JUPITER, FL, September 4, 2011 In a joint study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Harvard University's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have established a new class of anti-diabetic compound that targets a unique molecular switch.
The finding paves the way for the development of anti-diabetic therapeutics with minimal adverse side effects plaguing currently available drugs such as Avandia (rosiglitazone), scheduled to be removed from pharmacy shelves this fall due to concerns about increased risk of heart attack.
The new study, led by Patrick R. Griffin, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Therapeutics at Scripps Florida, Bruce Spiegelman, professor of cell biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Theodore Kamenecka, associate scientific director of medicinal chemistry at Scripps Florida, was published September 4, 2011, in the journal Nature. The study describes a new compound known as SR1664.
"In this study, we demonstrate that we have discovered novel compounds that work effectively through a unique mechanism of action on a well-validated clinical target for diabetes," said Griffin. "This unique mechanism of action appears to significantly limit side effects associated with marketed drugs. This study is a great example of interdisciplinary, inter-institutional collaboration with chemistry, biochemistry, structural biology, and pharmacology."
"It appears that we may have an opportunity to develop entire new classes of drugs for diabetes and perhaps other metabolic disorders," said Spiegelman.
Diabetes affects nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States, according to the America Diabetes Association.
A Viable Therapeutic Target
The study follows previous research by the authors published last year in Nature (Volume 466, Issue 7305, 451-456) that suggested an obesity-linked mechanism that may be involved in the development of insulin-resi
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| Contact: Mika Ono mikaono@scripps.edu 858-784-2052 Scripps Research Institute Source:Eurekalert |