Science / Medicine : Hormone May Be Powerful Curative

San Diego researchers reported last week that they had deciphered new clues to how a key hormone works, a step that may lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, infertility, cancer and other disorders. Wylie Vale and Lawrence Mathews of the Salk Institute reported in the journal Cell that they had determined the genetic blueprint for a molecule that enables cells to respond to the hormone, known as activin.

The step will enable researchers to produce the molecule in large amounts, allowing them to study it closely and learn more about how it functions, the scientists said.

Activin, produced in many organs throughout the body, can stimulate the formation of red blood cells in bone marrow, increase the survival of brain cells, boost sperm production and egg maturation and influence the organization of developing embryos, Vale said. It can also prevent certain tumor cells from growing.