success-story

The bacterial translational apparatus is an ideal target for the search of new antibiotics. In fact, it performs an essential process carried out by a large number of potential subtargets for antibiotic action. Moreover, it is sufficiently different in several molecular details from the apparatus of Eukarya and Archaea to generally ensure specificity for the […]

Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) catalyzes the cross-linking of proteins by the formation of isopeptide bonds between glutamine (Gln) and lysine (Lys) side chains. Although TG2 is essential for the stabilization of the extracellular matrix, its unregulated activity has been implicated in celiac disease, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis, among other disorders. Given the importance and range of […]

The ABL protein-tyrosine kinase regulates intracellular signaling pathways controlling diverse cellular processes and contributes to several forms of cancer. The kinase activity of ABL is repressed by intramolecular interactions involving its regulatory Ncap, SH3 and SH2 domains. Small molecules that allosterically regulate ABL kinase activity through its non-catalytic domains may represent selective probes of ABL […]

Autophagy is a dynamic catabolic process that plays a major role in sequestering and recycling cellular components in multiple physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Despite recent progress in our understanding of the autophagic process there is still a shortage of robust methods for monitoring autophagy in live cells. Flow cytometry, a reliable and unbiased method for […]

G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) is an orphan receptor, discovered in 1998, that has garnered interest as a potential therapeutic target through its association with a range of diseases. However, a lack of pharmacological tools and the absence of convincingly defined endogenous ligands have hampered the understanding of function necessary to exploit it therapeutically. Although […]

AIM OF THE STUDY: The tumor metastases targeting ruthenium complex NAMI-A synergistically improves the activity of gemcitabine in combination therapies. High-throughput screening was used to identify other potential drug combinations from a library of FDA approved drugs. Doxorubicin was identified as a hit compound and was therefore evaluated in combination with NAMI-A in vitro and […]

Multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) effluxes a wide variety of drugs and endogenous signaling molecules from cells and has been proposed as an attractive therapeutic target in several solid tumors, including neuroblastoma and colorectal cancer. MRP4 also regulates the pharmacokinetics of its drug substrates and its absence can increase their tissue penetration. We observed that […]

PURPOSE: Drug repositioning strategies were employed to explore new therapeutic indications for existing drugs that may exhibit dual negative mGluR1/5 modulating activities as potential treatments for neuropathic pain. METHOD: A customized in silico-in vitro-in vivo drug repositioning scheme was assembled and implemented to search available drug libraries for compounds with dual mGluR1/5 antagonistic activities, that […]

Bacteria coordinate a variety of social behaviors, important for both environmental and pathogenic bacteria, through a process of intercellular chemical signaling known as quorum sensing (QS). As microbial resistance to antibiotics grows more common, a critical need has emerged to develop novel anti-infective therapies, such as an ability to attenuate bacterial pathogens by means of […]

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is a multifunctional enzyme that plays numerous roles, notably in brain development. CDK5 is activated through its association with the activators, p35 and p39, rather than by cyclins. Proteolytic procession of the N-terminal part of its activators has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and various other neuropathies. The interaction with the […]