SingleDose

Researchers have developed a single-dose genetic therapy that can clear protein blockages that cause motor neurone disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia, two incurable neurodegenerative diseases that eventually lead to death.In healthy neurons, TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is naturally produced and important for their healthy function. However, TDP-43 can be modified after synthesis, leading to its accumulation and aggregation in the wrong part of the cells, preventing them…

An effective single-dose, long-term treatment for anxiety could be within reach, with the phase 2b clinical trial of MM-120 reported to have passed the stage with flying colors. The makers, MindMed, now plan to hold an end-of-phase meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2024, and then get a phase 3 trial under way.MM-120 is essentially lysergide D-tartrate, which is best known by its abbreviation, LSD. A synthetic tryptamine, this serotonergic hallucinogen acts as a partial agonist at serotonin…

Researchers have developed a single-dose powdered vaccine that is inhaled directly into the lungs to produce an effective immune response. The vaccine can deliver multiple antigens, meaning one dose could provide broad-spectrum protection against several respiratory viruses.The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to advances in vaccine technologies, including the now well-known mRNA vaccines. Most of these are administered by intramuscular injection, which produces a humoral – a body fluid, not cell-based – immunity…

According to a recent large, multi-country clinical trial, the risk of postpartum sepsis and death in women who plan to deliver vaginally can be reduced by one-third by administering a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin.Azithromycin is a low-cost, broad-spectrum antibiotic that is commonly used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections such as respiratory infections, skin infections, ear, nose and throat infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).Although highly preventable, sepsis is the leading…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)A three-in-one drug combo can help people with a history of heart attacks stay healthy, new research shows. The randomized clinical trial found that people who took the bundled medication, also known as a polypill, went on to experience fewer heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular-related deaths than those given standard care. The findings may pave the way for the polypill to become a common heart treatment moving forward.The basic concept of the polypill has been around for over two…