The glycoprotein CD56, also known as a neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), plays an important role in normal physiological functions. It is expressed in low levels in normal cells such as neurons, glia, skeletal muscle and natural killer cells.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) Immunoepidemiology Branch is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further co-develop a gene-based diagnostic for Hepatitis C virus (HepC, HCV).
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and consists of three subtypes: activated B-cell (ABC), germinal center B-cell (GBC), and primary mediastinal B-cell (PMB). Despite advances in the front-line therapy for DLBCL, approximately one-third of patients will relapse. Substantially worse outcomes have been reported for patients diagnosed with ABC DLBCL and treated with standard chemoimmunotherapy, suggesting the need for novel strategies that improve treatment outcomes.
The National Cancer Institute seeks interested parties to co-develop transgenic mice having immunocompetent rat growth hormone-firefly Luciferase-enhanced green fluorescent protein.
Current methods of labeling and synthesizing RNA do not allow for multiple labels or long RNA segments to be synthesized for large RNA on a milligram scale.
The NCI Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics seeks parties interested in collaborative research to further develop this mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to study cancer biology and for preclinical testing. As a Research Tool, patent protection is not being pursued for this technology; more information to access this strain can be found here: https://www.jax.org/strain/030386.
Human cancers contain genetic mutations that are unique to each patient. Some of the mutated peptides are immunogenic, can be recognized by T cells, and therefore, may serve as therapeutic targets.
The National Cancer Institute seeks parties interested in collaborative research to co-develop a method to generate RNA molecules suitable for nanoparticle and biomedical applications.
The successful treatment of cancer is correlated with the early detection of the cancerous cells. Conventional cancer diagnosis is largely based on qualitative morphological criteria, but more accurate quantitative tests could greatly increase early detection of malignant cells. It has been observed that the spatial arrangement of DNA in the nucleus is altered in cancer cells in comparison to normal cells. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish malignant cells by mapping the position of labeled marker genes in the nucleus.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) is an angiogenic agent that drives blood vessel formation in solid tumors and other diseases, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Several therapies that target the ability of VEGF to stimulate angiogenesis have been approved. These therapies regulate VEGF-A activity by binding VEGF-A, thereby blocking VEGF-A from binding to its receptor on target cells. This technology utilizes a different approach to regulating VEGF-A activity by providing a VEGF-A protein antagonist that is produced by engineering native VEGF-A protein.