Robotnikinin

Robotnikinin is a molecule, notable for directly inhibiting the Sonic hedgehog protein's signalling pathway. The research team behind the discovery (whose study was published on January 18th, 2009 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology) was headed by Stuart Schreiber, a Harvard professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and consisted primarily of researchers from Harvard University and the Broad Institute.

Research into the Sonic Hedgehog protein is of particular interest to scientists, due to the critical function it plays in the embryonic development of mammals, as well as its effects on the division of stem cells and on certain forms of cancer. While clinical trials have already begun on compounds which block the signalling pathway further down the line, it was believed incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to target the protein directly--a belief that Schreiber and his team intended to disprove. Beginning with a microarray comprised of some 10,000 molecular samples, the research team first exposed the compounds to the protein, then observed any reactions. The samples that showed the most potential were taken through subsequent tests, which ultimately resulted in the discovery of the Robotnikinin molecule. While this doesn't necessarily invalidate or trump the compounds already in clinical trials, Schreiber and his fellow researchers remain optimistic about the molecule's potential application as a probe for diseases associated with the Sonic Hedgehog protein.

Finally, on the subject of the molecule's name, Dr. Lee Peng, one of the study's co-authors, explains: "As Sonic hedgehog was deliberately named after the Sega videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog, we wished to adhere to the convention established by the original investigators in naming our inhibitor of Sonic hedgehog signalling. Dr Robotnik is Sonic's archenemy, so we decided that 'robotnikinin' was an appropriate name for our compound" ₍₂₎.

Sources

1. _{"Researchers find new molecule to block ‘Hedgehog’ signaling in cancer, development" by Alvin Powell, Harvard (January 18th, 2009)}
   
2. _{"Robotnikinin takes on Sonic hedgehog" by Kate McDonald, Life Scientist (January 19th, 2009)}