years 2014 to 2018. Payments to hospitalists increased by 106.5% from 2014 to 2018 with food and beverage (38.5%) and compensation for services other than consulting (24.3%) being the highest-paid categories. Industry payment to hospitalists was highly skewed with top 10 hospitalists receiving more than 30% of the total payments during the study period. The most common drugs associated with payments were anticoagulant medications (apixaban and rivaroxaban). Industry seems to be spending a significant amount of money to increase awareness of medications among hospitalists. Identification of these trends and potential motives of industry spending is critical to address any potential physician bias.

Organ-on-a-Chip: A Preclinical Microfluidic Platform for the Progress of Nanomedicine

Despite the progress achieved in nanomedicine during the last decade, the translation of new nanotechnology-based therapeutic systems into clinical applications has been slow, especially due to the lack of robust preclinical tissue culture platforms able to mimic the in vivo conditions found in the human body and to predict the performance and biotoxicity of the developed nanomaterials. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms are novel microfluidic tools that mimic complex human organ functions at the microscale level. These integrated microfluidic networks, with 3D tissue engineered models, have been shown high potential to reduce the discrepancies between the results derived from preclinical and clinical trials. However, there are many challenges that still need to be addressed, such as the integration of biosensor modules for long-time monitoring of different physicochemical and biochemical parameters. In this review, recent advances on OoC platforms, particularly on the preclinical validation of nanomaterials designed for cancer, as well as the current challenges and possible future directions for an end-use perspective are discussed.

Prospects of Directly Reprogrammed Adult Human Neurons for Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery: iN vs. iPSCs Models

A reliable disease model is critical to the study of specific disease mechanisms as well as for the discovery and development of new drugs. Despite providing crucial insights into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, translation of this information to develop therapeutics in clinical trials have been unsuccessful. Reprogramming technology to convert adult somatic cells to induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) or directly reprogramming adult somatic cells to induced Neurons (iN), has allowed for the creation of better models to understand the molecular mechanisms and design of new drugs. In recent times, iPSC technology has been commonly used for modeling neurodegenerative diseases and drug discovery. However, several technological challenges have limited the application of iN. As evidence suggests, iN for the modeling of neurodegenerative disorders is advantageous compared to those derived from iPSCs. In this review, we will compare iPSCs and iN models for neurodegenerative diseases and their potential applications in the future.

Drug Screening and Drug Repositioning as Promising Therapeutic Approaches for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Treatment

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the most common genetic disease affecting infants and young adults. Due to mutation/deletion of the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene, SMA is characterized by the SMN protein lack, resulting in motor neuron impairment, skeletal muscle atrophy and premature death. Even if the genetic causes of SMA are well known, many aspects of its pathogenesis remain unclear and only three drugs have been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (Nusinersen-Spinraza; Onasemnogene abeparvovec or AVXS-101-Zolgensma; Risdiplam-Evrysdi): although assuring remarkable results, the therapies show some important limits including high costs, still unknown long-term effects, side effects and disregarding of SMN-independent targets. Therefore, the research of new therapeutic strategies is still a hot topic in the SMA field and many efforts are spent in drug discovery. In this review, we describe two promising strategies to select effective molecules: drug screening (DS) and drug repositioning (DR). By using compounds libraries of chemical/natural compounds and/or Food and Drug Administration-approved substances, DS aims at identifying new potentially effective compounds, whereas DR at testing drugs originally designed for the treatment of other pathologies. The drastic reduction in risks, costs and time expenditure assured by these strategies make them particularly interesting, especially for those diseases for which the canonical drug discovery process would be long and expensive. Interestingly, among the identified molecules by DS/DR in the context of SMA, besides the modulators of SMN2 transcription, we highlighted a convergence of some targeted molecular cascades contributing to SMA pathology, including cell death related-pathways, mitochondria and cytoskeleton dynamics, neurotransmitter and hormone modulation.

