Article
Featured Articles
Read our latest stories on the people and scientific innovations making a difference in patients’ lives.
A Superbug Problem: When Routine Surgeries Turn Dangerous
You go in for an elective knee replacement surgery, hoping to be able to climb the stairs again without pain, and end up with more than you bargained for: a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus (also referred to as S. aureus, Staphylococcus, or staph infection.) S. aureus is a common bacterium found on the skin and in the nose that is usually harmless. This all changes if it enters the body through cuts and grazes. To compound this in recent years...
Attacking Cancer Cells That Develop Resistance
When cancer patients receive therapy for an extended time, they often face the specter of drug resistance as tumor cells mutate and find ways to evade the cancer-killing medicines. Exploring new ways to disarm rogue cells that have developed resistance is a major field of modern cancer research. One way to address the issue of resistance is to attack cancer through the fundamental processes that drive their core mission — to multiply unchecked and invade healthy organs. Unlike traditional...
When Cancers Develop Resistance, ‘Stealthy’ Medicines Can Help
In the quest for better cancer therapies, Dr. Martin Edwards is one of the scientists on the frontlines informally known as “drug hunters.” His preoccupation these days is hunting for medicines that are more “stealthy” in their fight against cancer tumors—especially tumors that are resistant to conventional treatments. “There are people today who get cancer for which there is no treatment. Our job is to invent medicines that provide options and give them hope,” says Edwards, Vice President...
The Great Migration: Tracking Immune Cells’ Travels
Scientists are studying how immune cells move to develop better treatments for autoimmune diseases. Birds migrate. People migrate. And so do cells. T-cells squeezing between collagen fibers. PLOS ONE/Coles JA Our immune cells, in particular, are always on the move, constantly patrolling the body for foreign invaders. If an unwelcome visitor enters through the nose, mouth or eyes, or there’s a break in the skin, these nimble soldiers are ready to flood the attack site and send out signals...
Smallpox Vanquished
Once one of the world’s deadliest diseases, smallpox’s complete eradication was the result of a worldwide deployment of a vaccine begun 50 years ago. To date it’s still the only human disease ever to disappear from Earth. Considered one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, alongside the likes of getting a man on the moon, and one of the greatest medical feats in all of human history, smallpox was officially declared eradicated from the planet in 1980. The big push for its...
Checking Our Gut Microorganisms’ Disease-Fighting Might
New gene sequencing tech is helping researchers harness the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in our bodies to fight disease. At this very moment, trillions of bacteria and other germs are swimming in your gut and crawling on your skin. While the thought may make you cringe, these microscopic squatters — collectively known as the human microbiome — are essential to our survival. And now a growing body of research shows how this microbiome could point the way to new treatments and a...
foundations-science
What a Porcupine Quill Can Teach Us About Making Better Needles
Taking a design cue from the animal world, mimicking a porcupine quill might help make a more effective—and less painful—needle. A porcupine’s quill barbs may be microscopic, but they have mighty staying power. Ask any curious dog who’s run afoul of a porcupine. Some researchers are hoping to translate that natural ability into improved needles. In particular, a team of researchers at Harvard looked at the North American porcupine, which has about 30,000 quills covering their back as a...
Immunity’s Double-Edged Sword
Human’s complex immune system is the vanquisher of pathogens, but it can also turn on itself. In a stroke of “evolutionary brilliance,” according to Pfizer immunologist Aaron Winkler, humans and other higher organisms developed specialized immune systems that protect us from the vast diversity of pathogens found in nature, from flu viruses to pinworms. Through random genetic variation, our bodies constantly generate millions of new white blood cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system...
advancing-medical-research
Meet Your Body’s Energy Thermostat
AMPK controls hunger, helps burn calories and fat, and may help treat diabetes and cancer. It’s almost lunchtime. Your stomach is growling and you can’t stop thinking about your next meal. We’ve all experienced the sensation of hunger, but ever wonder how your body turns on and off its hankering for food? Scientists from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea have recently provided additional evidence to show how an enzyme produced in a part of our brain...
Media Resources & Contact Information
Anyone may view our press releases, press statements, and press kits. However, to ensure that customers, investors, and others receive the appropriate attention, Pfizer Media Contacts may only respond to calls and emails from professional journalists.