From hypothesis
to evidence

This study shows the potential of Rb⁺ in addressing the urgent need for novel glioblastoma treatments, warranting further preclinical and clinical investigations. The findings highlight Rb⁺ as a promising and innovative candidate for GBM therapy, leveraging the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to inhibit tumor growth and promote apoptosis.

Rb⁺ treatment significantly suppressed GBM cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rb⁺ downregulated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway, contributing to the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells.

Tumasov and colleagues used polarimetry, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and a Spirostomum ambiguum biosensor to investigate zinc complexes with L- and D-amino acids. They observed pH-dependent changes in optical activity and different biosensor responses to zinc–aspartate complexes compared with free amino acids. The findings concern coordination chemistry and experimental cellular toxicity.

Metallomix combines biochemistry and biophysics to leverage the body’s "metallome," and its broader molecular networks and other "omes" — such as the genome, proteome and microbiome.

This economic evaluation study used data from public and proprietary sources to estimate the mean cost of developing a new drug from 2000 to 2018, which was $172.7 million (2018 dollars) but increased to $515.8 million when cost of failures was included and to $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs were included. The ratio of R&D spending to total sales increased from 11.9% to 17.7% from 2008 to 2019.

The article profiles the groundbreaking work of Max Temnik, a chemistry PhD and entrepreneur, and Dr. Santosh Kesari, a leading neuro-oncologist, who are developing a potentially transformative, disease-modifying drug for Parkinson’s disease through their company, Metallomix Inc. (formerly Nomax Therapeutics). Temnik’s innovative approach centers on isotope-selective modulation of homeostasis (ISM), a process that targets the subatomic changes in human biomolecules associated with aging and disease.

Preclinical studies in Parkinson’s-induced rodent models have shown that ISM treatment can prevent the degeneration of dopamine neurons and may even stimulate neurogenesis, offering hope for a true disease-modifying therapy. With encouraging safety results, the team is now seeking further investment to advance to full-size clinical trials, aiming to bring a therapy to market that could fundamentally alter the course of Parkinson’s disease and improve quality of life for millions worldwide.

Studies show that at any given time about one-third of all clinical trials are behind schedule. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) the two most common techniques to compress schedules are fast-tracking and crashing. In fast-tracking, activities normally performed in sequence are done in parallel for at least a portion of their duration. Also known as parallelization, activities take place simultaneously without affecting the performance of each other.

Fast-tracking helps in finishing the given task in a shorter span of time than planned. In crashing, activities on the critical path are reviewed in an effort to find ones that can be completed earlier than planned with extra resources.

The natural abundance of heavy stable isotopes is now of considerable importance in many research fields, including human physiology. In fact, it varies between tissues and metabolites due to isotope effects in biological processes, that is, isotope discriminations between heavy and light isotopic forms during enzyme or transporter activity. The metabolic deregulation associated with many diseases leads to alterations in metabolic fluxes, resulting in changes in isotope abundance.

This review summarizes the current knowledge on changes in natural isotope composition in samples (including various tissues, hair, plasma, saliva) found in patients compared to controls, caused by human diseases.

In her TED Talk, neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret explains that adults can indeed grow new brain cells primarily in the hippocampus, a region crucial for learning, memory, mood, and emotion.

She presents research showing that neurogenesis is linked to improved memory and mood, and that factors such as learning, physical activity (especially running), and certain dietary habits (like calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, and consuming foods rich in flavonoids and omega-3 fatty acids) can boost the production of new neurons. Conversely, stress, sleep deprivation, aging, high saturated fat intake, and excessive alcohol consumption can reduce neurogenesis.

Thuret emphasizes that lifestyle choices can significantly influence brain health and encourages individuals to take charge of their neurogenesis to support cognitive function and emotional well-being as they age.