biology

Zalunfiban

Zalunfiban is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zalunfiban rather than just read about it. In short: Zalunfiban (INN; code name RUC-4, proposed trade name Disaggpro) is an antiplatelet drug of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors class. It is intended for the emergency prehospital treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a type of heart attack with specific ECG findings.

Key takeaways

Zalunfiban belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zalunfiban to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zalunfiban from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Zalunfiban (INN; code name RUC-4, proposed trade name Disaggpro) is an antiplatelet drug of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors class. It is intended for the emergency prehospital treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a type of heart attack with specific ECG findings. It was discovered by Barry S. Coller at Rockefeller University and is being developed by CeleCor Therapeutics, a company he founded specifically for this purpose.

Pharmacology Administered subcutaneously, it achieves potent inhibition of platelet aggregation within 15 minutes and has an effect duration of approximately two hours, making it suitable for emergency use. Its mechanism of action involves binding to the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor on platelets, displacing the magnesium ion at the receptor's MIDAS site (Metal Ion-Dependent Adhesion Site), and locking the receptor in an inactive conformation. This prevents platelet aggregation induced by various activators including thrombin, thromboxane, and ADP, without inducing thrombocytopenia.

Clinical trials The first human trials of zalunfiban were conducted in 2019 and published in 2020. Phase III trial results were presented in November 2025.

History In the early 2000s, Coller's team at the Rockefeller University Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology used high-throughput screening to find new small molecule chemical compounds with potential antiplatelet activity directed at the platelet integrin αIIbβ3 protein complex (also known as glycoprotein IIb/IIIa). Among more than 30,000 screened compounds, they identified one (later codenamed RUC-1) with a unique mechanism of action, which was selected for further development. Structure-based drug design techniques were then used to develop a congener of RUC-1 (RUC-2), with 100 times greater potency to block platelet aggregation. However, despite excellent results in animal testing and favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, it was not soluble enough for the intended purpose, which was to be formulated as an autoinjector for emergency use by first responders or during transport of heart attack victims to hospital before intravenous (IV) access could be obtained. Further molecular modification (changing the benzene ring of RUC-2 to a pyridine ring) yielded RUC-4 (zalunfiban), which was even more potent and soluble enough to be administered by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zalunfiban

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zalunfiban claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zalunfiban before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zalunfiban ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zalunfiban

In research: Zalunfiban appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zalunfiban in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zalunfiban is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carboxamides, Experimental cardiovascular drugs, Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zalunfiban outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Zalunfiban in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zalunfiban means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zalunfiban out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zalunfiban in simple terms?

Why does Zalunfiban matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zalunfiban?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zalunfiban.