Road to nowhere with phospholipase enzyme inhibitors

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Researchers are making little progress in developing effective phospholipase enzyme inhibitors with potential use as anti-inflammatory or antineoplastic agents. Some companies are giving up the search, whereas others are looking at less direct ways of inhibiting the enzymes. An alternative approach may be to find earlier targets in the pathway leading to phospholipase activation. In this respect, some encouraging results have been achieved by inhibiting tyrosine kinases. However, further research is needed, as discussed at The Society for Medicines Research meeting entitled, ‘Choline Lipids and Their Role in Cellular Signalling’ [ London, UK; March 1995 ].