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Biotech / Medical : Repligen Corp (RGEN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Curtis E. Bemis who wrote (152)	9/22/1999 3:19:00 AM
From: Cheryl Galt	Respond to of 395

Just noticed this May news release on the UW website. It lists a few ongoing non-company Secretin trials. The UW and Colorado trials were to have begun in late summer. Excerpts from washington.edu In addition to the trials in Seattle and Denver, a number of other secretin trials are already underway or scheduled to start soon at the University of Chicago, the Southwest Autism Research Center in Phoenix, Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and at a site in North Carolina. Two forms of secretin will be tested in the Seattle and Denver trials. Some children will be given an injection of natural secretin produced by pigs that is almost chemically identical to human secretin. Others will be given a synthetic secretin that is chemically equivalent to the pig hormone. A control group will be given a placebo injection of a saline solution..... Scientists have known for a long time, said Unis, that children with autism have high levels of blood serotonin, a hormone or chemical messenger similar to secretin. Both serotonin and secretin are produced in the small intestine and are found in the brain as well as the digestive tract. These hormones, also called neuropeptides, can effect sleep, appetite and other brain-regulated functions. He said that secretin stays in the blood for only a brief time, no longer than 20 minutes, but its effects have been noted weeks later. One question the trials won't examine is the exact chemical composition of the natural form of pig secretin. It has been determined to consist of 60 percent secretin and 40 percent unknown components, which Unis said may be composed of broken bits of peptides. Researchers do not know if secretin or these unknown components are responsible for alleviating some of the symptoms of autism that have been alleged by parents. However, Dawson, a pioneer in the early detection of autism, said that no proven medical treatment has yet been found that addresses autistic symptoms. There are medications that do relieve some conditions related to autism, such as hyperactivity and repetitive behaviors. Dawson and Unis said that if the initial round of tests show secretin is beneficial, a larger study would follow to examine such important questions as the proper dosages of secretin and possible side effects. ------------------------------------ I should think that Repligen will have access to findings of these preliminary studies (Is that likely??) -- and that such results would influence their decision to procede with trails late this year.