COVID-19 has inspired global healthcare innovation

Under normal circumstances, healthcare innovation is costly and time-consuming. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has produced the silver lining of inspiring healthcare innovation around the world, with collaboration across multiple disciplines all working toward the same goal of saving lives. Healthcare innovation can develop at unprecedented speed when individuals focus on solving real-world problems, and collaborate with cross-functional teams. Anyone can innovate, from anywhere, at any age, and this open-minded perspective allows innovation to occur at its finest when motivated to find solutions toward a well-defined problem.

Nafamostat mesylate inhibits chlamydial intracellular growth in cell culture and reduces chlamydial infection in the mouse genital tract

Urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) infection is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Untreated C. trachomatis infections that ascend to the upper genital tract lead to a series of severe complications. To search for novel antichlamydial drugs, we evaluated the effect of nafamostat mesylate (NM), a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, on chlamydial infection. NM inhibited chlamydial intracellular growth and reduced both the inclusion size and number in cell culture. NM may mainly target the intracellular reticulate bodies for inhibition. NM was also effective in enhancing chlamydial clearance from mouse genital tract when NM was applied to mice via intravaginal inoculation. The vaginal NM did not significantly alter inflammatory cytokine responses in the mouse genital tract. Thus, we have demonstrated a novel role of NM in inhibiting the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia.

Niclosamide: drug repurposing for human chondrosarcoma treatment via the caspase-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

Poor sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs and high recurrence rates are the bottlenecks to successful chondrosarcoma treatment. Notably, niclosamide has been identified as a potential anti-cancer agent. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of niclosamide in the context of human chondrosarcoma treatment, SW1353 and CAL78 human chondrosarcoma cells were treated with various concentrations of niclosamide. The CKK-8 assay was performed to quantify cell viability. Cell proliferation was determined with crystal violet staining and colony forming assays. TUNEL and annexin V-FITC flow cytometry assays were performed to detect cell apoptosis. Wound healing and Transwell assays were conducted to evaluate migratory and invasive cell behaviors. The effect of niclosamide on the mitochondria was evaluated with the JC-1 and Seahorse Cell Mito Stress Assays. The expression of caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, caspase-9, cleaved caspase-9, and β-tubulin levels were investigated by western blotting. Collectively, the data demonstrated that niclosamide inhibited cell growth and proliferation, attenuated migratory and invasive cell behaviors, and promoted apoptosis. Niclosamide is as a potent chondrosarcoma tumor inhibitor that activates the caspase-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat chondrosarcoma.

Technological Advances in Preclinical Drug Evaluation: The Role of -Omics Methods

Preclinical drug development is an essential step in the drug development process where the evaluation of new chemical entities occurs. In particular, preclinical drug development phases include deep analysis of drug candidates' interactions with biomolecules/targets, their safety, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, metabolism by use of assays in vitro and in vivo animal assays. Legal aspects of the required procedures are well-established. Herein, we present a comprehensive summary of current state-of-the art approaches and techniques used in preclinical studies. In particular, we will review the potential of new, -omics methods and platforms for mechanistic evaluation of drug candidates and speed-up of the preclinical evaluation steps.

QSAR modelling and molecular docking studies for anti-cancer compounds against melanoma cell line SK-MEL-2

A dataset of seventy-two (72) cytotoxic compounds of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was studied by QSAR and docking approaches to gain deeper insights into ligands selectivity on SK-MEL-2 cell line. The QSAR model was built using fifty (50) molecules and the best-generated model based on multiple linear regression showed, respectively good quality of fits (R2 (0.864), Radjusted2 (0.845), Q²_cv (0.799) and Rpred2 (0.706)). The model's predictive ability was determined by a test set of twenty-two (22) compounds. Compounds 30 and 41 were selected as templates for in silico design because they had high pGI₅₀ activity and are in the model's applicability domain. The obtained information from the model was explored to design novel molecules by introducing various modifications. Moreover, the designed compounds with better-predicted activity (pGI₅₀) values were selected and docked on the active site of the protein (PDB-CODE: 3OG7) which is responsible for melanoma cancer to elucidate their binding mode. AN2 (−12.1kcalmol^-1) and AC4 (−12.4kcalmol^-1) showed a better binding score for the target when compared with (vemurafenib, −11.3kcalmol^-1) the known inhibitor of the target (V600E-BRAF). These findings may be very helpful in early anti-cancer drug development.

