The thiopurine drugs are

purine Purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound that consists of two rings ( pyrimidine and imidazole) fused together. It is water-soluble. Purine also gives its name to the wider class of molecules, purines, which include substituted purines ...

antimetabolite An antimetabolite is a chemical that inhibits the use of a metabolite, which is another chemical that is part of normal metabolism. Such substances are often similar in structure to the metabolite that they interfere with, such as the antifolate ...

s widely used in the treatment of

acute lymphoblastic leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruis ...

autoimmune disorder An autoimmune disease is a condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a functioning body part. At least 80 types of autoimmune diseases have been identified, with some evidence suggesting that there may be more than 100 types. Nearly ...

s (e.g.,

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distensi ...

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are inv ...

), and

organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpor ...

recipients. Metabolism is catalyzed by

S-methyltransferase Thiopurine methyltransferase or thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''TPMT'' gene. A pseudogene for this locus is located on chromosome 18q. Function Thiopurine methyltransferase methylates th ...

. Litigation over patents covering diagnostic kits to monitor the dosing of these drugs led to a US Supreme Court case, ''

Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. ''Mayo v. Prometheus'', 566 U.S. 66 (2012), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that unanimously held that claims directed to a method of giving a drug to a patient, measuring metabolites of that drug, and with a known thr ...

'' that dramatically changed the nature of patent law in the United States.Supreme Court Decision. Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., No. 10-1150, Slip Op. at 16
Decision
/ref>Gene Quinn
''Killing Industry: The Supreme Court Blows Mayo v. Prometheus''
(March 20, 2012).

References

External links

* http://www.pharmgkb.org/do/serve?objId=PA2040 Purines {{antineoplastic-drug-stub

See also

References

External links