As a runner, I’ve long been intrigued by what gets me high during my runs. Endorphins, you say? Yes, I’m well aware of those and bless those endorphins. But, I have to say, there’s nothing quite as satiating as a good run and as a scientist by training, I was convinced that there was more to that feeling than endorphins. Turns out, there is. It wasn’t too long ago that I came acros...

Introduction Humans have at least 50 discovered hormones managing vital biological functions in the body. These hormones are produced by the body’s organs and glands. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are structurally related hormones synthesized and released from the heart, including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Due to some of the physiological actions of nat...

Chromoa® The Chromoa® Chromogranin A ELISA from Cisbio Bioassays is for the quantitative determination of CgA in serum and plasma. The patented monoclonal detection system provides superior specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility to determine elevated serum CgA levels. Above all, the hook effect that is typically seen in other CgA assays is not present, thereby providing you with confiden...

Drug-Induced Organ Injury Toxicological side effects are a common obstacle in drug development pipelines and often manifest in site-specific damage to vital organs, including the liver, kidney and heart. Estimates of compound attrition from failure to meet safety endpoints are as high as 45% in preclinical models and 40% for Phase I clinical trials.1 Now more than ever, labs engaged in comp...

Understanding Vitamin D Metabolism & Function Vitamin D is a steroid hormone involved in the intestinal absorption of calcium and the regulation of calcium homeostasis, bone differentiation and immune response. The term "vitamin D" refers to several different forms of this vitamin. There are two major types of vitamin D: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) – which is synthesized by plants ...

The Growth Hormone/IGF axis consists of IGF-1, IGF-2 and several high and low affinity IGF Binding Proteins (IGFBP). The whole system is tightly regulated by a feedback loop involving Growth Hormone (GH) secreted by the pituitary, and GH production and secretion controlled by Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) at the hypothalamus.   Insulin-like Growth Factors & Binding Pr...