Metabolomic tools used in marine natural product drug discovery

Introduction: The marine environment is a very promising resource for natural product research, with many of these reaching the market as new drugs, especially in the field of cancer therapy as well as the drug discovery pipeline for new antimicrobials. Exploitation for bioactive marine compounds with unique structures and novel bioactivity such as the isoquinoline alkaloid; trabectedin, the polyether macrolide; halichondrin B, and the peptide; dolastatin 10, requires the use of analytical techniques, which can generate unbiased, quantitative, and qualitative data to benefit the biodiscovery process. Metabolomics has shown to bridge this understanding and facilitate the development of new potential drugs from marine sources and particularly their microbial symbionts.Areas covered: In this review, articles on applied secondary metabolomics ranging from 1990-2018 as well as to the last quarter of 2019 were probed to investigate the impact of metabolomics on drug discovery for new antibiotics and cancer treatment.Expert opinion: The current literature review highlighted the effectiveness of metabolomics in the study of targeting biologically active secondary metabolites from marine sources for optimized discovery of potential new natural products to be made accessible to a R&D pipeline.

Antitumor activity in colorectal cancer induced by hinokiflavone

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant disease worldwide with highly metastatic potential. Identification of effective therapeutic treatment overcoming such disease is an urgent need. Our study focuses on hinokiflavone as an antitumor agent against colorectal cancer.

METHODS

MTT assay, cell colony formation assay, Hoechst staining, flow cytometry, Western blot analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and migration and invasion assay were performed to identify the effects of hinokiflavone on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. CT26 tumor-bearing mice model was conducted to explore the antitumor activity of hinokiflavone in vivo. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to detect the protein expression of Ki-67, cleaved caspase-3, and MMP9 in treated tumors. Acute toxicity was evaluated by serological and hematological analyses, and drug side effect on organs was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining.

RESULTS

Hinokiflavone reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted the apoptosis in colorectal tumor cells in vitro. Treatment of hinokiflavone at a tolerable and safe dose (50 mg/kg) significantly suppressed tumor growth in mice bearing CT26 tumors by reducing tumor proliferation and metastasis and inducing apoptosis. Mechanically, treatment of hinokiflavone induced apoptosis by loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species generation.

CONCLUSIONS

Hinokiflavone suppressed colorectal tumor cell proliferation, induced apoptosis via the reactive oxygen species-mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway, and inhibited tumor cell migration and invasion. Antitumor activity of hinokiflavone was also validated in mice model without observed toxicity. Our findings suggested that the plant-derived hinokiflavone could be used as an antitumor agent against colorectal cancer.

Molecules targeting the androgen receptor (AR) signaling axis beyond the AR-Ligand binding domain

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality in men in the United States. The androgen receptor (AR) and the physiological pathways it regulates are central to the initiation and progression of PCa. As a member of the nuclear steroid receptor family, it is a transcription factor with three distinct functional domains (ligand-binding domain [LBD], DNA-binding domain [DBD], and transactivation domain [TAD]) in its structure. All clinically approved drugs for PCa ultimately target the AR-LBD. Clinically active drugs that target the DBD and TAD have not yet been developed due to multiple factors. Despite these limitations, the last several years have seen a rise in the discovery of molecules that could successfully target these domains. This review aims to present and comprehensively discuss such molecules that affect AR signaling through direct or indirect interactions with the AR-TAD or the DBD. The compounds discussed here include hairpin polyamides, niclosamide, marine sponge-derived small molecules (eg, EPI compounds), mahanine, VPC compounds, JN compounds, and bromodomain and extraterminal domain inhibitors. We highlight the significant in vitro and in vivo data found for each compound and the apparent limitations and/or potential for further development of these agents as PCa therapies.

