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This invention relates to two devices that reliably, sensitively, and accurately measures force during handgrip contraction and subsequent relaxation. A delayed relaxation after a sustained and forceful handgrip is a cardinal symptom of myotonic dystrophies (DM). This delayed relaxation, handgrip myotonia, may be a therapeutic response biomarker in clinical trials.

This invention is a novel statistical method for automatically detecting lesions in cross-sectional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. OASIS uses multimodal MRI from one image acquisition session and produces voxel-level probability maps of the brain that quantifies the likelihood that each voxel is part of a lesion. Binary lesion segmentations are created from these probability maps using a validated population-level threshold. In this application, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), proton density (PD), T2-weighted, and Tl-weighted volumes were used.

Malaria continues to be a life-threatening disease, causing roughly 241 million cases and an estimated 627,000 deaths in 2020, mostly among African children, although in 2020 nearly half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria. There is a big financial burden for antimalarial treatment; direct costs (for example, illness, treatment, premature death) have been estimated to be at least US $12 billion per year and the cost in lost economic growth is many times more than that.

This technology includes the identification and use of heterocyclic alcohol compounds, including RITA and N-BIC, for the treatment of SULT1A1-expression cancers. A high-throughput screen (qHTS) was performed using >1,000 caner cell lines identified a compound called YC-1 (also called Lificiguat) that is effective across cancer cell types that express the phase 2 detoxifying enzyme SULT1A1.

This technology includes a precise measurement assay of cellular FMRP levels in patients, which can assist in the diagnosis and assess the severity of Fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is an X-linked disorder that produces intellectual disability, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, depression and anxiety. FXS is caused by mutations in the Fragile X Mental Retardation-1 (FMR1) gene that result in the absence or a loss of function of its protein product, FMRP.

This technology includes the development of devices capable of real-time evaluation of metabolite levels for the treatment of numerous metabolic disorders, including hyperammonemia and aminoacidopathies. Currently, the monitoring of metabolite levels is done in a hospital setting with specialized mass spectrometry instrumentation. As a consequence, susceptible patients who are undergoing a crisis need to visit the hospital for testing to determine if there is a metabolite disturbance.

Isolated Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) comprises a relatively common and heterogeneous group of inborn errors of metabolism. Most affected individuals display severe multisystemic disease characterized by metabolic instability, chronic renal disease, and neurological complications. Patients with the cobalamin A (cblA) subtype of MMA can have variable presentations, spanning the full spectrum of MMA associated symptoms and pathology, yet always harbor an element of clinical and biochemical responsiveness to injectable vitamin B12.

Isolated Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) comprises a relatively common and heterogeneous group of inborn errors of metabolism. The most common cause of isolated MMA is genetic deficiency of the enzyme methylmalonyl-coA mutase (MUT), which, unfortunately for the affected patients, is also the most clinically severe. NHGRI scientist have invented a series of assays to assess hepatic MUT activity using a stable isotopic tracing assays to measure MUT function to assess corrective therapy on hepatic mitochondrial function.

Isolated Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) comprises a relatively common and heterogeneous group of inborn errors of metabolism. The most common cause of isolated MMA is genetic deficiency of the enzyme methylmalonyl-coA mutase (MUT), which, unfortunately for the affected patients, is also the most clinically severe. NHGRI scientist have discovered biomarkers previously described cytokines that has never been associated with MMA or propionic acidemia (PA) such as FGF-21 (fibroblast like-growth factor - 21).

This technology includes cell lines from patients with gangliosidosis diseases for the screening of potential therapeutics. Gangliosidosis contains different types of lipid storage disorders caused by the accumulation of lipids known as gangliosides. GM1 gangliosidosis is an ultra-rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in galactosidase beta 1 (GLB1) that result in a deficiency of beta-galactosidase. GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorders caused by accumulation of GM2 ganglioside due to the absence or near absence of B-hexosamindase.