Relaxin and its diagnostics

[zee]

There is an urgent need for someone to find out the contact information for Ortho-diagnostics, a Division of Johnson and Johnson. Ortho-diagnostics has developed a test that can determine the amount of the hormone Relaxin, a hormone that affects fibrous growth.

I would much appreciate someone posting the complete contact information, name, phone, email of the person responsible for the clinical trials that is evaluating the diagnostic test. Without a diagnostic test, the hormone will not be able to proceed through clinical trials.

Relaxin is experimental. For that reason no one can say that it works or doesn't work. We don't know. What we do know is that animal models have demonstrated an increase in the glomular filtration rate of the kidneys while simultaneously changing the fibrous growth in the lungs. Researchers believe that the fibrous growth is similar to what is found in asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.

As with anything, if you wait for the system to get you your trials, you could wait 10 or more years. I am in school, so it is impossible for me to take time off. I thought I would make this posting on here so that someone who is motivated will look it up. If someone can get me the information before 10-10-2009, I might be able to approach an investigator who has an interest in things like this.

Zee

[barbara]

A search of the J & J ortho diagnostics website turned up 0 results for "Relaxin" -- and the NIH database of clinical studies involving relaxin include none for respiratory diseases of any sort.

Compugen has done work with Relaxin http://www.reuters.com/article/press...009+BW20090317
http://www.cgen.com/Content.aspx?Pag...collaborations and collaborates with J & J's Otho-clinical diagnostic division

[zee]

This is great news about Compugen. However, Compugen is developing a treatment while Orthodiagnostics is developing a diagnostic tool. Previously the article about the diagnostic tool was published on MedNews today and I did post the links on this website over a month ago. It is being done in Europe, not the US. For this reason you will not find a clinical trial in clinicaltrials.gov

Also to consider is that a good percentage of all clinical trials are never posted or updated on clinicaltrials.gov I know of several current trials that are actively recruiting and the companies sponsoring the trials haven't bothered to update their data or recruitment status on clinicaltrials.gov This is not atypical. Besides clinicaltrials.gov, there are other ways of finding out who is doing those trials. More often than not, the best way, if not the only way, is just to call the company and find out.

The merits in contacting Orthodiagnostics is to find out whether or not they would like a study investigator in the US to evaluate their blood tests. There is no question that without a phone call, the trial in the US would happen anyway, but contacting them and putting them in contact with an interested investigator would greatly speed up the process. Keep in mind that many of the clinician/investigators that participate in these things are stretched very thin in terms of the time they have to solicit these things. A lot of them go to conferences and try and get information that way.

I still think it is worth a phone call to Orthodiagnostics to find out who is managing the protocol for diagnostic evaluations of Relaxin. I highly doubt that anyone is going to do a trial of Relaxin without a diagnostic tool to measure whether or not it is working. A diagnostic tool will probably be the first step.

Zee

[Kaye]

Maybe we can hope for off label??? Isn't anyone interested in lung disease?

http://app.streamsend.com/c/6538211/...t-failure.aspx

[Jeannine]

Kaye

I often wonder if anyone is interested too. However, after I read the report about the benefits of Relaxin I did a google search and discovered a supplement called Vitalaxin that I purchased last month. I have been taking two capsules per day and feel that it has helped my breathing somewhat, but what was more noticeable was the slowing down of my heart rate by 10 beats. It used to stay in the 89-92 area even when sitting, but lately I have noticed it is more often between 79-86. I believe rapid heart rate accounts for almost half of my shortness of breath. I take other supplements but this is the only one that was new in the past month.

Here is the link to the product

http://www.prohealth.com/vitalaxin.htm