Imetelstat sodium

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ONC-004185",
  "term": "Imetelstat sodium",
  "field": "Oncology and biomedicine",
  "definitions": [
    "A drug used to treat low-risk or intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes in adults with anemia. It is used in patients who need regular red blood cell transfusions and did not respond to or cannot be treated with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Imetelstat sodium binds to an enzyme called telomerase, which is found at high levels in certain types of cells, including cancer cells. Blocking the activity of this enzyme may help keep cancer cells from growing and dividing and cause them to die. Imetelstat sodium is a type of enzyme inhibitor. Also called Rytelo.",
    "The sodium salt of imetelstat, a synthetic lipid-conjugated, 13-mer oligonucleotide N3' P5'-thio-phosphoramidate with potential antineoplastic activity. Complementary to the template region of telomerase RNA (hTR), imetelstat acts as a competitive enzyme inhibitor that binds and blocks the active site of the enzyme (a \"telomerase template antagonist\"), a mechanism of action which differs from that for the antisense oligonucleotide-mediated inhibition of telomerase activity through telomerase mRNA binding. Inhibition of telomerase activity in tumor cells by imetelstat results in telomere shortening, which leads to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis."
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "Rytelo"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms",
    "National Cancer Institute Thesaurus"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oncology/imetelstat-sodium/"
}