Drug Facts in Media

Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the drug, even among younger and otherwise healthy adults. The findings are from a retrospective study of over 4.6 million people and a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies.

New active ingredients such as antibodies are usually tested individually in laboratory animals. Researchers have now developed a technology that can be used to test around 25 antibodies simultaneously in a single mouse. This should not only speed up the research and development pipeline for new drugs, but also hugely reduce the number of laboratory animals required.

With the long-term goal of creating living cells from non-living components, scientists in the field of synthetic biology work with RNA origami. This tool uses the multifunctionality of the natural RNA biomolecule to fold new building blocks, making protein synthesis superfluous. In pursuit of the artificial cell, a research team has cleared a crucial hurdle. Using the RNA origami technique, they succeeded in producing nanotubes that fold into cytoskeleton-like structures.

A research team has developed a new system to estimate a person's biological age -- a measure of how well their body has aged, rather than just counting the years since birth. Using just five drops of blood, this new method analyzes 22 key steroids and their interactions to provide a more precise health assessment. The team's breakthrough study offers a potential step forward in personalized health management, allowing for earlier detection of age-related health risks and tailored interventions.

New research expands on current understanding of the brain chemical dopamine, finding that it plays a role in reducing the value of memories associated with rewards. The study opens new avenues for understanding dopamine's role in the brain.

A recently completed study found that certain terpenes in Cannabis sativa are effective at relieving post-surgical and fibromyalgia pain in preclinical models.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, causing inflammation and damaging organs. A new study has now shown that the natural active ingredient gluconolactone restores immune regulation, reduces inflammation and could enable targeted therapy with fewer side effects.