Article

Seeking to Improve Quality of Life for Children with Achondroplasia

  For children with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism, scientists are exploring new ways to restore bone growth and potentially address some of the major health complications with the condition, such as spinal problems, swelling in the brain, frequent ear infections and sleep apnea.   Achondroplasia is a rare genetic bone disorder affecting 1 in 15,000 to 40,000 people in the U.S. The average height for men with the condition is about 4 feet, 4 inches and for women it’s 4 feet...

Mending Broken Walls: 5 Insights About Gut Health Helping IBD Patients

Our skin is the most visible barrier that separates our bodies from the outside world. But deep inside the body, we have another critical wall, the gut epithelial barrier, which helps to block pathogens and toxins, while selectively allowing nutrients and water to be absorbed.  “The gut is a very exciting and dynamic kind of barrier,” says Marion Kasaian, Head of Epithelial Biology based at Pfizer’s Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts research site. “It has a larger surface area than skin...

Meet the New Digital Assistants Transforming Patient Medical Information

  Pfizer’s trio of recently launched digital assistants, Medibot in the US, Fabi in Brazil and Maibo in Japan, make it easier for patients and healthcare providers to access medical information. Meet Fabi, a digital assistant with an easy smile and brown curly hair who can make small talk in Portuguese and answer hundreds of questions related to Pfizer’s medicines in Brazil.   While chatbots have been around for consumer and retail use for more than two decades, Pfizer is leading the...

Strategies for Managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Symptoms

When biologics to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were first released over two decades ago, they greatly improved quality of life for many patients. But these first-generation therapies have their shortcomings. Fewer than half of patients treated with these inflammation-blocking drugs will be in remission after one year of treatment. These treatments can also suppress the immune system, making patients vulnerable to infection.But now, thanks to advancements in our understanding of the...

Real People

Eric Hudson: A Lens on Life

I’m a husband and father. A busy regional business director at Pfizer. An endurance athlete. And very grateful to be here. A few years ago, I was training for an Ironman when my left calf became swollen and tight after a long run. I went to an orthopedic surgeon, who did an ultrasound that showed a deep vein thrombosis in my left thigh. After I was admitted to the hospital, an ultrasound showed a pulmonary embolus in one lung. My life changed in that moment. Now I am managing my condition and...

Real People

Dear Scientist: NASH - Meet Ann-Marie

As a bridge between patients and scientists, our own Ann-Marie Richard connects with patients like Jenni Tucker – who was diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis at age 19 – to learn about their experiences with NASH, insights that can help guide research toward patients’ needs.

Science & Innovation

Behind the Breakthroughs: The Scientists Behind Pfizer’s Cancer Research

Have you ever wondered what makes a cancer researcher tick, or how the pursuit of life-changing treatments became their life’s work? How about what keeps them up at night, and what goes through their mind when an experiment fails? And what about the things that inspire and motivate them every day in the lab? Click on the videos below to find out, and to get to know the talented scientists at Pfizer who are working to deliver the next wave of cancer breakthroughs.   Meet Our Scientists

The Rise of RNA: The Cellular Workhorse Behind a New Class of Next-Gen Therapies

In a new Get Science series, we’re exploring how recent insights into RNA’s role in a variety of biological processes are helping scientists develop promising scientific breathroughs that may lead to new medicines for diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune conditions. A workhorse in the factory Among RNA’s most important roles is the transcription and delivery of genetic instructions from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where proteins are made. RNA also has catalytic, structural and regulatory...

Living & Wellbeing

Using ‘Omics to Understand the Rise in Breast Cancers Among Young Asians

By Get Science Staff - This article originally published on Get Science Asian women, compared to their counterparts in western countries, are diagnosed with breast cancer at earlier ages and face a worse prognosis. In an effort to better understand this patient population, scientists from Pfizer and Samsung Medical Center (SMC) in Seoul, Korea, have embarked on a multi-phase project to do multi-omic profiling of the tumors of some 187 younger Korean breast cancer patients. Multi-omics refers...

Science & Innovation

Attacking Cancer Cells That Develop Resistance

By Get Science Staff - This article originally published on Get Science 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 —...

Purpose & Ideals

Steps to a Stronger Doctor-Patient Relationship

ul.custom-margin { margin-top: 15px; } We’re dedicated to sharing the perspectives of people affected by chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). That’s why we created Arthritis.com, a place where people living with RA can find inspiration, lifestyle advice, tools and disease information. Following is an article from Arthritis.com contributor and editorial board member Ara Dikranian, M.D. Dr. Dikranian was compensated by Pfizer to share his perspective as a...

Living & Wellbeing

Four Things to Know About Managing Your Rheumatoid Arthritis with Your Doctor

We’re dedicated to sharing the perspectives of people affected by chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). That’s why we created Arthritis.com, a place where people living with RA can find inspiration, lifestyle advice, tools and disease information. Following is an article from Arthritis.com contributor and editorial board member Ara Dikranian, M.D.Managing a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires an equal partnership between doctors and patients. Here...