The Company has exclusively licensed worldwide rights covering MKK3 use in drug discovery and has filed patent applications for p38-2 and MEK6. The estrogen hormone has a broad spectrum of effects on tissues in both females and males. In addition to estrogen's positive effects, however, the hormone also is a potent growth factor in the breast and endometrium that increases the risk of cancer. SERMs also have significant potential for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Applications of SERMs in Cancer.
Many tissues express the estrogen receptor.
Tissues expressing high levels of ER-beta are prostate, testis, ovaries and certain areas of the brain. A variety of breast and non-breast cancer cells have been shown to express the estrogen receptor and these cancers are a natural target for developing specific estrogen antagonists as novel therapeutics. Among those well known drugs that belong to the SERM drug class, tamoxifen has been approved for the prevention or treatment of breast cancer and raloxifene, in addition to its approval as an anti-resorptive drug, is in phase III clinical trials for the prevention of breast cancer. Applications of SERMs in Osteoporosis. However, HRT poses a number of health risks that make it a poor choice for many women, including an increased risk for breast and uterine cancer.