The toxin blocks the ability of acetylcholine, one of the body's chemical neurotransmitters, to control muscle contraction.
Like Plavix, which has annual sales of $7 billion, prasugrel blocks the ability of platelets in the blood to form clumps that can cause heart attacks.
Together, these data suggest that activation of Akt blocks the ability of cancer cells to metabolize nonglycolytic bioenergetic substrates, leading to glucose addiction.
Specifically, the researchers found that arsenic trioxide blocks the ability of a protein called Gli2 to induce gene transcription in the nucleus.
Separately, some of the animals also were injected with a drug that blocks the ability of male sex hormones to bind to receptors in the brain.
The pUL38 protein blocks the ability of TSC to respond to upstream signals, allowing the virus to continue to utilize cellular biosynthetic systems in spite of inducing a strong stress response.
In addition, levonorgestrel causes the mucus in the cervix to thicken, which blocks the ability of sperm to travel through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes, where fertilization of the egg by a sperm normally takes place.
Tamoxifen, for instance, is a common drug that blocks the ability of estrogen to stimulate tumour growth, and Megace (megestrol) blocks the action of progesterone by partially mimicking the hormone.
ABT-263 (navitoclax), a chemical inhibitor that blocks the ability of BCL-XL to bind and inhibit pro-apoptotic proteins, in combination with a MEK inhibitor led to dramatic apoptosis in many KRAS mutant cell lines from different tissue types.
