BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Getting selective for gamma

May 24, 2012 7:00 AM UTC

Cellzome AG and Exelixis Inc. have independently designed the first highly selective inhibitors of the g-isoform of phosphoinositide 3-kinase.1,2 Exelixis plans to out-license its inhibitors, whereas last week's acquisition of Cellzome by GlaxoSmithKline plc gives the pharma a new class of compounds for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a central role in signaling pathways that contribute to cell growth, proliferation, motility and survival. The kinase occurs in four isoforms. The a- and b-isoforms are expressed in many tissues and cell types, and the g- and d-isoforms are expressed in immune cells...