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Neurites of the central nervous system can be conceptualized as cylindrical pores with finite lengths and radii. In response to physical trauma, axons may assume a “beaded” morphology which alters their ability to conduct electrical impulses, impairing brain function. These microstructural changes are thought to underlie some of the cognitive defects observed in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Current methods for characterizing traumatic brain injury (TBI) cannot provide microstructural detail on the 3-dimensional shape of axonal segments.

The AKT pathway plays a key role in the regulation of cellular survival, apoptosis, and protein translation and has been shown to have prognostic significance in a number of cancers.  Recently, the inventors have identified several functions of the AKT pathway in certain cancers, such as extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC).

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3 Related (ATR) protein kinase is essential for regulating DNA damage checkpoints during the cell cycle. ATR, is phosphorylated at threonine 1989 site (T1989) in response to DNA damage and ATR activation leads to activation of downstream substrates, signaling cascades and cell cycle arrest. ATR is a potential target for anticancer therapeutics to induce cancer cell death by inhibiting cell cycle arrest pathways in response to chemotherapeutics.

Surgery is the standard care for patients with stage I lung cancer. Despite successful surgery, 20-30% of patients will relapse. Chemotherapy can improve patient survival; however, it is controversial if early stage cancer patients should be treated with chemotherapy since, for many cases, it will harm quality of life with little therapeutic benefit.

Many known chemotherapeutic drugs kill abnormal cells through a process called apoptosis. Bcl-2 proteins are negative regulators of apoptosis that control cell survival and death. Increased expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins commonly occurs in up to 30% of all cancers, providing cancer cells a pro-survival advantage to evade cell death, grow, and proliferate. Drugs targeting these specific anti-apoptotic proteins are potential anti-cancer therapeutics.

Small molecule fluorescent probes are important tools in diagnostic medicine. Existing far-red and near-IR cyanine fluorophores (e.g. Cy5, Alexa 647, Cy7, ICG) are active in the far-red and near-range, but these agents suffer from modest quantum yields (brightness) which limit wide utility. It has been reported that the limited brightness of these fluorophores is due to an excited-state C-C rotation pathway.

Over the past decades, taxanes such as paclitaxel and docetaxel have emerged as effective chemotherapy agents for breast cancer and other malignancies. Taxanes are effective in many patients, however, not all patients benefit from this type of chemotherapy. A significant need remains for a means of predicting clinical outcome from taxane-based chemotherapy.

The NCI Radiation Oncology Branch and the  NHLBI Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics seek parties to co-develop fluorescent  nanodiamonds for use as in vivo and in vitro optical tracking probes toward commercialization.  

Biological homeostasis is a state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by a living organism observed at the cellular level.  Biological homeostasis can vary in order to alter the cellular physical and chemical conditions.

Thymoma and thymic carcinomas are a rare and poorly understood group of malignancies.   Despite the growing number of biomarkers that are used for diagnosing and treating carcinomas in general, cancers of the thymus are still diagnosed, stratified and treated by a costly combination of histology, surgery and radiological procedures.  The lack of qualified biomarkers associated with thymomas and thymic carcinomas has also hampered the development of targeted therapies.