BioCentury
ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Chroma: Homing in on chromatin

August 22, 2005 7:00 AM UTC

It is widely accepted that dynamic changes in the structure of chromatin - the substance of chromosomes - are involved in gene transcription. Chroma Therapeutics Ltd. is targeting chromatin-modifying enzymes to treat cancer and inflammation with nanomolar inhibitors of three chromatin-related targets: HDAC, aurora kinase and glyoxalase I.

Chromatin-modifying enzymes (CMEs) control the chromatin environment through chemical modification of histones - the protein component of chromatin - by catalyzing acetylation, deacetylation and methylation. Overexpressed or overactive CMEs, such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) or histone methyltransferases (HMTs), are thought to sustain or drive tumor progression by halting tumor suppressor gene expression. ...