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This technology is for compositions and methods for diagnosis of Lyme disease. Currently, Lyme disease is diagnosed by clinical exam and a history of exposure to endemic regions. Although, laboratory tests may aid diagnosis, the best tests currently available are slow and labor intensive and require understanding of the test, and infection stage. A two-step antibody based test process is currently the recommended laboratory test. The first step is either an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), or an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA).

This invention describes a new vaccine against Strongyoides stercoralis, which establishes a parasitic infection that affects an estimated 100-200 million people worldwide. The potential for fatal disease associated with S. stercoralis infection and the difficulty in treating hyperinfection underscores the need for prophylactic vaccines against the disease. This vaccine uses S. stercoralis immunoreactive antigen (SsIR); a novel antigen capable of providing 70-90 % protection for mice immunized with the antigen.

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode endemic that affects an estimated 30 to 100 million people worldwide. Many of these individuals may be asymptomatic for decades. The present invention discloses a NIE recombinant antigen that can be used in improved assays and diagnostics for S. stercoralis infection. The NIE antigen is the only one that is non-cross-reactive with sera from humans with other related filaria infections. The NIE antigen can be utilized as a skin test antigen for immediate hypersensitivity as well as for use in ELISA or other assays.

A Loa loa specific antigen that can be used as the basis of an immunoassay for the diagnosis of Loa loa infection.

Loa loa microfilarial-specific peptide sequences that could be used as a research material as well as for development of immunoassays for detection of Loa loa microfilaremia.

Summary:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for a novel humanized monoclonal antibody (58B3) that selectively targets a newly identified soluble Tissue Factor (sTF) to diagnose, prevent and treat pathological thrombosis associated with inflammation, viral/bacterial infection, sepsis and cancer – without affecting normal hemostasis.

The present research tool is a knockout mouse model (FPR^-/-) that lacks the high affinity N-formylpeptide receptor (FPR), created by targeted gene disruption.

HCV has infected an estimated 3% of the world population in whom viral infection persists for more than two third of the cases, often resulting in life-threatening complications. The standard of care (pegylated interferon alpha-2 plus ribavirin) is efficient in only 50% of treated patients, costly and has numerous side effects. In addition, viral resistance to newly developed drugs -- targeting viral protease or RNA polymerase -- has been described, but no vaccine is yet available.

Methods of enhancing engraftment of donor hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by reducing expression or activity of CXCR4 in HSCs is described. HSC are the only cells in the bone marrow that are both pluripotent and long lived. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) using HSC is an increasingly common medical therapy for severe hematologic cancers and primary hematologic immunodeficiencies. However, for significant HSC engraftment to occur there must usually be pre-transplant conditioning with either irradiation or chemotherapy or both.

A plasmid encodes human C-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3). It may contribute to the accumulation and activation of eosinophil and other inflammatory cells in the allergic airway.