Three Drug Targets. What is the difference?

We have identified three drug targets for Wolfram syndrome in the past two years. These are MANF, Calpain 2, and IRE1. What is the difference between these three molecules. Here is a short summary.

MANF: Enhances survival and proliferation of remaining cells.
Caplain 2: Activates cells death signal in Wolfram and Diabetes. So we need an inhibitor.
IRE1: Prevents the activation of cell death signals.
IRE1 and Calpain 2 are enzymes. So we need drugs that can control their activation levels.

MAFN is a secreted molecule. We can potentially use an artificial MANF (i.e., recombinant MANF) for treatment. Another pathway is to identify a receptor for MANF and develop a drug that can activate the MANF receptor.

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Take care,

Fumi Urano