In the January 26 issue of Science there was an article by Naqvi et al. about patients with brain damage to the insula losing their desire to smoke. A podcast interview with Dr. Bechara, one of the authors of the study, ended with him stating that there are a number of known receptors in the brain that should be tested for their association in all kinds of addiction—smoking, drugs, alcohol. He further stated that he also believes this area of the brain may be responsible for eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.
The ATS targeting technology has important applications in identifying potential therapeutic targets in the insula. By using targeted toxins to specifically eliminate cell types in the insula based on their specific receptors, researchers can dissect this complicated system and identify specific cell functions. For example, the insula is known to have mu-opioid receptors. ATS has developed a targeted toxin, dermorphin-SAP (Cat. #IT-12) that specifically eliminates neurons that have the mu opioid receptor.
It is possible that two other ATS products that target transporters will also be helpful in search for potential pharmacological targets. These targeted toxins are anti-DAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-25) and anti-SERT-SAP (Cat. #IT-23).
ATS also has a line of secondary conjugates that allows researchers to make their own targeted toxins. A secondary antibody conjugated to saporin can be mixed with a primary antibody to test targeting and internalization. ATS also makes a secondary conjugate that recognizes biotinylated materials. Streptavidin-ZAP (Cat. #IT-27) is mixed with your primary biotinylated targeting agent and is stable enough for testing in vivo. (see our Catalog of Secondary Conjugates for additional information).
For more information on using the ATS technology and products to identify therapeutic and diagnostic targets, click on the Contact button. We look forward to discussing your targeting needs.