PITX2

NEW YORK, July 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global acute ischemic stroke therapeutics market size is estimated to grow by USD 1,524.49 million from 2022 to 2027, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.72% during the forecast period. North America will account for 38% of the global market growth. The growth of the market in this region is attributed to factors such as the expected approval of late-stage pipeline molecules, including BIIB093 (intravenous glibenclamide), BRILINTA, MultiStem, and NA-1. In addition, the region is expected to witness the availability of various diagnostics and drugs for the treatment of stroke, which will drive market growth. For more insights on the historic period (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2023 to 2027) - Request a sample report Continue Reading Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics Market 2023-2027 What's New? Special coverage on the Russia-Ukraine war; global inflation; recovery analysis from COVID-19; supply chain disruptions, global trade tensions; and risk of recession Global competitiveness and key competitor positions Market presence across multiple geographical footprints - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial - buy the report! Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics Market - Segmentation Assessment Segment Overview This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (thrombolytics, anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and antihypertensives), distribution channel (Hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and online pharmacies), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)). The thrombolytics segment is estimated to be significant for the global market's growth during the forecast period. One of the factors behind the growth of this segment is the availability of US FDA-approved therapeutic treatments for AIS. For instance, the IV alteplase drug is sold under the brand name Activase. It is a tissue plasminogen activator and is used for multiple indications such as AIS, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and acute massive pulmonary embolism (PE). Insights on the market contribution of various segments, including country and region wise historic data (2017 to 2021), and forecast market size (2023 to 2027) - Download a Sample Report Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics Market – Market Dynamics Key factor driving market growth High-risk factors, such as obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and old age drive the acute ischemic stroke (AIS) therapeutics market growth. It is estimated that one-third of people, who had an untreated transient ischemic attack, suffered a major stroke within a year. Also, according to the World Stroke Organization, currently, 15-16 million people suffer from stroke globally, while 5.8-6 million people die from it. Hence, high-risk factors, such as obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and old age, are the major contributors to the growth of the segment during the forecast period. Leading trends influencing the market TBI, a value-addition in AIS research, is an emerging market trend during the forecast period. It is a complex cardiac disease that requires the integration of various heterogeneous features originating from genotypic, phenotypic, and environmental sources. Also, TBI is a computational technology that focuses on integrating and analyzing data obtained from bioinformatics, biostatics, statistical genetics, and clinical informatics. Furthermore, in AIS, the data element that requires integration refers to the presence or absence of a risk gene (HDAC9, PITX2, ZFHX3, NINJ2, PRKCH, and 9p21) in the genome of each patient (called genotypic data) with that of the clinical element. Hence, such trends boost the market growth. Major challenges hindering the market growth Unmet needs for anticoagulant reversal agents challenge the market growth during the forecast period. Even though anticoagulants play an important role in treating AIS, they are sometimes associated with side effects such as excessive bleeding. Additionally, the antidotes available in the market include vitamin K, protamine, and prothrombin complex concentrates, which reverse the action of warfarin and heparin. Direct thrombin inhibitors or Factor Xa inhibitors, do not have any specific reversal agents. Hence, such challenges impede market growth during the forecast period. Insights on Market Drivers, trends, & Challenges, historic period(2017 to 2021), and forecast period(2023 to 2027)- Request a sample report! What are the key data covered in this Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics Market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the acute ischemic stroke therapeutics market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the acute ischemic stroke therapeutics market and its contribution to the market with a focus on the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the acute ischemic stroke therapeutics market across North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of acute ischemic stroke therapeutics market vendors Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: The gastrointestinal stromal tumors therapeutics market size is expected to increase by USD 1.08 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.97%. Furthermore, this report extensively covers the gastrointestinal stromal tumors therapeutics market segmentation by route of administration (oral and parenteral) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (ROW)). The growing geriatric population is one of the key factors driving the gastrointestinal stromal tumors therapeutics (GIST) market growth. The Alzheimer's disease therapeutics market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.91% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 4,391.9 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by drug class (cholinesterase inhibitors, n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist, and others), distribution channel (hospital pharmacy, retail pharmacy, and e-commerce pharmacy), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World). The increasing awareness of Alzheimer's disease is notably driving the market growth. Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary – Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary – Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary – Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary – Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary – Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary – Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Exhibit 07: Executive Summary – Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary – Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary – Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 18: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 19: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers – Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 20: Bargaining power of suppliers – Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 21: Threat of new entrants – Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 22: Threat of substitutes – Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 23: Threat of rivalry – Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 24: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 5 Market Segmentation by Type 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 25: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 26: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 27: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 28: Data Table on Comparison by Type 5.3 