Current status of the anticoagulant hirudin : its biotechnological production and clinical practice

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Title
Current status of the anticoagulant hirudin : its biotechnological production and clinical practice
Author(s)
Jung Hoon Sohn; Hyun Ah Kang; K J Rao; Chul Ho Kim; Eui Sung Choi; Bong Hyun Chung; Sang Ki Rhee
Bibliographic Citation
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 57, no. 5, pp. 606-613
Publication Year
2001
Abstract
Hirudin is a potent thrombin inhibitor originally derived from the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis. Owing to its high affinity and specificity for thrombin, hirudin has been intensively investigated for research and therapeutic purposes. The investigation of hirudin has contributed greatly to the understanding of the mode of action of thrombin and the clotting system. Hirudin and several hirudin analogues have also been demonstrated to have several advantages as a highly specific anticoagulant over the most widely used drug, heparin. Due to the great demand for hirudin in physicochemical and clinical studies, various recombinant systems have been developed, using bacteria, yeasts, and higher eukaryotes, to obtain the biologically active hirudin in significant quantities. After 10 years of clinical applications, two recombinant hirudins and a hirudin analogue have gained marketing approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration, for several applications. Clinical trials are currently ongoing for other treatments for thrombotic disease. As a consequence, it is conceivable that hirudin may expand its therapeutic utility over heparin in the near future.
ISSN
0175-7598
Publisher
Springer
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-001-0856-9
Type
Article
Appears in Collections:
Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering Research Institute > Synthetic Biology Research Center > 1. Journal Articles
Jeonbuk Branch Institute > Microbial Biotechnology Research Center > 1. Journal Articles
Division of Bio Technology Innovation > BioProcess Engineering Center > 1. Journal Articles
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