Statins are one of the world’s most commonly prescribed drugs (1). They are used to lower cholesterol level by inhibiting hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoAR), which is an essential enzyme for synthesis of endogenous cholesterol. Clinical benefits of statins therapy may be greater than changes in lipid profile. Read full text »

Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified an enzyme, which is significant regulator of breast cancer development and metastasis. PTPN23 is intracellular protein, which plays key role in cell signaling and can promote metastases. Read full text »

During previous experiments it has been established that high activity of enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) may be responsible for mammary gland cancer spread. Only recently did it turn out that, blocking LOX, an extracellular matrix remodeling enzyme, can stop cancer cells from invading the surrounding tissue and metastasizing to faraway organs. Dr Janine Erler, team leader at the British Institute of Cancer Research, said that though the method has been tested only in vitro and on mice, “LOXL2 is a fantastic drug target, it’s highly likely to be used in a clinical setting (1).” Read full text »