Cytokine & growth factor reviews
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Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. · Apr 2010
ReviewOncolytic viruses as experimental treatments for malignant gliomas: using a scourge to treat a devil.
The concept of oncolytic viral therapy has a century-old history, but only within the last 20 years have oncolytic viruses been considered for the treatment of brain cancers. Viruses such as herpes, measles, and vaccinia have all been known to cause devastating cases of neurological disease in humans, yet these 'scourges' are now being harnessed in such a way that they prove very useful as cancer therapeutics. ⋯ Although some success has been reached with oncolytic therapy, overall it has fallen short of expectations. In this review we analyze the results of these trials and bring to light some of the limitations and pitfalls of this therapy, as well as present some promising preclinical work that has been proposed to circumvent such problems.
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Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. · Apr 2009
ReviewGrowth factor based therapies and intestinal disease: is glucagon-like peptide-2 the new way forward?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, debilitating disease associated with severe damage to the intestinal mucosa. Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a potent and specific gastrointestinal growth factor that is demonstrating therapeutic potential for the prevention or treatment of an expanding number of intestinal diseases, including short bowel syndrome (SBS), small bowel enteritis and IBD. ⋯ Inhibitors of DPIV activity may represent a novel strategy to prolong the growth promoting actions of GLP-2. This review outlines evidence for the clinical application of GLP-2, its degradation resistant analogue, Teduglutide, and novel DPIV inhibitors in efficacy studies utilizing pre-clinical models of intestinal damage, in particular IBD.
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Eph receptors are the largest receptor tyrosine kinase family of transmembrane proteins with an extracellular domain capable of recognizing signals from the cells' environment and influencing cell-cell interaction and cell migration. Ephrins are the ligands to Eph receptors and stimulate bi-directional signaling of the Eph/ephrin axis. ⋯ A deeper understanding of the molecular basis for normal versus defective cell-cell interaction through the Eph/ephrin axis will enable the potential development of novel cancer treatments. This review emphasizes the biology of Eph/ephrin as well as the potential for novel targeted therapy through this pathway.