Cancer Therapeutic Agents that Bind to STAT Proteins
The National Cancer Institute, Cancer and Inflammation Program seeks parties interested in collaborative research to further co-develop inhibitors of STAT proteins for the treatment of cancer.
Peptide Inhibitors for Viral Infections and as Anti-inflammatory Agents
IFN-gamma and IL-10 are cytokine signaling molecules that play fundamental roles in inflammation, cancer growth and autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, there are no specific inhibitors of IFN-gamma or IL-10 on the market to date.
Cancer Therapeutic based on Stimulation of Natural Killer T-cell Anti-tumor Activity
Natural killer T cells (NKT) are a unique lymphocyte population that has T-cell and NK cell functional properties in order to rapidly elicit an immune response. alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) is a potent NKT stimulator and induces of IFN-gamma release to promote immunity against tumors and infectious agents. Humans have natural antibodies against alpha-galactose, which may be one of the reasons why the human clinical trials of alpha-GalCer or KRN7000 were not very successful.
Novel Chemoattractant-Based Toxins To Improve Vaccine Immune Responses for Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in United States and it is estimated that there will be more than half a million deaths caused by cancer in 2009. A major drawback of the current chemotherapy-based therapeutics is the cytotoxic side-effects associated with them. Thus there is a dire need to develop new therapeutic strategies with fewer side-effects. Immunotherapy has taken a lead among the new therapeutic approaches. Enhancing the innate immune response of an individual has been a key approach for the treatment against different diseases such as cancer an
Polypeptides for Stimulation of Immune Response (Adjuvants)
HMGN polypeptides belong to the high mobility group (HMG) family of chromosomal binding peptides. HMGN polypeptides typically function inside the cell nucleus to bind to DNA and nucleosomes and regulate the transcription of various genes. HMGN polypeptides also can be released by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, the extracellular release of a HMGN polypeptide initiates activation of the immune system. Therefore, it has potential use as a biological therapeutic for stimulating an immune response.
Cell Lines Expressing Nuclear and/or Mitochondrial RNAse H1
The National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), Program in Genomics of Differentiation, seeks interested parties to further co-develop small molecule inhibitors of RNase H1, especially in regards to genome instability, transcription, and translation.
Monoclonal Antibodies That Bind to the Underside of Influenza Viral Neuraminidase
Current influenza vaccines mainly induce antibodies against the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) that block viral attachment to its host receptors and viral membrane fusion to the host cell. The immunodominant head region of HA undergoes antigenic drift and antibodies directed to the head confer little cross-protections between strains or subtypes.
Neutralizing Antibodies to Influenza HA and Their Use and Identification
The effectiveness of current influenza vaccines varies by strain and season, in part because influenza viruses continuously evolve to evade human immune responses. While the majority of seasonal influenza infections cause relatively mild symptoms, each year influenza virus infections result in over 500,000 hospitalizations in the United States and Europe. Current standard of care for individuals hospitalized with uncomplicated influenza infection is administration of neuraminidase inhibitors.
Micro-Dose Calibrator for Pre-clinical Radiotracer Assays
Molecular imaging is a disease-specific targeting modality that promises much more accurate diagnoses of serious diseases such as cancer and infections. Agents are being continually developed with a view to clinical translation, with several such therapies requiring measurement of very small doses. Currently, there is no way of accurately measuring small amounts of radioactivity used in many pre-clinical tracer studies, as on-the-market commercial dose calibrators measure at too high a dose range, typically at 10-1000 µCi and higher.
Monoclonal Antibody that Detects a Subclass of Dog IgG—for Diagnostic and Research Applications
CDC and collaborating researchers have developed a new monoclonal antibody that recognizes canine IgG (likely IgG4 subclass). This anti-dog IgG reagent could be used to detect antibody reactions to a variety of antigens and has potential use in a wide variety of diagnostic or research applications.