Emerging Drug Discovery Targets 6th May

Emerging Drug Discovery Targets

from LeadDiscovery

6th May 2004

to view this alert on line please go to http://www.leaddiscovery.co.uk/TherapeuticAdvances%20Archive/May%206th%20emerging%20targets.htm

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"Emerging Drug Discovery Targets" provides a twice monthly summary of some of the most exciting breaking information recently featured by the pharmaceutical analysts, LeadDiscovery. Information includes editorials on recently published journal articles, selected press releases and "intelligence reports". Our target audience includes business development personnel, senior management and researchers within the drug development sector as well as bioscience investors and analysts.

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In this edition:

• Editorial comment on selected journal articles
  • MBD2 inhibition identified as a selective strategy for reducing tumor growth [more]
  • NicOx's NO-ASA, NCX 4040, reduces the developement of intestinal tumors [more]
  • MIF as a target for atherogenesis [more]
  • COX-2 inhibitors limit cachexia as well as tumor progression [more]
  • Dual MMP and TACE inhibition as a treatment of rheumatoid arthritis [more]
• TherapyUpdate
  • Osteoporosis: R&D innovations to drive growth in osteoporosis market [more]
• A fortnight in Drug Development: Advances from industry [more]
  • New regulatory activity surrounding the use of Centocor's REMICADE
  • AstraZeneca Submits Regulatory Application in Europe for the Use of Atacand in the Treatment of Heart Failure
  • Important activity in the development of disease modifying Alzheimer's disease therapeutics
  • Roche cancer drug trial succeeds two years early & news on the world's largest drug library developed to date
• Today's breaking scientific publications for the drug development community [more]
• This week's licensing opportunities [more]
• New Reports:
  • Oncology[more]
  • Inflammation & Infectious Disease[more]
  • New Technologies & General Reports[more]
  • Metabolic Disorders[more]
  • CNS Disorders & Hyperalgesia[more]
  • Internal medicine[more]
  • Skeletal Disorders[more]
• Emerging Drug Discovery Targets archive

Editorial comment on selected journal articles

MBD2 inhibition identified as a selective strategy for reducing tumor growth: CpG island hypermethylation is known to be associated with gene silencing in cancer. Consequently, methylated DNA binding proteins (MBDs) which recognize methylated DNA are pharmacological targets. MBD2 is one such target and Moshe Szyf’s group at McGill University have now demonstrated that antisense inhibitors of MBD2 inhibit anchorage-independent growth of cancer cell lines in vitro and xenografts in vivo...[more on these findings]

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NicOx's NO-ASA, NCX 4040, reduces the development of intestinal tumors:  Cancers of the colon and rectum remain responsible for 56,000 deaths every year in the US, second only to lung cancer. The global market for this sub-type of cancer was estimated to be worth approximately US$1 billion in 2001 (for a full analysis of therapeutic and market opportunities for colon cancer click here). In addition to treating diagnosed cancers with agents such as camptosar, chemoprevention of colon cancer is also attractive and aspirin (ASA) has emerged as the prototypical chemoprevention agent. In this edition of TherapeuticAdvances we highlight three reports on the development of NSAIDs for the prevention or treatment of cancer (see below for studies evaluating the use of COX-2 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer cachexia or pain). In the present study NicOx's NO derivative of ASA, NCX 4040 reduced the number of spontaneously developing intestinal tumors in susceptible mice by 59% at doses free of GI toxicity...[more on these findings]

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MIF as a target for atherogenesis: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the US. In 1998, this group of diseases claimed nearly one million lives, which translates to 40% of all deaths (for a detailed analysis of the cardiovascular therapeutics arena access "The Cardiovascular Market Outlook to 2008" [more]). Almost 2 million angioplasty, endarterectomies and bypass procedures are performed each year in an attempt to prevent (re)occurence of myocardial infarction however restenosis caused by vessel injury and accelerated neointima formation is a frequent long-term complication after such procedures. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) neutralization has been shown to reduce the number of macrophages within the neointima and the percentage of foam cells within the neointimal macrophage population in a model of restenosis suggesting that MIF blocking agents may be a therapeutic target for this common problem within the field of cardiovascular disease...[more on these findings]

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COX-2 inhibitors limit cachexia as well as tumor progression: The metabolic disorder cachexia represents an important component of oncology. Several lines of evidence suggest that the cyclooxygenase enzymes (specifically COX-2) might be an important molecular target for the intervention of cancer at both early and late stages of some cancers, providing an opportunity for both cancer prevention and therapy. Here we highlight a study from PTC Therapeutics which reports that the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib also prevents cachexia independently of additional effects on tumor growth...[more on these findings]

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Dual MMP and TACE inhibition as a treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: An estimated 5 million individuals suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (for further information on the rheumatoid arthritis market click here). Future directions for the development of therapeutics for this disease are ever focusing on disease modifying drug classes (LeadDiscovery's "Rheumatoid arthritis: Emerging drug discovery targets and therapeutic candidates" is recommended for readers requiring a full overview of DMARDs click here). Two molecular targets for DMARDs, which are evaluated in detail in our recent report, are the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the related ADAM (A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease) family. Here we feature the therapeutic activity of TMI-1 a molecule under development by Wyeth and Amgen which inhibits both of these enzymes...[more on these findings]

TherapyUpdate

Osteoporosis: R&D innovations to drive growth in osteoporosis market - R&D trends in the osteoporosis market are focusing on novel dosing regimens and expanding indications, and forecasts indicate strong growth driven by new market entrants. The late-stage osteoporosis pipeline will soon provide a boost to the number of available treatments, with a flurry of launch activity expected between 2004-8. Six key products should reach the market in this time, including; Roche’s Boniva, Novartis’s Zometa, Pfizer’s lasofoxifene, Wyeth’s bazedoxifene, NPS’s Preos and Servier’s Protos. It is clear that antiresorptives will continue to dominate therapy. Market sales are forecast to reach $10.4 billion by 2011, from approximately $5.0 billion in 2003 (excluding HRT sales). Early stage R&D activity is also feeding a large number of candidates into osteoporosis pipelines and as a result 5 entirely new therapeutic classes are moving towards the market...[more]

A fortnight in Drug Development

Our Tour of Industry Press Releases

Key press releases selected from recent editions of the tracking service, DailyUpdates.

• New regulatory activity surrounding the use of Centocor's REMICADE [more]
• AstraZeneca Submits Regulatory Application in Europe for the Use of Atacand in the Treatment of Heart Failure [more]
• Important activity in the development of disease modifying Alzheimer's disease therapeutics [more]
• Roche cancer drug trial succeeds two years early & news on the world's largest drug library developed to date [more]