Latest Cytochrome P450 Stories

For the first time, scientists have been able to "freeze in time" a mysterious process by which a critical enzyme metabolizes drugs and chemicals in food. By recreating this process in the lab, a team of researchers has solved a 40-year-old puzzle about changes in a family of enzymes produced by the liver that break down common drugs such as Tylenol, caffeine, and opiates, as well as nutrients in many foods. The breakthrough discovery may help future researchers develop a wide range...

New radiotracer application reveals features unique to humans; may advance understanding of estrogen-related diseasesA study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated that a molecule "tagged" with a radioactive form of carbon can be used to image aromatase, an enzyme responsible for the production of estrogen, in the human brain. The research, published in the November issue of Synapse, also uncovered that the regions of the brain where aromatase...

VISTA, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoGenomics, a leader in providing automated, molecular testing solutions announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its INFINITI® CYP2C19 Assay. The test detects 3 genetic variants, *2, *3, *17, of the CYP450 2C19 gene and is to be used on the company's automated molecular testing platform, the INFINITI® Analyzer. "We are very excited to receive FDA clearance for our 2C19 test"...

While computer simulations of how the body metabolizes drugs save both time and money, the best results when developing new drugs come from combining such simulations with laboratory experiments, reveals a researcher from the University of Gothenburg."My research demonstrates the benefits of combining traditional laboratory experiments with computer-based calculation models to understand and explain how the body's various enzymes interact with a drug when breaking it down," says...

New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that increasing the level of the P450 protein causes the creation of molecules called EETs, which lower blood pressureIf you are one of the millions of Americans with high blood pressure, more help is on the way. That's because a new research study published in the October 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows that a protein, called P450, metabolizes arachidonic acid in our blood vessel walls to create a tiny molecule...

Researchers have found that increasing certain proteins in the blood vessels of mice, relaxed the vessels, lowering the animal's blood pressure. The study provides new avenues for research that may lead to new treatments for hypertension."The paper demonstrates that cytochrome P450 plays an important role in the management of high blood pressure, a disease of enormous public health concern," said Darryl Zeldin, M.D., acting clinical director of the National Institute of...

Providing key knowledge about drug toxicity and effectivenessNew Orleans, LA "“ Research led by Wayne L. Backes, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Associate Dean for Research at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, has found that drug metabolism depends not only upon which enzymes are present in an individual, but also how they interact, and that can be the difference in whether a drug is safely eliminated from the body or is converted into a toxic or carcinogenic...

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) today announced it will conduct a head-to-head study of Plavix® (clopidogrel) and Effient® (prasugrel) that measures how the effectiveness of these drugs in heart patients is impacted by their genetic make-up. The study will examine whether the 70 to 75 percent of patients who are "extensive metabolizers" of clopidogrel - because they were born with a normally functioning version of the...

TOKYO and INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new substudy from 1,466 patients from the Phase III TRITON-TIMI 38 clinical trial showed that patients who took prasugrel and had a reduced function of the CYP2C19 gene did not have an increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke compared with those patients who had normal function. The substudy results were published online in Circulation on May 4, 2009(1). Prasugrel is a "prodrug" that requires the use of...

CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoGenomics, a leader in providing automated molecular testing solutions announced today that its CYP450 2C19 assay was used in a study to demonstrate the value of genetic variants in dosing of the antiplatelet agent, Plavix. Plavix, commonly known as Clopidogrel, is an anti-platelet agent used in the treatment for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. To realize the...