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Biotech / Medical : Biotech Valuation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MJ who wrote (7785)	1/22/2003 9:57:47 AM
From: Biomaven	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 52153

MJ, Here's the abstract: Published online: 21 January 2003, doi:10.1038/ng1081 Haploinsufficiency of ATP1A2 encoding the Na+/K+ pump 2 subunit associated with familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 Maurizio De Fusco1, 6, Roberto Marconi2, 6, Laura Silvestri1, Luigia Atorino1, Luca Rampoldi1, Letterio Morgante3, Andrea Ballabio4, Paolo Aridon1, 5 & Giorgio Casari1 Headache attacks and autonomic dysfunctions characterize migraine, a very common, disabling disorder with a prevalence of 12% in the general population of Western countries1, 2. About 20% of individuals affected with migraine experience aura, a visual or sensory-motor neurological dysfunction that usually precedes or accompanies the headache3. Although the mode of transmission is controversial4, population-based and twin studies have implicated genetic factors, especially in migraine with aura5, 6. Familial hemiplegic migraine is a hereditary form of migraine characterized by aura and some hemiparesis. Here we show that mutations in the gene ATP1A2 that encodes the 2 subunit of the Na+/K+ pump are associated with familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 (FHM2) linked to chromosome 1q23 (OMIM 602481). Functional data indicate that the putative pathogenetic mechanism is triggered by a loss of function of a single allele of ATP1A2. This is the first report associating mutations of Na+K+ pump subunits to genetic diseases. Not at all clear that this is the same mechanism that is responsible for regular (not familial hemiplegic) migraine. Even if it is, it's a long, long way (10+ years) from understanding a new mechanism to producing a new drug. What's even worse here is that the defect they describe doesn't sound very "druggable" to me. I am a longstanding migraine sufferer, so I follow migraine drugs and developments very closely indeed. Peter