Takeda's orphan receptor project uncovers metastasis blocker

Takeda Chemical Industries of Japan has discovered a novel regulatorypeptide, dubbed metastin, which is coded for by the human metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1. The discovery came out of the firm's research program into orphan receptors.

In vivo studies have already suggested that metastin can suppress metastatic spread of cancer, and the firm is optimistic that it will be effective against human cancers, as a number of tumor types express the metastin receptor, known as OT7T175. Takeda has started development of sustained-release formulations of the peptide with a view to selecting a candidate for clinical trials, as well as screening for small-molecule agonists of the metastin receptor. The research is published in Nature (May 31).