Aversive or anticraving medications are currently used to supplement behavioral treatment of alcohol dependence. However, there is a need for developing more effective medications than those available. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neurotransmitter known for increasing appetite and possibly having a role in alcohol preference and dependence. This is likely to be mediated by activation of the post-synaptic NPY-Y1 receptor, but developing molecules suitable for human therapeutics that activate that receptor represents a major challenge.

Niemann-Pick disease is a class of inherited lipid storage diseases. Niemann-Pick Type C disease is an autosomal recessive neurovisceral lipid storage disorder which leads to systemic and neurological abnormalities including ataxia, seizures, and loss of speech. Patients with the disease typically die as children. The biochemical hallmark of Niemann-Pick Type C cells is the abnormal accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in lysosomes, which results in the delayed homeostatic regulation of both uptake and esterification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

The invention is a method and composition for inhibiting or treating symptoms of inflammatory demyelination or inflammation associated with autoimmune disorders. This is accomplished by administering recombinant E-selectin protein intranasally and resulting in E selectin-specific regulatory T-cells.

Parathyroid hormone receptors found on osteoblasts in bone and renal tubule cells in kidney elevate blood calcium levels when stimulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP). Excessive secretion of PTH from the parathyroid gland results in primary hyperparathyroidism. Production of PTHrP by various tumors results in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. In both of these conditions, excessive blood calcium levels lead to clinically significant morbidity. A parathyroid hormone antagonist could therefore have therapeutic value.

Cryopreservation using liquid nitrogen frozen polyvinyl bags allows for storing cellular materials for extended periods while maintaining their activity and viability. Such bags are commonly used in the clinic to store blood products including blood cells, plasma, hematopoietic stem cells, umbilical cord blood for future uses including transplantation. These materials, typically obtained in limited quantities, may be of great therapeutic value, as is the case of stem cells or cord blood derived cells which can be used to potentially treat a number of diseases.

This invention discloses methods for treating neurodegenerative diseases by administering cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) inhibitory peptides derived from P35, the activator of Cdk5. Abnormally hyperactive Cdk5 has been shown to be associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Disclosed in this invention are isolated peptide fragments, pharmaceutical compositions and methods for use of such for treating subjects with a neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

M5 muscarinic receptor knockout: Deficiency of M5Rs reduces drug-seeking behavior.

The five Muscarinic Acetylcholine (ACh) receptors are G-protein coupled receptors (M1R-M5R). M1R, M3R and M5R selectively couple to Gq/G11; M2R and M4R selectively couple to Gi/Go. M5R knockout mice are viable and fertile, and have no major morphological abnormalities.

The inventors have isolated and characterized an alkaloid, phantasmidine, from the skin of the Ecuadoran poison frog E. anthonyi. Phantasmidine is selective for beta4-containing receptor subtypes, unlike many nicotinic receptor agonists currently in development, which target beta2-containing receptor subtypes.

Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disease that is characterized by a loss of function of the glucocerebrosidase (GCase) enzyme, which results in a decreased ability to degrade its lipid substrate, glucocerebroside. The intracellular build up of this lipid causes a broad range of clinical manifestations, ranging from enlarged spleen/liver and anemia to neurodegeneration. In Gaucher disease, the loss of GCase function has been attributed to low levels of the protein in the lysosomal compartment, resulting from improper GCase folding and transport.

Cyclodextrins (CD), alone or in combination with other agents (e.g., vitamin E), as therapeutics for the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) caused by the accumulation of non-cholesterol lipids.