Imgenex Corp. develops and commercializes novel reagents for the scientific study of human biology and disease and for the production of new diagnostic assays and potential therapies of such diseases. These novel reagents include antibodies, gene and protein expression systems, and arrays of various cells and tissues for use in studies of functional genomics. Areas of biological interest at IMGENEX include cancer, apoptosis (programmed cell death), molecular signaling pathways, cellular aging, and metabolic and infectious diseases.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secretory glycoprotein belonging to TNF receptor (TNFR) superfamily(1). As the name implies, it protects bone. Unlike other TNFRs it lacks a transmembrane domain and lacks any apparent cell associated signals. OPG consists of 401 amino acid with molecular mass of approximately 55 kD as a monomer and 110 kD as a disulfide-linked dimer. High levels of OPG mRNA has been detected in lung, heart, kidney, and placenta1. Recombinant OPG blocks osteoclastogenesis in vitro and increases bone density in vivo. Targeted deletion of OPG in mice results in severe early-onset of osteoporosity. These mice also exhibit increase in vascular calcification in the aorta and renal arteries suggesting that it may also play a role in degenerative arterial disease.