Immunex other research news

IMNX (Seattle) was to report today on its Flt-3 ligand at the meeting of the International Society of Experimental Hematology in Minneapolis. The factor does not appear to stimulate mast cells, a problematic side effect which has limited use of the other known stem cell growth factor, the Steel factor. Mast cells can cause inflammation.

With pre-clinical data, IMNX showed that the cDNA it cloned encodes a protein that is expressed and active on the cell surface but does not release a soluble form of the ligand. An alternatively spliced human cDNA does produce soluble, active protein. ...