Recent Progress in Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences

The field of Pharmaceutical Sciences is a dynamic and ever-evolving domain that plays a crucial role in improving global health. Recent research breakthroughs have the potential to revolutionize drug development, enhance patient care, and address pressing medical challenges. In this article, we delve into some of the latest advancements that are shaping the future of pharmaceuticals.

1. Overheating Strategy to Combat Cancer

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are extensively distributed throughout cells. They play a crucial role as molecular chaperones and regulate various cellular processes, such as metabolism, growth, differentiation, cell signaling, and programmed cell death. However, in cancers, HSPs are frequently overexpressed and associated with tumor advancement and metastasis, as well as in acquiring drug resistance against chemotherapeutic agents, leading to poor prognosis [1]. Traditionally, cancer treatments have focused on inhibiting tumor growth. However, a novel approach has emerged: overheating cancer cells. Researchers intentionally raise the temperature of cancer cells, pushing them beyond their comfort zone. Surprisingly, this strategy weakens cancer cells and exposes their vulnerabilities. By targeting these weaknesses, scientists hope to develop more effective treatments. While this concept is still in its early stages, it represents a paradigm shift in cancer therapy.

2. Safer Drug Discovery Techniques

Drug discovery is a complex process that involves identifying potential compounds and assessing their safety and efficacy. Recent advancements have led to safer and more efficient drug discovery techniques. These methods reduce reliance on animal testing and accelerate the identification of promising drug candidates. By integrating computational models, high-throughput screening, and organ-on-a-chip technology, researchers can predict drug behavior more accurately. Ultimately, this translates to faster drug development and fewer adverse effects. The field of drug discovery has experienced a remarkable transformation with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. However, as these AI and ML models are becoming more complex, there is a growing need for transparency and interpretability of the models [2].

3. Combating Tuberculosis with Cancer Therapies

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is estimated to cause 13% of all antimicrobial resistance-attributable deaths worldwide and is driven by both ongoing resistance acquisition and person-to-person transmission [3]. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge. Granulomas, the immune system’s response to TB infection, often hinder drug delivery. Drawing inspiration from cancer research, scientists have identified medications that improve blood flow within granulomas. By repurposing existing cancer drugs, they aim to enhance drug penetration and efficacy in TB treatment. This innovative approach bridges the gap between oncology and infectious diseases, potentially revolutionizing TB management.

4. Venetoclax: A Dual-Action Drug

Venetoclax–azacitidine is a new standard for elderly or unfit acute myeloid leukemia patients. Nevertheless, resistance remains a matter of concern [4]. Venetoclax, originally approved for leukemia treatment, has shown promise in multiple myeloma. When combined with another drug, it exhibits dual action: inducing cancer cell death and preventing their survival. This breakthrough opens new avenues for treating multiple myeloma, a challenging hematological malignancy. Clinical trials are underway to explore optimal dosing and patient selection. Venetoclax exemplifies the power of repurposing existing drugs for different indications.

In conclusion, the landscape of pharmaceutical research is marked by innovation, collaboration, and a relentless pursuit of better health outcomes. As scientists continue to unravel the complexities of diseases, we can anticipate more breakthroughs that will transform patient care and redefine the future of medicine. Let us celebrate these achievements and remain curious about what lies ahead in the fascinating world of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

List of top most journals in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024)

What is open access journal?

An open access journal is an academic journal that publishes scholarly papers and makes the content available for access, download, reading, and distribution without charging subscription fees. People commonly refer to open access journals as “free journals” since users do not have to pay to read or use their contents. In the general context, it is somehow correct. But technically, most open access journals use Creative Commons licenses, which are public licenses that allow content usage and impose certain restrictions, if any. Such restrictions may include attribution, modifications, and non-commercialization. Open access journals are growing in popularity and are well respected in academia. Major databases such as the Directory of Open Access Publishing have begun focusing on indexing and promoting high-quality open access journals. More established databases have also followed suit. The presence of established databases in promoting open access journals is an important validation and recognition of open research.

Read More: Recent Progress in Research in Education Sciences

What is open peer review?

Open peer review (OPR), where review reports and reviewers’ identities are published alongside the articles, represents one of the last aspects of the open science movement to be widely embraced, although its adoption has been growing since the turn of the century (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5]. Open peer review refers to various modifications of the traditional scholarly peer review process. These modifications aim to address perceived shortcomings of the conventional system. Here are the three common forms of open peer review:

1. Open Identities:

• In open peer review, authors and reviewers are aware of each other’s identities. Unlike traditional peer review, where reviewers remain anonymous to anyone but the journal’s editors, open peer review allows transparency by revealing reviewer names to authors.
• However, reviewer identities may or may not be disclosed to the public.

