BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Therapeutics: ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6); G protein q polypeptide (GNAQ; G-ALPHA-q)

June 9, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Cell culture and mouse studies suggest inhibiting ARF6 could help treat GNAQ-mutant uveal melanoma. In two human GNAQ-mutant uveal melanoma cell lines, siRNA targeting ARF6 decreased colony-forming units and proliferation compared with scrambled siRNA. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of GNAQ-mutant uveal melanoma, an ARF6 inhibitor or shRNA targeting ARF6 decreased tumor number and growth compared with vehicle or scrambled shRNA. Next steps by Navigen Pharmaceuticals Inc. could include testing and improving safety and efficacy of ARF6 inhibitors in animal models of uveal melanoma. ...