Drug Discovery and Development

Mock organs the size of a thumb drive are poised to revolutionize drug development and discovery. Dr. Dan Tagle at the NIH, the latest guest on Brilliant Science, specializes in divining new ways to innovate organs-on-chips, and he’s even sending them to space. Read more about this growing technology and its fascinating applications.

Frost & Sullivan, a business consulting firm involved in market research and analysis, conducted a thought leadership forum that brought together experts in the field of CNS biomarkers. Follow their discussions about technological advancements in the field and future implications of the current research and development.

The Brilliant Science podcasts will introduce you to some of the amazing science being done around the world. Join us every month to see what you can learn.

For the past 30 years, there has been one assumed culprit of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) — beta-amyloid. However, researchers have been unsuccessful in developing effective therapies targeting this protein. Understand the history of AD and beta-amyloid and see what other biomarkers are being investigated as potential therapeutic targets.

Ever wonder how football is linked to degenerative brain disease? Find out here. Also, learn about novel biomarkers for traumatic brain injury (TBI), the current state of TBI research, and promising new approaches for developing a robust diagnostic tool. Discover tests currently used to diagnose TBI and read about unusual techniques used to develop reliable biomarkers.

R-loops are being investigated as potential therapeutic targets for cancer. Find out what they are, how they form, how their formation is controlled by our cells, and, above all, their potential as therapeutic targets.

How well do you understand your microbiota? Dr. Allyson Byrd of Genentech, the fourth guest on Brilliant Science, is a bioinformatician focusing on parsing all the data our microbiomes have to offer. Read about the value of analyzing microbiota and how Dr. Byrd hopes to leverage the results.

Single-cell techniques offer exciting, new ways to understand personalized medicine and research. Developing these techniques at Bio-Rad is Dr. Kelly Kaihara, the third guest on Brilliant Science. Read about what makes single-cell analysis different and Kaihara’s perspective on its potential moving forward.

Immuno-oncology, or cancer immunotherapy, research focuses heavily on the various types of cells and their behavior in cancer, so the use of flow cytometry to interrogate these cells is a no brainer. See how flow cytometry fits in this growing field of research and how it can help identify new targets and improve drug design to generate more effective and safer cancer therapeutics.

Our immune systems could soon hold the key to rewriting disease and disorder treatments. Studying the inner workings of the immune system’s primary weapon, the macrophage, with the help of CRISPR is Dr. Adam Hoppe at SDSU. Read more about his exciting work and what he hopes to accomplish next.