Inpharma 1652 - 23 Aug 2008

Heparin alternative one step closerHeparin, the widely-used antithrombotic, is mainly

sourced from the intestines of livestock and the risk ofcontamination is high. Following the deaths of morethan 80 people earlier in 2008 due to contaminatedbatches of the drug, the race to provide more pure andsafer alternative reached rapid speed.

Now Professor Robert Linhardt, from the RensselaerPolytechnic Institute, New York, and his research teamhave built the first fully synthetic heparin. Moreover,theirs is the largest dose of heparin ever created in a lab.

Professor Linhardt, with Jian Liu of the University ofNorth Carolina, first discovered the ‘recipe’ for syntheticheparin in 2006. He has since been able to join togetherthe various carbohydrate molecules to grow a complexcarbohydrate that is naturally created in the body, in thelab. Employing chemoenzymatic synthesis that usedspecialised synthetic chemicals and natural enzymes inEscherichia coli, the researchers were able to copy thenormal biosynthesis of heparin within the cell. The useof E. coli, which is common and easily grown, makes theproduction of this version of heparin much faster andeasier. Indeed, the dose Professor Linhardt and his teamwere able to create is a million times higher than anyother alternative produced so far.Newswise. Researchers Create Safer Alternative to Heparin. Media Release : 15Aug 2008. Available from: URL: http://www.newswise.com 809092334

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Inpharma 23 Aug 2008 No. 16521173-8324/10/1652-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved