thebiostories

🌏 Available in: English | 한국어 How Was Venetoclax Developed? The Australian Story Behind a Breakthrough Cancer Therapy ⏱ In 30 Seconds ✓ Venetoclax is a targeted cancer medicine that blocks BCL-2 , a protein that helps some cancer cells survive. ✓ Its development grew from decades of fundamental research into programmed cell death, or apoptosis . ✓ Scientists at WEHI played a key role in transforming BCL-2 from a biological discovery into a therapeutic target. ✓ Venetoclax is now used to treat several blood cancers, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia . A Personal Note During my years at WEHI, I had the chance to see the later stages of the Venetoclax story unfolding around me, as clinical trials progressed and decades of research moved towards a treatment that could actually reach patients. I knew at the time that it was an important scientific achievement. But recently, I happened to read blogs where people with bl...

🌏 Available in: English | 한국어 Decoding Drug Names: Why “-mab,” “-nib” and “-clax” Aren’t Random Generic drug names may look complicated, but many contain clues about how the medicine works. ⏱ In 30 Seconds ✓ Generic drug names are created through internationally coordinated systems rather than chosen purely for marketing. ✓ Shared word fragments called stems can indicate a drug’s pharmacological family or mechanism. ✓ Names ending in -nib usually identify kinase inhibitors, while -toclax identifies BCL-2-family inhibitors. ✓ Older antibody medicines commonly end in -mab , although the WHO has introduced a new naming system for newly named antibodies. ✓ A stem provides a useful clue, but it does not reveal the complete target, indication, safety profile or route of administration. A Personal Note This article started with a question I asked myself: why do so many drug names seem to end in the same way? I knew names such as -mab , -nib and -clax w...