Effective and new potent drug combination: Histone deacetylase and Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors in lung carcinoma cells

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide with a high mortality rate. In this study, the therapeutic effect of combination valproic acid and niclosamide was investigated on human lung cancer cell line. The effects of the compounds alone and combination therapy on cell viability were determined by sulforhodamine B and adenosine 5'-triphosphate viability assays. Flow cytometry was used to determine the cell death mechanism and DNA damage levels responsible for the cytotoxic effects of combination therapy. The presence of apoptosis in cells was supported by fluorescence microscopy and also by using inhibitors of the apoptotic signaling pathway. The increase in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in combination therapy was determined by H2DCFDA staining. The effect of N-acetyl-l-cysteine combination on ROS increase was investigated on cell viability. In addition, the expression levels of the proteins associated with epigenetic regulation and cell death were analyzed by Western blotting and gene expression levels were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.It was observed that the combination therapy showed a cytotoxic effect on the A549 lung cancer cells compared to the individual use of the inhibitors. The absence of this effect on normal lung cells revealed the presence of a selective toxic effect. When the mechanism of cytotoxicity is examined, it has been observed that combination therapy initiates the activation of tumor necrosis receptors and causes apoptosis by activated caspase. It was also observed that this extrinsic apoptotic pathway was activated on the mitochondrial pathway. In addition, ER stress and mitochondrial membrane potential loss associated with increased ROS levels induce cell death. When the data in this study were evaluated, combination therapy caused a dramatic decrease in cell viability by inducing the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in lung cancer cell line. Therefore, it was concluded that it can be used as an effective and new treatment option for lung cancer.

Preclinical Models of Pediatric Brain Tumors-Forging Ahead

Approximately five out of 100,000 children from 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with a brain tumor. These children are treated with medication designed for adults that are highly toxic to a developing brain. Those that survive are at high risk for a lifetime of limited physical, psychological, and cognitive abilities. Despite much effort, not one drug exists that was designed specifically for pediatric patients. Stagnant government funding and the lack of economic incentives for the pharmaceutical industry greatly limits preclinical research and the development of clinically applicable pediatric brain tumor models. As more data are collected, the recognition of disease sub-groups based on molecular heterogeneity increases the need for designing specific models suitable for predictive drug screening. To overcome these challenges, preclinical approaches will need continual enhancement. In this review, we examine the advantages and shortcomings of in vitro and in vivo preclinical pediatric brain tumor models and explore potential solutions based on past, present, and future strategies for improving their clinical relevancy.

Ex vivo microangioCT: Advances in microvascular imaging

Therapeutic modulation of angiogenesis is believed to be a prospective powerful treatment strategy to modulate the microcirculation and therefore help millions of patients with cardiovascular and cancer diseases. The often-frustrating results from late-stage clinical studies indicate an urgent need for improved assessment of the pro- and anti-angiogenic compounds in preclinical stage of investigation. For such a proper assessment, detailed vascular visualization and adequate quantification are essential. Nowadays, there are few imaging modalities available, but none of them provides non-destructive 3D-visualization of the vasculature down to the capillary level. In many instances, the approaches cannot be combined with the subsequent histological or ultrastructural analysis. In this review, we address the latest developments in the microvascular imaging, namely, the microangioCT approach with a polymer-based contrast agent (μAngiofil). This approach allows time-efficient non-destructive 3D-imaging of the organ and its vasculature including the finest capillaries. Besides the superior visualization, the obtained detailed 3D information on the organ vasculature enables its 3D-skeletonization and further quantitative analysis. Probably the only significant limitation of the described approach is that it can be used only ex vivo, i.e., no longitudinal studies. In spite of this drawback, microangioCT with μAngiofil is a relatively simple and straightforward tool with a broad application range for studying physiological and pathological alterations in the microvasculature of any organ. It provides microvascular imaging at unprecedented level and enables correlative microscopy.

