Over the past decade, collaborative research efforts to support the discovery and development of medicines has increased dramatically. Last month, the National Institutes of Health and Eli Lilly and Company announced a new collaboration: they will generate a publicly available resource to profile the effects of thousands of approved and investigational medicines in a variety of advanced disease-relevant testing systems [1]. In-depth knowledge of the biological profiles of these medicines may enable researchers to better predict treatment outcomes, improve drug development, and lead to more specific and effective approaches.
NIH and Lilly Collaborate, Aim to Make Drug Development Pipelines More Productive
Health Highlights – June 18th, 2009
Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.
- Failure’s ROI | phil baumann online
Phil Baumann draws a connection between today’s omnipresent theme to succeed, grief and failure, and the evolving world of social media. Angels fall fast from the sky, but roots grow deep in the darkness.
- SPF 100 Sunblock | Mark’s Daily Apple
Mark Sisson highlights a recent New York Times article describing seriously misleading marketing lingo regarding SPF measures. The take-home message? Use the normal SPF 30, use clothing and shade to protect your skin, and limit your time in the sun.
- Elsewhere on the web – May 2009 | Cancer Research UK – Science Update
The Science Update blog at Cancer Research UK presents a great video describing the differences between skin burns and sunburn. You can triple your risk of melanoma (the most serious type of skin cancer) by getting a painful sunburn just once every two years, so don’t let sunburn catch you out.
- Makes My Blood Boil | Mark’s Daily Apple
Another great article by Mark Sisson describes a recent medical scare over blood pressure (BP). While the medical profession may recommend testing for BP once a year, you’d be better off buying a home-testing monitor and regularly checking your BP.
- Is translational research impaired by an emphasis on basic science? | Science-Based Medicine
Tim Kreider shares his view on a recent Newsweek editorial critical of academia and the process of bench-to-bedside research. He advances that the process of science is slow and winding by necessity and scientists should be conservative about sending new therapies to the clinic.
- When do we peak mentally – depends on what mental ability we are talking about | Brain Health Hacks
Think you're at the top of your game? Maybe, maybe not. Ward Plunet at Brain Health Hacks reviews data from a longitudinal study on mental ability as we age.
- Swine Flu Monitor: World Health Organization May Raise Alert Level | ThePatientReport.com
As the WHO contemplates raising the pandemic alert level, ThePatientReport.com explains what a pandemic actually measures.