'Nose' detects drug side-effects

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Scottish scientists are developing a "nose" which aims to help cut the time it takes to develop new medicines.

The device will use 1,000 sensors to find out how human cells react to drugs far quicker than conventional methods.

It is said to be able to discover potential side-effects in four days, a stage which currently takes a year.

The molecular nose is being developed by experts at the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, who hope to have it ready for use in four years.

Researchers said that if the possible side-effects of drugs were pinpointed, scientists would not need to waste time developing medicines which were likely to fail when they reach clinical trials.

Developing new drugs can take up to 15 years and only one in 30 tested in clinical trials are approved for use on patients.

The nose works by assessing how a human cell responds to particular drugs and recording the pattern of responses, known as a signature pattern.

When drugs cause headaches, dizziness or liver toxicity, there is a signature pattern for each side-effect.

The nose will also identify the signature patterns of successful drugs which new drugs can imitate Professor Walter KolchUniversity of Glasgow

If scientists test a new drug and see the signature pattern for a certain side-effect, they will know the drug is not viable and discard it.

The Scottish scientists hope to build up a huge bank of signature patterns for side-effects so that they can recognise any potential ill-effects when they test a new medicine.

They said the nose could also cut the need to test on animals, as it would quickly weed out drugs which were toxic.

Professor Walter Kolch, lead researcher at the University of Glasgow, said: "With the molecular nose, you could take a number of drugs that have known side effects and establish the signature patterns for the side effects which can therefore be avoided.

"The nose will also identify the signature patterns of successful drugs which new drugs can imitate.

"This would create an efficient pre-screening system for drug development."

Professor Kolch said the main reason for drugs failing to pass clinical trials was the potential side effects.

"We hope that by being able to predict the side-effects we will be able to contribute a much better basis for making a decision on whether the drug should go forward or not," he said.