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Ixodes scapularis is a blood-sucking tick and the principal vector of Lyme disease, a spirochetal illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and now the most common vector-borne infection in the United States; more than 50,000 cases have been reported during the last ten years. The salivary gland of I. scapularis has a number of pharmacologically active molecules that help the tick to successfully feed on blood, such as inhibitors of complement system, in addition to coagulation and platelet aggregation inhibitors.

The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) protein plays a key role in innate immunity as a sensor of muramyl dipeptide (MDP), a breakdown product of bacterial peptidoglycan. Bacterial peptidoglycan promotes the innate immune response through the activation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), which ultimately provokes inflammation. Activation of NOD2 by MDP negatively regulates the activity of TLR2, and thus reduces inflammation.

Dengue virus is a positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the family Flaviviridae. Dengue virus is widely distributed throughout the tropical and semitropical regions of the world and is transmitted to humans by mosquito vectors. Dengue virus is a leading cause of hospitalization and death in children in at least eight tropical Asian countries.

This invention claims species-independent agonists of A₃AR, specifically (N)-methanocarba adenine nucleosides and pharmaceutical compositions comprising such nucleosides. The A₃ adenosine receptor (A₃AR) subtype has been linked with helping protect the heart from ischemia, controlling inflammation, and regulating cell proliferation. Agonists of the human A₃AR subtype have been developed that are also selective for the mouse A₃AR while retaining selectivity for the human receptor.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in the treatment of inflammatory disease, and their anti-inflammatory effects are believed to result from their ability to inhibit the formation of prostaglandins by prostaglandin H synthase (COX). Two forms of prostaglandin H have been identified, COX-1 and COX-2. The former seems to be constitutively expressed in a variety of tissues while the high expression of the latter has been reported in colorectal tumors. NSAIDs have been shown to be effective in reducing human colorectal cancers and possibly breast and lung cancers.

The inventions described herein are antimalarial small molecule inhibitors of the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC), an essential nutrient acquisition ion channel expressed on human erythrocytes infected with malaria parasites. These inhibitors were discovered by high-throughput screening of chemical libraries and analysis of their ability to kill malaria parasites in culture. Two separate classes of inhibitors were found to work synergistically in combination against PSAC and killed malaria cultures at markedly lower concentrations than separately.

This technology relates to novel animal models of several human bone diseases that have been linked to enhanced BMP signaling. More specifically, this mouse model expresses a mutant receptor for BMP, known as Alk2 that is always actively signaling. This receptor is under the control of the Cre-loxP system, which allows control of expression of the mutant Alk2 in both a developmental and tissue-specific manner. As a result, the enhanced signaling conditions exhibited in multiple human bone-related diseases can be studied with the same animals.

The technology offered for licensing is in the field of Therapeutics. More specifically, the technology relates to biological ligands and their use as modulators of the production of Interferon gamma as a means to treat a broad spectrum of diseases. The invention describes and claims antibodies and other ligands that can stimulate Natural Killer (NK) immune cells to produce Interferon gamma which contributes to the combat against foreign pathogens.

This technology relates to compositions and methods for improving the growth characteristics of cells engineered to produce live viruses such as the Influenza virus. Featured is a method that uses the gene candidate, siat7e, or its expressed or inhibited products in Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells. The gene expression modulates anchorage-dependence of the cell line thereby allowing scale-up on bioreactor platforms without the use of microcarrier beads and reducing production costs.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the prototype virus of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) group belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. Other members of the group include Kunjin virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, and West Nile encephalitis virus (WNV). JEV is widely distributed in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Asian Pacific Rim. In recent years, JE epidemics have spread to previously unaffected areas, such as northern Australia, Pakistan, India and Indonesia.