Thrombolytics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 29: Chart on Thrombolytics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Data Table on Thrombolytics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 31: Chart on Thrombolytics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 32: Data Table on Thrombolytics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.4 Anticoagulants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 33: Chart on Anticoagulants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Data Table on Anticoagulants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Chart on Anticoagulants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 36: Data Table on Anticoagulants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.5 Antiplatelets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 37: Chart on Antiplatelets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 38: Data Table on Antiplatelets - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Chart on Antiplatelets - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 40: Data Table on Antiplatelets - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.6 Antihypertensives - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 41: Chart on Antihypertensives - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 42: Data Table on Antihypertensives - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Chart on Antihypertensives - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 44: Data Table on Antihypertensives - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.7 Other therapeutics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 45: Chart on Other therapeutics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 46: Data Table on Other therapeutics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Chart on Other therapeutics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 48: Data Table on Other therapeutics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.8 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 49: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 6 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 50: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 52: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 53: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel 6.3 Hospital pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 54: Chart on Hospital pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Hospital pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Hospital pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Hospital pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Retail pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 58: Chart on Retail pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Retail pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on Retail pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Retail pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Online pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 62: Chart on Online pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on Online pharmacies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on Online pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on Online pharmacies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel Exhibit 66: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ million) 7 Customer Landscape 7.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 67: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 68: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 70: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 71: Data Table on Geographic comparison 8.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 72: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 74: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 75: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 76: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 78: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 80: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 82: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 83: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 84: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 86: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 87: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.7 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 88: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 90: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 91: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.8 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 92: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 94: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 95: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.9 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 96: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 98: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 99: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.10 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 100: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 101: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 102: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 103: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 104: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 105: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 106: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 107: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.12 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 108: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges 9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 109: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 9.4 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 110: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 10.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 111: Overview on factors of disruption 10.4 Industry risks Exhibit 112: Impact of key risks on business 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 113: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 114: Matrix on vendor position and classification 11.3 Amgen Inc. Exhibit 115: Amgen Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: Amgen Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Amgen Inc. - Key offerings 11.4 AstraZeneca Plc Exhibit 118: AstraZeneca Plc - Overview Exhibit 119: AstraZeneca Plc - Product / Service Exhibit 120: AstraZeneca Plc - Key news Exhibit 121: AstraZeneca Plc - Key offerings 11.5 Athersys Inc. Exhibit 122: Athersys Inc. - Overview Exhibit 123: Athersys Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 124: Athersys Inc. - Key offerings 11.6 Bayer AG Exhibit 125: Bayer AG - Overview Exhibit 126: Bayer AG - Business segments Exhibit 127: Bayer AG - Key offerings Exhibit 128: Bayer AG - Segment focus 11.7 Biogen Inc. Exhibit 129: Biogen Inc. - Overview Exhibit 130: Biogen Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 131: Biogen Inc. - Key offerings 11.8 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH Exhibit 132: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH - Overview Exhibit 133: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH - Business segments Exhibit 134: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH - Key news Exhibit 135: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH - Key offerings Exhibit 136: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH - Segment focus 11.9 Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Exhibit 137: Bristol Myers Squibb Co. - Overview Exhibit 138: Bristol Myers Squibb Co. - Product / Service Exhibit 139: Bristol Myers Squibb Co. - Key offerings 11.10 Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. Exhibit 