Posted by viridis on December 14, 2002, at 20:33:13
In reply to Re: now how many years do we have to wait? » highanxiety, posted by Ritch on December 14, 2002, at 16:43:37
It's important to understand that kinases play a crucial role in all sorts of metabolic activities -- these enzymes are fundamental to transfer of information among many types of cells, and govern what happens when one cell receives a signal from another cell (I'm a biologist, and teach about this stuff).
So, the key will be to find a selective inhibitor of the particular kinase (apparently, PKCe) that enhances activity of GABA receptors, without affecting activity of the many other kinases that are needed for your body to function. The study that's cited deals with mice that are genetically engineered to be deficient in this one kinase (not others). This is promising, but it's a long way from the mouse model system to a drug that will do just what's needed in humans, without shutting down key metabolic pathways.
So -- this looks good, but I'd give it a few years before this finding translates into a safe, selective psychopharmaceutical.
poster:viridis
thread:131753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021210/msgs/131858.html