Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor

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Image:Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor.png
Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor
Systematic (IUPAC) name
Human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor
Identifiers
CAS number	83869-56-1
ATC code	L03 AA09
PubChem	?
DrugBank	BTD00035
Chemical data
Formula	C₆₃₉H₁₀₀₆N₁₆₈O₁₉₆S₈
Mol. weight	14434.5 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	?
Metabolism	?
Half life	?
Excretion	?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.	?
Legal status
Routes	?

Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, often abbreviated to GM-CSF, is a protein secreted by macrophages that stimulates stem cells to produce granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) and macrophages. It is thus part of the immune/inflammatory cascade, whereby activation of a small number of macrophages produces more of them in circulation.

Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor is distinct from granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Also known as sargramostim when the protein is expressed in yeast cells (trademarked Leukine®), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor is used as a medication to stimulate the production of white blood cells, especially granulocytes and macrophages, following chemotherapy.

[edit] Leukine and Controversy

Leukine is a drug manufactured by Berlex, a subsidiary of Schering AG. Berlex paid for a study that ran in the May 26, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that its leukemia drug Leukine “decreased disease severity and improved the quality of life in patients with active Crohn’s disease.” The lead author, Joshua Korzenik of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, is not only a paid consultant for Berlex and a member of its speakers bureau, but he also co-owns the patent behind the drug. [1]

October 14, 2003. Brian Dieckgraefe of Washington University School of Medicine, presented the results of a Phase II study at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Berlex paid for the study, initiated following positive results in an earlier pilot trial. As reported, 124 patients with median baseline Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) scores of 300 points were enrolled. The pre-defined end points were a drop in CDAI score of 70 points or more, or clinical remission, defined as a CDAI of 150 points or less. Although the study showed leukine failed to meet the pre-defined end points, Dieckgraefe presented end points as a drop in CDAI of 100 points or more. Dieckgraefe also co-owns the patent behind the drug.