Researchers have developed a long-acting growth hormone for use in treating children and adults with growth hormone disorders. Most hormones and cytokines currently used in therapy have a short life and therefore require frequent injections. However, a newly developed technology can generate effective, long-acting hormones which promote growth over a minimum of ten days, after just one injection.

Hormones normally circulate in blood attached to binding proteins that prevent their clearance from the circulation and prolong their biological action. The new molecules created by the scientists, however, are able to bind to each other in a head-to-tail configuration, doubling their molecular mass in the bloodstream. This delays their absorption and elimination from the blood and therefore generates a hormone that will last for a longer period of time.

Professor Jon Sayers, from the University´s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, commented: "We believe that the technology can also be applied to treat inflammatory diseases such as multiple-sclerosis, cancer and metabolic diseases."

The study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Source: University of Sheffield
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