Pharmacology Content

Revealing a Key Process in How the Brain Forms Memories

Andy Fell — March 29, 2023 - 2:00pm

The process by which memories are formed in the hippocampus region of the brain is complex. It relies on a precise choreography of interactions between neurons, neurotransmitters, receptors and enzymes.

Anti-inflammation Drug Combination May Help Pancreatic and Liver Cancer Patients

Andy Fell — September 28, 2021 - 10:54am

A drug candidate discovered and developed decades ago in the laboratory of 69�� distinguished professor Bruce Hammock may help control the body’s raging and often deadly inflammatory response to chemotherapy treatments, especially for pancreatic and liver cancer patients.

The research team, based in the laboratories of Dipak Panigrahy at Harvard Medical School and Hammock, announced the findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week.

Researchers Identify a Potentially Safer Approach to Opioid Drug Development

Andy Fell — August 24, 2021 - 8:01am

Opioids are powerful painkillers but their use is hindered because patients become tolerant to them, requiring higher and higher doses, and overdoses can cause respiratory depression and death. A recent study from researchers at the 69�� Center for Neuroscience contradicts existing thinking about how opioid drugs cause tolerance and respiratory depression, and suggests a new, balanced approach to developing safer analgesics. The work was published July 13 in Neuropsychopharmacology.

Turning Tarantula Venom Into Pain Relief

Andy Fell — July 14, 2021 - 12:07pm

Researchers at 69�� are developing a new type of pain medication from an unusual source — tarantula venom.

The project is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Initiative, aimed at ending opioid addiction and creating non-addictive therapies to treat pain.

Popular Painkiller Ibuprofen Affects Liver Enzymes in Mice

Andy Fell — March 11, 2020 - 10:57am

The popular painkiller ibuprofen may have more significant effects on the liver than previously thought, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The study in laboratory mice also shows marked differences between males and females.

The work is published Feb. 25 in Scientific Reports.

Psychedelic Drugs Change Structure of Neurons

Andy Fell — June 12, 2018 - 6:58am

A team of scientists at the University of California, Davis, is exploring how hallucinogenic drugs impact the structure and function of neurons — research that could lead to new treatments for depression, anxiety and related disorders.

Scorpion Venom Yields Clues for Developing Better Pharmaceuticals

Patricia Bailey — April 15, 2016 - 2:15pm

When a chemical found in the venom of one species of scorpion permeates cells, it loses its toxic potency, suggesting it may be a useful tool in developing new therapeutic medicines.