A new niclosamide derivatives-B17 can inhibit urological cancers growth through apoptosis-related pathway

The incidence and mortality rate of urological cancers is increasing yearly. Niclosamide has been repurposed as an anti‐cancer drug in recent years. Synthesized derivative of niclosamide was testified for its anti‐cancer activity in urological cancers. MTT assay was used to measure the cytotoxicity effect of niclosamide and its derivatives in urological cancer cell lines. Migratory ability was monitored by scratch migration assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle changes were analyzed by annexin V and PI staining. The apoptosis‐related signal proteins were evaluated by western blotting. T24 had the best drug sensitivity with the lowest IC₅₀ in niclosamide and B17 treatment than DU145 and Caki‐1 cells. After niclosamide and B17 treatment, the mitotic cells were decreased, but apoptotic bodies and morphology changes were not prominent in T24, Caki‐1, and DU145 cells. The migratory ability was inhibited in niclosamide treatment than control group on Caki‐1 cells and niclosamide and B17 treatment than control group on DU145 cells. Early apoptosis cells were increased after niclosamide and B17 treatment than control group without cell cycle changes in T24, Caki‐1, and DU145 cells. Programmed cell death was activated majorly through PAPR and bcl‐2 in T24 and caspase‐3 in Caki‐1 cells, respectively. Niclosamide and B17 derivative had good ability in inhibition proliferation and migratory ability in T24, Caki‐1, and DU145 cells without prominent morphology and apoptotic body changes. UCC cells are more sensitive to niclosamide and B17 treatment. Early apoptosis was induced after niclosamide and B17 treatment through different mechanisms in T24, Caki‐1, and DU145 cells.

Niclosamide, an oral antihelmintic drug, exhibits antimetastatic activity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through downregulating twist-mediated CD10 expression

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world, especially, in eastern Asia, and its prognosis is poor once metastasis occurs. Niclosamide, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved antihelmintic drug, was shown to inhibit the growth of various cancers including HCC, but the effect of niclosamide on cell motility and the underlying mechanism have not yet been completely defined. The present study demonstrated that niclosamide, at 0-40 nM, concentration-dependently inhibited wound closure and the migratory/invasive capacities of human Huh7 and SK-Hep-1 HCC cells without exhibiting cytotoxicity. A protease array analysis showed that CD10 was dramatically downregulated in Huh7 cells after niclosamide treatment. Western blot and flow cytometric assays further demonstrated that CD10 expression was concentration-dependently downregulated in Huh7 and SK-Hep-1 cells after niclosamide treatment. Mechanistic investigations found that niclosamide suppressed Twist-mediated CD10 transactivation. Moreover, knockdown of CD10 expression by CD10 small interfering RNA in HCC cells suppressed cell migratory/invasive abilities and overexpression of CD10 relieved the migration inhibition induced by niclosamide. Taken together, our results indicated that niclosamide could be a potential agent for inhibiting metastasis of HCC, and CD10 is an important target of niclosamide for suppressing the motility of HCC cells.

Morphological Aspects of Tumor Angiogenesis

The tumor vasculature is a chaotic mixture of abnormal, hierarchically disorganized vessels that differ from those of normal tissues with respect to organization, structure and function. Firstly, tumor vessel wall structure is abnormal and heterogeneous within the tumor. Besides contractile wall components, the perivascular compartment is often lacking pericytes, what makes the tumor vessels fragile and leaky. Secondly, another group of abnormalities involves distortions in angioarchitecture and vasculature as network. Common features of tumor vessels, irrespective of their origin, size and growth pattern, are absence of hierarchical organization, formation of vessels with irregular contours and their heterogeneous distribution within the tumor.

Pharmacogenetics: An Important Part of Drug Development with A Focus on Its Application

Since the human genome project in 2003, the view of personalized medicine to improve diagnosis and cure diseases at the molecular level became more real. Sequencing the human genome brought some benefits in medicine such as early detection of diseases with a genetic predisposition, treating patients with rare diseases, the design of gene therapy and the understanding of pharmacogenetics in the metabolism of drugs. This review explains the concepts of pharmacogenetics, polymorphisms, mutations, variations, and alleles, and how this information has helped us better understand the metabolism of drugs. Multiple resources are presented to promote reducing the gap between scientists, physicians, and patients in understanding the use and benefits of pharmacogenetics. Some of the most common clinical examples of genetic variants and how pharmacogenetics was used to determine treatment options for patients having these variants were discussed. Finally, we evaluated some of the challenges of implementing pharmacogenetics in a clinical setting and proposed actions to be taken to make pharmacogenetics a standard diagnostic tool in personalized medicine.

