November 1, 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 19)

URL:
http://www.exonhit.com

Rating:
Strong Points: Much useful information
Weak Points: Poor organization

Summary:
This site is hosted by ExonHit Therapeutics, an enterprise that focuses on alternative RNA splicing with several products in development. These include a small molecule in Phase II development for Alzheimer’s disease. The site is not just about the company’s products, however. One informative section discusses RNA splicing. Another elaborates about medical applications for which alternative splicing has health consequences, and these make for interesting reading. An online search engine called Splice Array Portal gives researchers important tools to measure/detect differences between alternatively spliced mRNAs. A set of tutorials is also available, as is an informative FAQ section. A commercial site with a gentle, rather than an overwhelming approach to its subject, ExonHit is a very useful site. I just hope they manage to get over the numerous FDA hurdles enroute to approval for the drugs they are designing.

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