It is this dynamic that has made measurement of serum ceruloplasmin the primary screening test for Wilsons.16 Ultimately, the excess retained copper in the hepatocytes of Wilsons patients leads to toxic injury to the cell and eventually spillage of copper into the circulation, where it may be deposited in other organs such as the brain, cornea, and kidneys
This can make them more challenging to remove with laser treatment
As typified by exendin-4 (in clinical use as exenatide), the peptide amino acid sequence can be altered to prevent proteolytic degradation, extending circulatory half-life from minutes to hours, whilst retaining full activity at the receptor (Kolterman et al ., 2003)
Gen Comp Endocrinol 175, 2733, doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.11.025 (2012)
It is not suitable for use during pregnancy, while planning to become pregnant, or while breastfeeding