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Medicinal Chemistry News

UF Health researchers’ holistic approach to patient care selected as Editors Choice

UF Health researchers’ holistic approach to patient care selected as Editors Choice Although some health care providers may overlook alternative therapies when treating functional bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, University of Florida faculty members have found evidence that hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy may benefit patients suffering from…

A Florida coastal seaweed could help fend off cancers and inflammatory diseases

A new defense against prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the United States, may come from a seaweed found off the coast of Florida. University of Florida pharmacy researchers have screened various seaweeds with cancer-preventive potential and identified one that shows particular promise. They isolated specific compounds…

University of Florida chosen to lead national distance education consortium

The American Distance Education Consortium has appointed Ian Tebbett, Ph.D., director of the University of Florida online forensic science master’s program, as its new president and CEO. Tebbett, whose leadership appointment began July 1, has served on ADEC’s board of directors since 2009. “I am honored to take on this…

UF Offers Specialized Pharm.D. Summer Elective Courses Online

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy is offering relevant pharmacy electives to student pharmacists at any institution who want to get ahead this summer. Accepted by many top pharmacy schools nationally, UF has six Pharm.D. electives for students to choose from. Taught entirely online, these UF College of Pharmacy…

Charter Fellow, National Academy of Inventors

A distinguished professor emeritus of medicinal chemistry at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has been named a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Raymond J. Bergeron, Ph.D., who was a Duckworth eminent scholar of drug development, was recognized in February along with four…

UF medicinal chemists modify sea bacteria byproduct for use as potential cancer drug

University of Florida pharmacy researchers have modified a toxic chemical produced by tiny marine microbes and successfully deployed it against laboratory models of colon cancer. Writing today in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, UF medicinal chemists describe how they took a generally lethal byproduct of marine cyanobacteria and made it more specifically toxic — to cancer cells. When the scientists gave low doses of the compound to mice with a form of colon cancer, they found that it inhibited tumor growth without the overall poisonous effect of the natural product. Even at relatively high doses, the agent was effective and safe.

New findings on UF marine compound shows versatility, from anti-tumor agent to bone regeneration

A promising medicinal compound discovered in a marine organism by University of Florida pharmacy researchers is showing its versatility against multiple diseases. Having already demonstrated its power as an anti-tumor agent, largazole, produced by a cyanobacterium inhabiting coral reefs, has shown a new potential benefit for treating serious fractures, osteoporosis and other bone diseases, according to a study reported this week in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters online.