Glossary
acute coronary
syndromes (ACS)
A range of sudden-onset conditions caused by lack of oxygen to the heart
muscle. These events are characterized by erosion, fissuring or rupture of a
pre-existing plaque that causes clotting and impaired blood supply to the
heart. The symptoms of coronary artery disease are manifested under a single
term because it is understood that they are caused by a similar sequence of
pathologic events.
alfimeprase
A recombinant direct acting fibrinolytic or clot dissolver. It is a modified
fibrolase, a naturally occurring enzyme that directly degrades fibrin when
delivered through a catheter at the site of a blood clot.
alpha-2
macroglobulin
A naturally occurring protein in our blood that is capable of irreversibly
binding and therefore inhibiting a wide variety of proteases, including
plasmin, pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, cathepsin D and alfimeprase.
alteplase
A thrombolytic agent which works by converting plasminogen to plasmin in order
to degrade fibrin. Alteplase is marketed by Genentech, Inc. as Activase(R) for
use in acute myocardial infarction, acute ischemic stroke and acute massive
pulmonary embolism and Cathflo(R)Activase(R) for the restoration of function to
central venous access devices.
angina
Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle.
antibodies
Any of numerous protein molecules produced by the B-cells as a primary immune
defense.
anticoagulant
An agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots.
aptamer
A single-stranded, short sequence of nucleic acid.
catheter
A tubular, flexible, surgical instrument for withdrawing fluids from, or
introducing fluids into, a blood vessel.
catheter occlusion
Blockage of a catheter by a clot which hinders the inward or outward flow of
solutions or blood.
coagulation
The clotting of blood or the process by which blood clots.
deep venous thrombosis (DVT)
The formation of a clot in the large veins of the leg. Sometimes referred to as
"economy-class syndrome."
enzyme
A protein that catalyses chemical reactions of other substances without itself
being destroyed or altered upon completion of the reactions.
fibrin
The insoluble protein formed during normal blood clotting.
fibrolase
Direct acting thrombolytic from the venom of the southern copperhead snake.
heparin
An anticoagulant medication. Heparin is useful in preventing blood clots from
forming and in the treatment of existing blood clots to prevent them from
getting larger.
immunotherapeutic
A therapeutic approach to treat disease by stimulating or enhancing the body's
immune response against the disease.
ischemia
Inadequate blood supply (circulation) to a local area due to blockage of the
blood vessels to the area.
knock-in system
Knock-in mice are most often engineered to express an exogenous protein in a regulated manner, whereas knock-out mice are genetically engineered mice that lack the function of a particular gene.
metastasis
Cancer cells that have spread, or metastasized,
through either the bloodstream or the lymph node system to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lung or ovary.
myocardial infarction(MI)
A condition where lack of blood flow causes the heart to begin to die. Also
known as a "heart attack."
mucositis
Mucositis is a side effect of cancer treatment consisting of chemotherapy- or radiation-induced damage to the cells lining the mouth, throat and gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
NU206
NU206 (R-spondin1) is a novel and potent growth factor that is a highly specific
stimulator of the epithelial cells that line the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
and mouth.
NU172
NU172 is an aptamer that directly inhibits thrombin's ability to generate fibrin, the protein that provides the scaffolding for blood clots.
oligonucleotide
Linear sequence consisting of a small number (no more than 20) of nucleotides.
orphan drug designation
In the United States, this is a status granted to drugs determined to treat
diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people. The U.S. Orphan Drug Act of
1983 offered tax incentives on clinical trials and seven years of marketing
exclusivity for drugs granted orphan drug designation. When granted by the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), the designation provides sponsors with several benefits, including protocol
development assistance and a 10-year period of market exclusivity following market authorization.
peripheral arterial occlusion (PAO)
A disease which occurs when arterial blood flow is blocked to an extremity of
the body by a clot. It usually occurs in the leg and is the result of
underlying peripheral arterial disease, in which chronic fatty plaque buildup
restricts blood flow.
peripheral vascular
disease
A term used to describe progressive occlusive disease of the arteries that
supply the extremities. Diabetes is a risk factor.
placebo
An inactive treatment.
plasmin
An enzyme which degrades fibrin clots and fibrinogen, as well as several other
protein clotting factors. Generated from plasminogen by the action of another
protease, plasminogen activator.
plasminogen
The inactive precursor of plasmin.
plasminogen
activator
Serine protease that acts on plasminogen to generate plasmin.
rNAPc2
Recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPc2) is a recombinant version
of a naturally occurring protein that has anticoagulant properties. It is intended
to inhibit the factor VIIa/tissue factor complex which is responsible for the
initiation of the process leading to blood clot formation and has been
shown to play a role in the cellular signaling of both metastasis and
angiogenesis in a variety of cancers s shown in preclinical animal models.
R-spondin1
R-spondin1 (NU206) is a novel and potent growth factor that is a highly specific stimulator of the epithelial cells that line the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract and mouth as shown in preclinical
animal models.
secreted protein
A protein secreted by cells that enters the extracellular space. Secreted
proteins, such as hormones and growth factors, are often excellent drug
targets, especially for recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies.
signature-by-hybridization
Method by which large collections of expressed genes (cDNA libraries) are
derived from human cells and tissues. These cDNA libraries are spotted onto
replica filters, which are then hybridized independently with short DNA probes.
After repeated probing, each cDNA develops a characteristic hybridization
signature that can be used to group similar clones into clusters. Sequencing
only representative cDNAs from each cluster allows for an efficient and
thorough analysis of all genes expressed in any library.
stroke
The damage to the brain due to interrupted blood flow, caused by a blood clot
or blood vessel bursting. Depending on the area of the brain that is damaged, a
stroke can cause speech problems, paralysis, coma and death.
thrombin
A key clot promoter, thrombin is an enzyme that presides over the conversion of
a substance called fibrinogen to fibrin, which is a key component in a blood
clot.
thrombolytic
Agents that dissolve clots (thrombi) thereby re-opening vessels.
tissue factor
A procoagulant protein that binds factor VIIa and initiates the clotting
cascade. The factor VIIa and tissue factor protease complex has also been shown
to play a role in the cellular signaling of both metastasis and angiogenesis in
a variety of cancers.
transgenic
This term describes an organism that has had genes from another organism put
into its genome through recombinant DNA techniques.
unstable angina (UA)
Angina that may be unpredictable in conditions of onset or intensity, or
unresponsive to medication.