METABOLON IDENTIFIES ADENOSINE-MEDIATED SICKLING IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE AND ASSOCIATED END ORGAN DAMAGERESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (December 20, 2010) — Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and analysis, announces the publication of “Novel Role of Adenosine Signaling in Sickle Cell Disease”, in Nature Medicine. Application of nontargeted biochemical profiling (metabolomics) to a mouse model of sickle cell disease (SCD) revealed a detrimental role of adenosine signaling in SCD and suggested novel therapeutic targets. The study was carried out in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Sickle cell disease (SCD), a devastating inherited blood disorder, is caused by a point mutation in the ß-globin chain of hemoglobin. Despite knowledge of the molecular defect associated with sickle hemoglobin (HbS), preventative approaches or mechanism-specific treatment options for the disease are lacking. Metabolon’s biochemical profiling technology was used to understand the molecular events involved in the pathogenesis of red blood cell sickling, so that novel therapeutic strategies to treat this disease can be developed. Adenosine was discovered to be highly elevated in the blood of SCD transgenic mice. Lowering adenosine concentrations significantly reduced sickling, hemolysis and multiple organ damage in the mice. Thus, these findings demonstrate the power of Metabolon’s global profiling technology to understand the underlying disease mechanism and to identify novel therapeutic possibilities to treat and prevent damage resulting from SCD. Copies of the paper can be accessed: http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.2280.html. About MetabolonMetabolon is a diagnostics and services company offering the industry’s leading biochemical profiling platform. Metabolon’s patented platform provides a global analysis of complex biological samples for the discovery of markers and pathways associated with drug action and disease. This metabolomics-driven approach enables the identification of biomarkers useful for the development of a wide range of diagnostics and provides insight into complex biochemical processes such as drug action, toxicology and bioprocess optimization. For more information about Metabolon, please visit www.metabolon.com or contact Matt Zaske mzaske@metabolon.com at (919) 595-2200. |