140: Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 141: Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 142: Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 143: Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 144: Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. - Segment focus 11.11 F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. Exhibit 145: F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 146: F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 147: F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 148: F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 149: F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - Segment focus 11.12 Johnson and Johnson Exhibit 150: Johnson and Johnson - Overview Exhibit 151: Johnson and Johnson - Business segments Exhibit 152: Johnson and Johnson - Key news Exhibit 153: Johnson and Johnson - Key offerings Exhibit 154: Johnson and Johnson - Segment focus 11.13 Medtronic Plc Exhibit 155: Medtronic Plc - Overview Exhibit 156: Medtronic Plc - Business segments Exhibit 157: Medtronic Plc - Key news Exhibit 158: Medtronic Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 159: Medtronic Plc - Segment focus 11.14 Merck and Co. Inc. Exhibit 160: Merck and Co. Inc. - Overview Exhibit 161: Merck and Co. Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 162: Merck and Co. Inc. - Key news Exhibit 163: Merck and Co. Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 164: Merck and Co. Inc. - Segment focus 11.15 Pfizer Inc. Exhibit 165: Pfizer Inc. - Overview Exhibit 166: Pfizer Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 167: Pfizer Inc. - Key news Exhibit 168: Pfizer Inc. - Key offerings 11.16 Sanofi SA Exhibit 169: Sanofi SA - Overview Exhibit 170: Sanofi SA - Business segments Exhibit 171: Sanofi SA - Key news Exhibit 172: Sanofi SA - Key offerings Exhibit 173: Sanofi SA - Segment focus 11.17 Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Exhibit 174: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 175: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 176: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 177: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 178: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. - Segment focus 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 179: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 180: Exclusions checklist 12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 181: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.4 Research methodology Exhibit 182: Research methodology Exhibit 183: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 184: Information sources 12.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 185: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: SOURCE Technavio

The simple amino acid glycine looks to be a previously unknown contributor to depression. A common amino acid, glycine, can deliver a "slow-down" signal to the brain, likely contributing to major depression, anxiety and other mood disorders in some people, scientists at the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology have found. The discovery, outlined Thursday in the journal Science, improves understanding of the biological causes of major depression and could accelerate efforts to develop new, faster-acting medications for such hard-to-treat mood disorders, said neuroscientist Kirill Martemyanov, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study. "Most medications for people with depression take weeks before they kick in, if they do at all. New and better options are really needed," said Martemyanov, who chairs the neuroscience department at the institute in Jupiter. Major depression is among the world's most urgent health needs. Its numbers have surged in recent years, especially among young adults. As depression's disability, suicide numbers and medical expenses have climbed, a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021 put its economic burden at $326 billion annually in the United States. Martemyanov said he and his team of students and postdoctoral researchers have spent many years working toward this discovery. They didn't set out to find a cause, much less a possible treatment route for depression. Instead, they asked a basic question: How do sensors on brain cells receive and transmit signals into the cells? Therein lay the key to understanding vision, pain, memory, behavior and possibly much more, Martemyanov suspected. "It's amazing how basic science goes. Fifteen years ago we discovered a binding partner for proteins we were interested in, which led us to this new receptor," Martemyanov said. "We've been unspooling this for all this time." In 2018 the Martemyanov team found the new receptor was involved in stress-induced depression. If mice lacked the gene for the receptor, called GPR158, they proved surprisingly resilient to chronic stress. That offered strong evidence that GPR158 could be therapeutic target, he said. But what sent the signal? A breakthrough came in 2021, when his team solved the structure of GPR158. What they saw surprised them. The GPR158 receptor looked like a microscopic clamp with a compartment -- akin to something they had seen in bacteria, not human cells. "We were barking up the completely wrong tree before we saw the structure," Martemyanov said. "We said, 'Wow, that's an amino acid receptor. There are only 20, so we screened them right away and only one fit perfectly. That was it. It was glycine." That wasn't the only odd thing. The signaling molecule was not an activator in the cells, but an inhibitor. The business end of GPR158 connected to a partnering molecule that hit the brakes rather than the accelerator when bound to glycine. "Usually receptors like GPR158, known as G protein Coupled Receptors, bind G proteins. This receptor was binding an RGS protein, which is a protein that has the opposite effect of activation," said Thibaut Laboute, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher from Martemyanov's group and first author of the study. Scientists have been cataloging the role of cell receptors and their signaling partners for decades. Those that still don't have known signalers, such as GPR158, have been dubbed "orphan receptors." The finding means that GPR158 is no longer an orphan receptor, Laboute said. Instead, the team renamed it mGlyR, short for "metabotropic glycine receptor." "An orphan receptor is a challenge. You want to figure out how it works," Laboute said. "What makes me really excited about this discovery is that it may be important for people's lives. That's what gets me up in the morning." Laboute and Martemyanov are listed as inventors on a patent application describing methods to study GPR158 activity. Martemyanov is a cofounder of Blueshield Therapeutics, a startup company pursuing GPR158 as a drug target. Glycine itself is sold as a nutritional supplement billed as improving mood. It is a basic building block of proteins and affects many different cell types, sometimes in complex ways. In some cells, it sends slow-down signals, while in other cell types, it sends excitatory signals. Some studies have linked glycine to the growth of invasive prostate cancer. More research is needed to understand how the body maintains the right balance of mGlyR receptors and how brain cell activity is affected, he said. He intends to keep at it. "We are in desperate need of new depression treatments," Martemyanov said. "If we can target this with something specific, it makes sense that it could help. We are working on it now." The research was supported by the National Institute of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (MH105482) and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM069832).

