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Simulating for Safety

Dec 17, 2008

The Wall Street Journal reports that FDA will be using simulations to try to identify safety and effectiveness problems in drugs under development. The simulation technology, developed by Entelos, will be used to test three drugs under investigation for heart-related conditions. "The agreement is part of a broader effort by the FDA to get an earlier read on the safety and efficacy of new drugs and to identify the characteristics of patients that lead some to benefit from a drug while others are at risk of a bad outcome," says the article.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.