Patent ID: 8852878

Claim:
A method for identifying an antagonist of Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 1 (GRF1), the method comprising: a) administering a test compound to a mouse model, wherein the mouse model is a leptin deficient mouse model or the mouse model is a cerebral ischemia mouse mode; and b) measuring a decrease in an amount of phosphorylated GRF1 protein in the presence of a test compound as compared to an amount of phosphorylated GRF1 protein in the absence of the test compound, thereby identifying the test compound as an antagonist of GRF1, wherein said antagonist is suitable for inhibiting weight gain in a subject if the test compound reduces fat deposit in the leptin deficient mouse model or neuronal death during cerebral ischemia in a subject if the test compound reduces neuronal death in the cerebral ischemia mouse model.