Niclosamide inhibition of STAT3 synergizes with erlotinib in human colon cancer

Niclosamide, an anthelmintic drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration against cestodes, is used to treat tapeworm infection. In this study, we show that niclosamide can potentially inhibit signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in colon cancer cell lines. Combined inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor and STAT3 by erlotinib and niclosamide synergistically induces apoptosis and antiproliferation in colon cancer cell lines. Our findings suggest that erlotinib and niclosamide combination provides an effective therapeutic approach to improving the prognosis of colon cancer.

Drug Repurposing of the Anthelmintic Niclosamide to Treat Multidrug-Resistant Leukemia

Multidrug resistance, a major problem that leads to failure of anticancer chemotherapy, requires the development of new drugs. Repurposing of established drugs is a promising approach for overcoming this problem. An example of such drugs is niclosamide, a known anthelmintic that is now known to be cytotoxic and cytostatic against cancer cells. In this study, niclosamide showed varying activity against different cancer cell lines. It revealed better activity against hematological cancer cell lines CCRF-CEM, CEM/ADR5000, and RPMI-8226 compared to the solid tumor cell lines MDA-MB-231, A549, and HT-29. The multidrug resistant CEM/ADR5000 cells were similar sensitive as their sensitive counterpart CCRF-CEM (resistance ration: 1.24). Furthermore, niclosamide caused elevations in reactive oxygen species and glutathione (GSH) levels in leukemia cells. GSH synthetase (GS) was predicted as a target of niclosamide. Molecular docking showed that niclosamide probably binds to the ATP-binding site of GS with a binding energy of -9.40 kcal/mol. Using microscale thermophoresis, the binding affinity between niclosamide and recombinant human GS was measured (binding constant: 5.64 μM). COMPARE analyses of the NCI microarray database for 60 cell lines showed that several genes, including those involved in lipid metabolism, correlated with cellular responsiveness to niclosamide. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed five major branches with significant differences between sensitive and resistant cell lines (p = 8.66 × 10⁵). Niclosamide significantly decreased nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) activity as predicted by promoter binding motif analysis. In conclusion, niclosamide was more active against hematological malignancies compared to solid tumors. The drug was particularly active against the multidrug-resistant CEM/ADR5000 leukemia cells. Inhibition of GSH synthesis and NFAT signaling were identified as relevant mechanisms for the anticancer activity of niclosamide. Gene expression profiling predicted the sensitivity or resistance of cancer cells to niclosamide.

The Simultaneous Inhibitory Effect of Niclosamide on RANKL-Induced Osteoclast Formation and Osteoblast Differentiation

The bone destruction disease including osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis are caused by the imbalance between osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Inhibition of the NF-κB pathway was responsible for decreased osteoclastogenesis. Recently many studies indicated that niclosamide, the FDA approved an antihelminth drug, inhibits prostate and breast cancer cells growth by targeting NF-κB signaling pathways. This study evaluated the effects of niclosamide on osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation and function in vitro. In RANKL-induced murine osteoclast precursor cell RAW264.7 and M-CSF/RANKL-stimulated primary murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM), niclosamide dose-dependently inhibited the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated osteoclasts and resorption pits formation between 0.5uM and 1uM. In addition, niclosamide suppressed the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) and osteoclast differentiated-related genes in M-CSF/ RANKL-stimulated BMM by interference with TRAF-6, Erk1/2, JNK and NF-κB activation pathways. However, the cytotoxic effects of niclosamide obviously appeared at the effective concentrations for inhibiting osteoclastogenesis (0.5-1uM) with increase of apoptosis through caspase-3 activation in osteoblast precursor cell line, MC3T3-E1. Niclosamide also inhibited ALP activity, bone mineralization and osteoblast differentiation-related genes expression in MC3T3-E1. Therefore, our findings suggest the new standpoint that niclosamide's effects on bones must be considered before applying it in any therapeutic treatment.

