Methods and Compositions for the Treatment of Lipid-Associated Disorders

The invention provides a method of identifying a niacin receptor modulator with reduced flushing effect compared to niacin or a niacin analog, comprising determining the MAP kinase activity of said modulator, wherein a decrease in MAP kinase activity induced by said modulator compared to MAP kinase activity induced by niacin or a niacin analog indicates that said modulator has reduced flushing effect when compared to niacin or a niacin analog.

Methods for determining probability of an adverse or favorable reaction to a niacin receptor agonist

The present invention relates generally to a GPR109A niacin receptor. The present invention relates more particularly to a method of determining an individual's probability for a condition associated with a functional niacin receptor-mediated signal response, by: (a) obtaining a GPR109A receptor nucleic acid sequence or a GPR109A receptor amino acid sequence for the individual; (b) identifying within the nucleic acid sequence or the amino acid sequence a nucleotide at a position corresponding to nucleotide position 951 of SEQ ID NO:1 or an amino acid at a position corresponding to amino acid position 317 of SEQ ID NO:2; and (c) assigning the level of probability to the individual for the condition associated with a functional niacin receptor-mediated signal response. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to assessing a GPR109A polymorphism in an individual and determining the level of probability for the subject for experiencing an adverse reaction, wherein the individual's GPR109A zygosity is predictive of the probability for a cutaneous flushing response that can be experienced following administration of a GPR109A receptor agonist.

Methods for determining probability of an adverse or favorable reaction to a niacin receptor agonist