Register Login

Review and History: Protamine and Gene Therapy

Here is a provocative article available from your medical library: Thachil J. Protamine–the journey from DNA to heparin neutralization to gene therapy. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2022;48:240-243. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1736574. PMID: 34729729.

Abstract

Protamine is now well recognized as a key heparin-neutralizing agent. However, protamine was discovered over a century ago, during experiments performed to uncover the secrets behind heritability. Although protamine was discovered as a highly charged protein, it did not receive the attention it deserved until the dawn of the insulin era, when it was used to create the neutral protamine Hagedorn formulation. Based on the same principles, protamine was identified to neutralize heparin and has since been used successfully for many years in cardiothoracic surgery. More recently, its clinical applications have extended to gene therapy. In this historical sketch, the journey from the discovery of protamine, onwards to heparin neutralization, and up to its utilization in genetic modulatory treatments is detailed.

Comments (0)
Anticoagulant Therapy

No comments here.

Leave a Reply