Analysis of Gene Expression Patterns Using Biclustering

Mining microarray data to unearth interesting expression profile patterns for discovery of in silico biological knowledge is an emerging area of research in computational biology. A group of functionally related genes may have similar expression patterns under a set of conditions or at some time points. Biclustering is an important data mining tool that has been successfully used to analyze gene expression data for biologically significant cluster discovery. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce interesting patterns that may be observed in expression data and discuss the role of biclustering techniques in detecting interesting functional gene groups with similar expression patterns.

Spatane diterpinoid from the brown algae, Stoechospermum marginatum induces apoptosis via ROS induced mitochondrial mediated caspase dependent pathway in murine B16F10 melanoma cells

Spatane diterpinoids isolated from the brown marine algae Stoechospermum marginatum were known to have cytotoxic effects in human cancerous cell lines and murine melanoma cells; the underling apoptotic mechanism of diterpinoids still remains unclear so far. Thus, in the present study, the apoptotic mechanism of a spatane diterpinoid, 5(R), 19-diacetoxy-15,18(R and S), dihydro spata-13, 16(E)-diene (DDSD) was investigated mainly in B16F10 melanoma cells because they were most susceptible to DDSD than THP1, U937, COLO205, and HL60 cells. The treatment of B6F10 cells with DDSD resulted in morphological alterations, nuclear condensation, and DNA fragmentation, which leads to cell growth inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner. Data indicate that DDSD induced the generation of ROS, consequentially caused alteration in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio that disrupted the inner mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) resulting in cytochrome c redistribution to the cytoplasm and activation of caspase-mediated apoptotic pathway. Flow cytometric analysis clearly indicated that the DDSD inducing phosphatidylserine externalization and mediated "S-phase" arrest in cell cycle. In addition, results also found that DDSD induced apoptosis through deregulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The anti-tumor activity of DDSD was evaluated in C57BL/6 mice bearing B16F10 melanoma. It effectively inhibited tumor growth (volume and weight) in a dose dependent manner, yet without apparent toxic effects. Morphology and apoptotic status of tumor tissues in the treated mice were assessed by microscopy and TUNEL assay, respectively. Our study shows a therapeutic potential of DDSD for the treatment of malignant melanoma and a new source of anticancer drugs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

FDA's Expedited Programs and Their Impact on the Availability of New Therapies

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Priority Review, Accelerated Approval, Fast Track, and Breakthrough Therapy programs have been successful in facilitating the drug approval process and getting medications to patients quicker. To qualify for one or more of these FDA programs, a sponsor must meet specific criteria. Once a drug is given one or more designations, benefits can range from frequent meetings with FDA representatives to appointed FDA senior managers to facilitate the approval process. This paper will review the major guidelines set forth by the FDA, highlight advantages to the patient and health care community as a result of receiving specific designations, and provide several examples for illustration. As a result of these designations, many patients with rare diseases or life-threatening conditions have been afforded earlier access to effective therapies. As the pharmacist's role continues to expand, it is crucial to understand the nature of these accelerated programs and to advocate for increased access to new drug therapies.

Inhibition of the NF-κB pathway by nafamostat mesilate suppresses colorectal cancer growth and metastasis

Nafamostat mesilate is an anti-inflammatory drug that is usually used to treat pancreatitis. Recent studies show that it can suppress pancreatic cancer via inhibition of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway. However, whether it has anti-tumor activity in some other cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC), has not been investigated and remained unclear. Here, our study showed that nafamostat mesilate abrogated the constitutive NF-κB activation in CRC cells, which is mediated through inhibition of phosphorylation of IκBα and nuclear translocation of p65. Also, we found that nafamostat mesilate inhibited phosphorylation of Erk in CRC cells. Consistently, our study demonstrated that nafamostat mesilate inhibited the CRC cell proliferation, invasion and migration and induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, nafamostat mesilate could reverse oxaliplatin induced NF-κB and Erk activation in CRC cells, and enhance the sensitivity of CRC cells to oxaliplatin. Nafamostat mesilate combined with oxaliplatin repressed subcutaneous tumor growth and hepatic metastasis in vivo. Overall, our data suggest that nafamostat mesilate, a relatively non-toxic drug that targets NF-κB and Erk, may, in combination with oxaliplatin, represent a novel therapeutic strategy for CRC treatment.

