Lanosterol synthase disease prevention and treatment (see Disease Relevance, below). Interest has grown in lanosterol synthase inhibitors as drugs to lower blood cholesterol and treat atherosclerosis. The widely popular statin drugs currently used to lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol function by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase activity. Because this enzyme catalyzes the formation of precursors far upstream of (S)-2,3-epoxysqualene and cholesterol, statins may negatively influence amounts of intermediates required for other biosynthetic pathways (e.g. synthesis of isoprenoids, coenzyme Q). Thus, lanosterol synthase, which is more closely tied to cholesterol biosynthesis than HMG-CoA reductase, is an attractive drug target. Lanosterol synthase inhibitors are thought to
Cord blood bank and Drug Administration regulates cord blood under the category of “Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue Based-Products”. Since the FDA considers cord blood stored at public banks to be "drugs", but doesn't consider cord blood stored at private banks for use by the donor to be drugs, private banks are held to a lower regulatory standard. Cord blood transplants require less stringent matching between the tissue types of the donor and patient, known as their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types. Bone marrow transplants require a complete match on six key antigens, which are measures of graft-versus-host reaction, known as