2. Open Reports:

• Under this model, review reports are made public, rather than being confidentially shared only with the article’s authors. This includes publishing not only the reviewers’ comments but also the authors’ responses and editors’ recommendations.
• Typically, this applies to articles accepted for publication, not those that are rejected.

3. Open Participation:

• In open peer review, self-selected reviewers (beyond invited experts) can comment on an article. The assumption is that the article’s content is openly accessible.
• These self-selected reviewers may contribute either brief comments or comprehensive reviews.
• The text of the article is openly available, allowing broader community participation in the review process.

The adoption of open peer review aims to enhance transparency, provide incentives, reduce wastefulness, and address issues like bullying and harassment in scholarly communication.

What are the benefits of Open Peer Review?

Open peer review (OPR) is a transparent process that allows scholarly articles to be evaluated by experts in the field, while also revealing the identities of both authors and reviewers. OPR can improve the quality of research by:

• Encouraging constructive feedback: Openness in the identities of authors and reviewers can lead to better quality feedback rather than simply rejecting the paper.
• Reducing bias: Everything is openly available to all, which can reduce the possibility of bias.
• Empowering authors: Authors can lead the process by suggesting reviewers themselves.
• Improving accountability: The quality of current scientific publications is at stake.
• Encouraging collaboration: OPR encourages collaboration and promotes diversity of perspectives, ultimately leading to more robust and credible research outcomes.
• Providing learning opportunities: OPR places a research work in the context of a discussion, and gives authors, readers and others a chance to better understand the process from the initial manuscript submission to final published version.
• Exposing possible conflicts of interest: OPR may help to expose possible conflicts of interest in some cases.

Adoption of OPR by publishers (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5]

 A summary of the most prolific publishers contributing to OPR and their headquarters country appears below. Although many journals today attract an international audience and are managed by international teams of researchers, the prevalence of OPR journals associated with publishers based in Europe stands out. Twenty-four of the 38 (63.2%) identified publishers are based in Europe and account for 445 out of the 617 titles (72.1%). Although the publishers are based in Europe, many of the journals they publish may support journals originating from other areas of the world (e.g., Kowsar). Furthermore, 500 of the OPR journals (81.0%) are published by only five publishers (MDPI, SDI, BioMed Central, Frontiers Media S.A., Kowsar). This points to the important role that publishers have played to date in the promotion of OPR (Wolfram etal., 2020) [5].

1. *United Kingdom (19 journals), United States (9), Argentina (1), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), France (1), Germany (1), Ireland (1), Kenya (1), The Netherlands (1), Switzerland (1)

List of open Peer-review journals in pharmaceutical sciences (2024)

1. Pharmaceuticals (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceuticals)
2. Pharmacy (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmacy)
3. Scientia Pharmaceutica (Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/scipharm)
4. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences (Website: https://jphcs.biomedcentral.com)
5. Journal of Reports in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Website: https://brieflands.com/journals/journal-of-reports-in-pharmaceutical-sciences)
6. Asian Journal of Research in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Website: https://journalajrimps.com)
7. International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Case Reports (Website: https://journalijmpcr.com)
8. Journal of Advances in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Website: https://journaljamps.com)
9. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International (Website: https://journaljpri.com)

References

1. Somu, P., Mohanty, S., Basavegowda, N., Yadav, A. K., Paul, S., & Baek, K. H. (2024). The Interplay between Heat Shock Proteins and Cancer Pathogenesis: A Novel Strategy for Cancer Therapeutics. Cancers, 16(3), 638.
2. Alizadehsani, R., Oyelere, S. S., Hussain, S., Jagatheesaperumal, S. K., Calixto, R. R., Rahouti, M., … & De Albuquerque, V. H. C. (2024). Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Drug Discovery and Development-A Comprehensive Survey. IEEE Access.
3. Farhat, M., Cox, H., Ghanem, M., Denkinger, C. M., Rodrigues, C., Abd El Aziz, M. S., … & Pai, M. (2024). Drug-resistant tuberculosis: a persistent global health concern. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 1-19.
4. Garciaz, S., Hospital, M. A., Collette, Y., & Vey, N. (2024). Venetoclax Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers, 16(6), 1091.
5. Wolfram, D., Wang, P., Hembree, A. et al. Open peer review: promoting transparency in open science. Scientometrics 125, 1033–1051 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03488-4