Cryptotanshinone induces melanoma cancer cells apoptosis via ROS-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and impairs cell migration and invasion

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer because it is highly frequency of drug resistance and can spread earlier and more quickly than other skin cancers. The objective of this research was to investigate the anticancer effects of cryptotanshinone on human melanoma cells in vitro, and explored its mechanisms of action. Our results have shown that cryptotanshinone could inhibit cell proliferation in human melanoma cell lines A2058, A375, and A875 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, flow cytometry assay showed that cryptotanshinone inhibited the proliferation of human melanoma cell line A375 by blocking cell cycle progression in G2/M phase and inducing apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, western blot analysis indicated that the occurrence of its apoptosis was associated with upregulation of cleaved caspases-3 and pro-apoptotic protein Bax while downregulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Meanwhile, cryptotanshinone could decrease the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, cryptotanshinone also blocked A375 cell migration and invasion in vitro which was associated with the downregulation with MMP-9. Taken together, these results suggested that cryptotanshinone might be a potential drug in human melanoma treatment by inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis via ROS-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and blocking cell migration and invasion.

Polypharmacology of small molecules targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome and ubiquitin-like systems

Targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and ubiquitin-like signalling systems (UBL) has been considered a promising therapeutic strategy to treat cancer, neurodegenerative and immunological disorders. There have been multiple efforts recently to identify novel compounds that efficiently modulate the activities of different disease-specific components of the UPS-UBL. However, it is evident that polypharmacology (the ability to affect multiple independent protein targets) is a basic property of small molecules and even highly potent molecules would have a number of "off target" effects. Here we have explored publicly available high-throughput screening data covering a wide spectrum of currently accepted drug targets in order to understand polypharmacology of small molecules targeting different components of the UPS-UBL. We have demonstrated that molecules targeting a given UPS-UBL protein also have high odds to target a given off target spectrum. Moreover, the off target spectrum differs significantly between different components of UPS-UBL. This information can be utilized further in drug discovery efforts, to improve drug efficiency and to reduce the risk of potential side effects of the prospective drugs designed to target specific UPS-UBL components.

Zebrafish Caudal Fin Angiogenesis Assay-Advanced Quantitative Assessment Including 3-Way Correlative Microscopy

Background

Researchers evaluating angiomodulating compounds as a part of scientific projects or pre-clinical studies are often confronted with limitations of applied animal models. The rough and insufficient early-stage compound assessment without reliable quantification of the vascular response counts, at least partially, to the low transition rate to clinics.

Objective

To establish an advanced, rapid and cost-effective angiogenesis assay for the precise and sensitive assessment of angiomodulating compounds using zebrafish caudal fin regeneration. It should provide information regarding the angiogenic mechanisms involved and should include qualitative and quantitative data of drug effects in a non-biased and time-efficient way.

Approach & Results

Basic vascular parameters (total regenerated area, vascular projection area, contour length, vessel area density) were extracted from in vivo fluorescence microscopy images using a stereological approach. Skeletonization of the vasculature by our custom-made software Skelios provided additional parameters including “graph energy” and “distance to farthest node”. The latter gave important insights into the complexity, connectivity and maturation status of the regenerating vascular network. The employment of a reference point (vascular parameters prior amputation) is unique for the model and crucial for a proper assessment. Additionally, the assay provides exceptional possibilities for correlative microscopy by combining in vivo-imaging and morphological investigation of the area of interest. The 3-way correlative microscopy links the dynamic changes in vivo with their structural substrate at the subcellular level.

Conclusions

The improved zebrafish fin regeneration model with advanced quantitative analysis and optional 3-way correlative morphology is a promising in vivo angiogenesis assay, well-suitable for basic research and preclinical investigations.