Drug Development
Johns Hopkins team finds delta-type glutamate receptors function as ligand-gated ion channels
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Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that delta-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (GluDs)—long debated as to whether they conduct ions—can act as ligand-gated ion channels. The Nature study used cryo-electron microscopy and membrane recording experiments to characterize human GluD2 and found it can be activated by the neurotransmitters D-serine and GABA, findings the authors say could help guide drug development for disorders linked to GluD mutations.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have synthesized cage-shaped molecules featuring unusually warped double bonds, defying long-held principles of organic chemistry. This breakthrough builds on their 2024 overturning of Bredt's rule and could influence future drug design. The findings appear in Nature Chemistry.
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Scientists have developed a promising compound called CMX410 that inhibits a key enzyme in the tuberculosis bacterium, showing effectiveness against drug-resistant strains. The discovery, published in Nature, emerges from collaborative research funded by the Gates Foundation. Early tests suggest it could enable shorter, safer treatments for the world's deadliest infectious disease.