DGKα and DGKζ are downregulators of TCR-mediated activity One of the most recent innovations in cancer therapy is harnessing and awakening a patient’s own immune system to target their tumor burden. These revolutionary methods include the expensive CAR-T cell therapies, but also include direct targeting of immune pathways with small...
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The potential of PIKfyve inhibitor as a treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
7/ 6/22
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective and progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. Motor neuron deterioration leads to muscle weakness and results in death of the patient due to respiratory failure, typically within 3 to 5...
The importance of understanding the activity of compounds on RAF dimerization in BRAF inhibitor drug discovery
3/ 2/22
RAF protein kinases (ARAF, BRAF and CRAF) are key components of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling cascade. An upstream signal such as from a receptor tyrosine kinase allows RAS to convert to the active GTP-bound form. The GTP-bound RAS binds RAF proteins, inducing RAF dimerization which then activates the downstream MEK-ERK signaling¹⁾...
Kinase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutic Agents for COVID-19
12/ 9/21
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the pandemic disease which was named COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). Due to its high morbidity and mortality, there remains an urgent need for effective pharmacologic therapies to minimize mortality and decrease viral shedding and subsequent transmission around the world. In certain...
Carna Tech Note No.3: Evaluating Kinase Inhibitors in Binding Assays using Activated and Non-Activated Biotinylated Kinases
9/ 9/21
The simplest and most straightforward way to evaluate a kinase inhibitor is to look at its inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity response. For this to be most useful and accurate, it is critical to establish the appropriate assay condition like ATP concentration and substrate¹）. Issues can exist such as the...