Expert opinion on therapeutic targets
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Expert Opin. Ther. Targets · Sep 2007
ReviewNovel migraine therapy with calcitonin gene-regulated peptide receptor antagonists.
Primary headaches, for example, migraine and cluster headaches represent the most prevalent neurological disorders, affecting up to 15-20% of the adult population. There is a clear association between head pain and the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). In this review the role of CGRP in human cranial circulation is described and the role for specific CGRP antagonism elucidated. ⋯ The central role of CGRP in migraine pathophysiology has resulted in the development of small-molecule CGRP antagonists with no cardiovascular side effects. Such compounds have high selectivity for human CGRP receptors and are efficacious in the relief of acute migraine attacks. Research indicates that they effect the abluminal side of the blood-brain barrier and that they are not vasoconstrictive, providing a new dimension in therapy.
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Expert Opin. Ther. Targets · Jun 2007
The role of vasoactive intestinal peptide in neuroprotection: Professor Illana Gozes is interviewed by Emma Quigley.
Professor Illana Gozes was interviewed by Emma Quigley (Senior Editor, Expert Opinion) on 17(th) April 2007. Professor Illana Gozes BSc, PhD holds the titles of Professor of Clinical Biochemistry; The Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors; Director of Adams Super Center for Brain Studies and Levi-Edersheim-Gitter fMRI Institute; Head of the Dr Diana and Zelman Elton (Elbaum) Laboratory for Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Tel Aviv University and Chief Scientific Officer, Allon Therapeutics, Inc., Vancouver BC, Canada. Professor Gozes has served as a member (or chair) of several faculty, university or national and international committees and she currently serves on the Board of Directors of Allon Therapeutics, the Scientific Review Board of the ISOA, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. ⋯ She is co-inventor of > 15 patents and applications, including the composition of matter patent on AL-108 and AL-208, Allon's lead compounds. Professor Gozes received a BSc from Tel Aviv University, a PhD from The Weizmann Institute of Science and was a Weizmann Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Associate/Visiting Scientist at the Salk Institute and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, a Senior Scientist/Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute and a Fogarty-Scholar-in-Residence at the National Institutes of Health (USA). Professor Gozes directs a very active research laboratory at Tel Aviv University and is mentoring and has mentored directly approximately 50 graduate students toward their MSc or PhD degrees.
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Neuropathic pain remains a large unmet medical need. A number of therapeutic options exist, but efficacy and tolerability are less than satisfactory. ⋯ Several sodium channel subtypes are expressed primarily in sensory neurons and may contribute to the efficacy of sodium channel blockers. In this report, the authors review the current understanding of the role of sodium channels and of specific sodium channel subtypes in neuropathic pain signaling.
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Expert Opin. Ther. Targets · Dec 2006
Cell adhesion molecules as therapeutic targets: interview with Professor Michael P Schön. Interviewed by Emma Quigley.
Professor Michael P Schön (University of Würzburg) was interviewed by Emma Quigley (Commissioning Editor, Expert Opinion) on 17th October 2006. Professor Michael P Schön currently holds the position of Professor of Dermatology and Experimental Biomedicine at the University of Würzburg. ⋯ With various research awards and certificates in dermatology, immunology and dermatopathology, Professor Schön has published > 100 papers. He has also been a guest editor and on the Editorial Board of various publications.
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Expert Opin. Ther. Targets · Oct 2006
The therapeutic potential of CD39: interview with Dr Simon Robson by Emma Quigley.
Dr Simon C Robson (Harvard University) was interviewed by Emma Quigley (Commissioning Editor, Expert Opinion) on 14th August 2006. Born in the UK, Dr Simon Robson obtained his MB, ChB from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1978 and his PhD in Immunology in 1989. ⋯ In several studies funded by the NIH, ROTRF and other agencies, Dr Robson has been researching genomics, proteomics and the biology of CD39 in models of inflammation and immunity. Dr Robson has published > 200 papers and is on the Editorial Boards of many well-respected journals, including Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets.