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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 pattern or latency connectome was hypothesized to change in physiological development and disease.  For example, in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), large diameter axons are damaged selectively – while in autism, small-diameter axons may be over-expressed. These anatomical changes are expected to alter the latency connectome or pattern of delays of information transmission between different gray matter areas involved in salient brain networks. 

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a group of aggressive B-cell lymphomas displaying heterogeneous outcomes after treatment.  Some patients have the slowly progressing disease that does not require immediate treatment, while others have a disease that rapidly progresses despite highly aggressive treatment. A number of prognostic tools have been described to determine whether patients have slow or rapidly progressing diseases, including the mantle cell lymphoma International Prognostic Index (MIPI) and biomarkers, such as KI-67.

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.

Ultrasound-based cancer screening and biopsy imaging technologies are a clinical need. Ultrasound based biopsy imaging can provide a real-time modality for lower cost that is comparable to, or complimentary to MRI imaging.  This technology may enable more accurate, less costly and more accessible cancer screening.

Immunotherapy is a promising method of treating cancer that leverages the immune system to promote tumor rejection. However, certain somatic mutations in cancer cells confer resistance to T cell-mediated cytolysis. To improve the effectiveness of immunotherapies for cancer, there exists a need to prospectively identify patients who are most likely to respond to such therapies.

This technology consists of highly specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies reactive with phosphorylated tyrosine located at amino acid 1235 in the human MET sequence. Binding to this pYl235 residue is independent of the phosphorylation of other tyrosines in the vicinity (1230 and 1234), does not cross-react with these nearby phosphotyrosine residues, and does not occur when Y1235 is unphosphorylated.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s Biopharmaceutical Development Program recently developed massively parallel sequencing methods for virus-derived therapeutics such as viral vaccines and oncolytic immunotherapies.

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).