One drug, many diseases
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

It seems too good to be true: a single drug that could treat humanity`s worst afflictions, including atherosclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer`s, Parkinson`s and arthritis. All of these diseases have one thing in common-they involve an inflammatory protein called NLRP3. Now, biotech start-ups and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop drugs that inhibit the function of this protein, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.