This technology describes monoclonal antibodies against mouse chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), also known as Monokine induced by gamma interferon (Mig). CXCL9 is a secreted protein that functions to attract white cells and increased expression of CXCL9 has been linked to several diseases. The inventors at the NIH generated over 100 anti-mouse CXCL9 antibodies from a CLXL9/Mig knockout mouse and further characterized several antibodies to show neutralization of CXCL9.

The global market for cancer therapeutics is over $40 billion and is anticipated to continue to rise in the future. There remains a significant unmet need for therapeutics for cancers that affect blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes and the immune system, such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which may prevent degradation of pro-apoptotic factors permitting activation of programmed cell death in neoplastic cells dependent upon suppression of pro-apoptotic pathways, has been a successful mode of treatment for such cancers.

NIH investigators have discovered a series of small compounds with the potential to treat a variety of cancers as well as hemolytic anemia. Contrary to most cancer medications, these molecules can be non-toxic to normal cells because they target a protein specific to the metabolic pathways in tumors, thus representing a significant clinical advantage over less-specific chemotherapeutics.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene-1 (NAG-1) encodes a protein that has anti-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and antitumor properties. It plays a pivotal role in antitumorigenesis induced by chemopreventive compounds. Transgenic mice expressing human NAG-1 have been developed by the NIH investigator and collaborator.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells that can be cultured indefinitely, and maintain their capability to differentiate into all cell lineages. To maintain these cells as well as various types of related induced stem cells and progenitor cells in culture, Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) are routinely used as feeder cells, largely to serve as a source of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF). ESCs can also be cultured without feeders if the medium is supplemented with recombinant LIF and other factors.

Glutamate receptor mGluR5 has been reported to function in the brain. There were no prior reports of it being involved in melanoma. The NIH investigators have discovered that when over expressed in transgenic animals, mGluR5 induces melanoma. The establishment of an mGluR5 tumor mouse model will provide a unique opportunity to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying tumor formation, and allow the study of aggressive melanoma in animals and a screen of potential therapeutics. Such an mGluR5 tumor mouse model is established at the National Institutes of Health and is available for licensing.

The invention relates to the diagnosis and management of cancer-related fatigue (CRF). More specifically the invention relates to identification and measurement of a single Biomarker or a group of biomarkers (e.g. genes) that are associated with cancer related fatigue. The identification and measurement of such biomarkers can be utilized in the diagnosis and management of fatigue and may facilitate the development of therapy for such fatigue.

NIH Inventors have recently discovered a novel Leucine-rich repeat and calponin homology domain-containing protein 4 (Lrch4) in a proteomic screen of the plasma membrane of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-exposed macrophages. Expression data by RT-PCR revealed that all Lrch family members (1-4) are expressed in macrophages, but only Lrch4 was recruited into lipid rafts (signaling microdomains of the plasma membrane) by LPS. Lrch4 is the most highly expressed Lrch family member in mouse tissues. It is a predicted single-spanning transmembrane protein that is encoded by the Lrch4 gene in humans.

The Proteus syndrome is a congenital disorder characterized by patchy overgrowth and hyperplasia (cell proliferation) of multiple tissues and organs, along with susceptibility to developing tumors. It is a rare disorder, with incidence of less than one case per million, caused by a somatic mutation. It is also a mosaic disorder, that is one in which cells of the same person have different genetic content from one another.

Available for licensing are novel pyrrolopyrimidine compounds that disrupt the assembly of the perinucleolar compartment (PNC), a sub-nuclear structure highly prevalent in metastatic tumors. These notable compounds act without overt cytotoxicity.

The presence of the PNC positively correlates with metastatic capacity, making it a potential marker for cancer development and prognosis. These compounds could also serve as useful tools to elucidate the biology driving the formation and maintenance of the PNC, and unravel its association with metastasis.