| abstract |
The present invention relates to novel somatostatin analogs, dimers thereof, and methods of using the same to treat various diseases. Naturally occurring somatostatins (SSTs), which are also known as somatotropin release-inhibiting factors (SRIFs), have diverse biological effects in many cells and organs throughout the body. They are produced by normal endocrine, gastrointestinal, immune and neuronal cells, as well as by certain tumors (Patel, Y. C, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology , 20(3): 157-198 (1999); Froidevaux, et al, Biopolymers, 66(3): 161-83 (2002)). |