Enzo Scientists Report on Key Discovery of Novel Targets for Metabolic Bone Disease and Other Conditions

Enzo Biochem Inc. ENZ today reported that scientists from its Enzo Therapeutics group presented a podium session entitled “The Presence of Sulfated Tyrosine In Scelerostin and Dkk1 Ligands and its Effect on Wnt Signaling” at the WNT 2011 conference in Los Angeles Thursday, June 30, 2011. “Our scientific team has identified a new target on a key modulator of the Wnt system that not only allows for development of novel antibodies for the modulation of this important pathway, but it has also identified a small peptide that can accomplish the same modulation without the need for antibodies,” said Dr. Elazar Rabbani, CEO of Enzo Biochem. “We believe that this exciting discovery opens up the possibility for the development of a new class of therapeutic products for the treatment of numerous important diseases, including cancer and metabolic disorders,” added Dr. Rabbani. “Moreover, Enzo's discovery could be important in the development of companion diagnostics and prognostics that could be invaluable in the effective management of patients afflicted with these conditions.” The work performed by Enzo's scientific team showed the existence of an entirely new class of modification of scelerostin and Dkk proteins which exhibit significant biological function. These proteins have been shown to inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway, and therefore mediate the development of numerous diseases. As an example, fluctuation in the level of these proteins has been shown to affect such serious conditions as osteoporosis. It has been reported that anti-scelerostin anabolics are among the most exciting development in the treatment of bone disorders.