Researchers have identified a new mutation that leads to the cardiac disease arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). They assessed the effect of this mutation on heart muscle cells and obtained new insights into the underlying mechanism that causes the disease. The results of this study could contribute to the development of new treatments for ACM. Researchers from the group of Eva van Rooij in collaboration with the UMC Utrecht identified a new mutation that leads to the cardiac disease arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). They assessed the effect of this mutation on heart muscle cells and obtained new insights into the underlying mechanism that causes the disease. The results of this study, published on March 2nd in Stem Cell Reports, could contribute to the development of new treatments for ACM. Desmosomes Millions of heart muscle cells contract to let the heart fulfill its pumping function. To make sure these contractions are executed well, it is important that the individual heart muscle cells communicate with each other. Therefore, heart muscle cells have to be tightly connected with each other. In a healthy heart, these connections are made up of complex protein structures that form a bridge between the cells, so called desmosomes. When mutations occur in genes that contribute to these structures, this can lead to the development of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). ACM is a progressive and often hereditary disease in which the heart fails to contract properly. Even though 1 in 5000 people develop ACM throughout life, a lot remains unknown about the disease and no effective treatment options exist to cure patients. Discovery of a new mutation "We investigated the genetic material of an ACM patient and encountered a previously unknown mutation in the gene desmoplakin," says first author of the study Sebastiaan van Kampen. Desmoplakin is one of the genes that is responsible for the formation of desmosomes. To investigate the role of this mutation in ACM onset, the researchers cultured heart muscle cells from the patient in the lab. Van Kampen: "We compared these heart muscle cells to the same heart muscle cells in which we repaired the mutation using CRISPR/Cas9. The heart muscle cells that contained the mutation turned out to be less tightly connected." In addition, the researchers discovered that these cells have fewer of ion channels. These channels are crucial for efficient propagation of the action potential, an electrical signal that stimulates contraction, between heart muscle cells. From this, they concluded that the new mutation can lead to ACM in patients. Underlying mechanism Multiple mutations are known to lead to ACM. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism that leads to the disease remains largely unknown. To change this, the researchers used the cultured heart muscle cells from the patient as a model for the disease. They discovered that a protein named PITX2 is more highly expressed in the "diseased" heart muscle cells and that this protein is in part responsible for the loss of desmosomes and ion channels. "When we removed the protein from the diseased heart muscle cells, the levels of ion channels and desmosomal proteins in the cells of the patient showed a remarkable recovery," explains Van Kampen. The PITX2 protein thus plays an important role in the changes in the mutated heart muscle cells. Future treatments The study, published in Stem Cell Reports, can potentially contribute to the development of new treatments for ACM. Furthermore, the findings from this study offer new insights into the development of ACM that can be valuable for future research. "Although we don't know how the new mutation leads to increased levels of PITX2, we see the same happening in a second mutation. It's possible that increased levels of PITX2 lead to ACM in the context of many more mutations," says Eva van Rooij, group leader at the Hubrecht Institute and last author of the study. More research into these different mutations is therefore essential.