Pharmacy

Amgen and UCB (Euronext Brussels, UCB) have collaborated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct a test of an antibody called sclerostin. This experiment would be conducted in space shuttle Atlantis on the final shutter mission of NASA, which was scheduled to be launched on July 8,2011.

The antibody is going to be designed to inhibit the action of sclerostin- a protein that acts as a regulatory for bone formation, bone strength and bone mass. The findings from the research would help provide an insight into the prevention and treatment of skeletal fragility that can result from 'skeletal disuse' in conditions such as immobilization, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury and reduced physical activity. As loss of bone mass during space flights is one of the major concerns of the human space mission as it causes a lot of discomfort especially for people in long flights.

AMG 785/CDP7851, a different sclerostin antibody than the one being used for this STS-135 mouse study, is currently in phase II clinical trials for bone-related conditions, including postmenopausal osteoporosis and fracture healing.