UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

970M chemicals are potential new drugs

BERNE, Switzerland, July 6 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists say they have determined there are more than 970 million chemicals suitable for study as potential new drugs.

Professor Jean-Louis Reymond and researcher Lorenz Blum, both of the University of Berne, said their study has produced the largest publicly available database of virtual molecules ever reported.

The researchers said the rules of chemical bonding allow simple elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and fluorine to potentially form millions of different molecules. They said the so-called "chemical universe" has an enormous potential for drug discovery, particularly for identifying so-called "small molecules" consisting of 10 to 50 atoms. Until now, however, scientists had not attempted a comprehensive analysis of the molecules that populate chemical space.

In their report, Reymond and Blum describe development of a new searchable database that scientists can use in the quest for new drugs. It consists of all molecules containing as many as 13 atoms of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and chlorine under rules that define chemical stability and synthetic feasibility

The researchers said the majority of the structures they identified have never been produced in the lab and some might lead to new drugs for fighting disease.

They report their study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

New stroke, migraine therapy proposed

KINGSTON, Ontario, July 6 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say a study involving locusts might lead to new drugs to treat migraine headaches, stroke and epilepsy and other illnesses.

Queen's University biologists found such human disorders are caused by a brain disturbance, during which nerve cells shut down. The scientists discovered that also occurs in locusts when they go into a coma after exposure to extreme conditions such as high temperatures or lack of oxygen.

The researchers said the insects' ability to resist entering a coma, and the speed of their recovery when they do succumb, can be manipulated using drugs that target one of the brain's cellular signaling pathways.

"This suggests that similar treatments in humans might be able to modify the thresholds or severity of migraine and stroke," researcher Gary Armstrong said.

Professor Mel Robertson, who led the research, added he was particularly excited that in one of the locust models "inhibition of the targeted pathway completely suppresses the brain disturbance in 70 percent of animals."

The study, which included researchers Corinne Rodgers and Tomas Money, appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.

NASA: Phoenix Mars Lander in good area

PASADENA, Calif., July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists said the area where the Phoenix Mars Lander touched down last year might be a favorable environment for microbes.

The NASA experts said their hypothesis was based on favorable chemistry and episodes with thin films of liquid water during ongoing, long-term climate cycles.

Phoenix ended communications in November as the approach of the Martian winter depleted energy from its solar panels.

"Not only did we find water ice, as expected, but the soil chemistry and minerals we observed lead us to believe this site had a wetter and warmer climate in the recent past -- the last few million years -- and could again in the future," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona-Tucson.

A paper about Phoenix water studies -- for which Smith is the lead author with 36 co-authors from six nations -- said evidence for water and potential nutrients "implies that this region could have previously met the criteria for habitability" during portions of continuing climate cycles.

Interpretations of data Phoenix returned during its five months of operation are reported in the journal Science.

FDA OKs first lung cancer maintenance drug

WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval of Alimta, the first drug available for maintenance therapy of metastatic lung cancer.

The FDA said patients with cancer often receive maintenance therapy to prevent the disease from progressing after their tumor has shrunk or the disease has stabilized in response to chemotherapy. Alimta (pemetrexed) disrupts metabolic processes that are dependent on the B-vitamin folate, a necessary ingredient for cell replication, the agency said.

"This drug represents a new approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer," said Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA's Office of Oncology. "Typically, patients whose tumors respond to chemotherapy do not receive further treatment after four-to-six chemotherapy cycles. This study demonstrates an advantage in overall survival in certain patients who received Alimta for maintenance therapy."

The drug was previously approved for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma, a cancer frequently related to asbestos exposure.

Alimta is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis.