Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes a highly lethal pulmonary infection with ~35% mortality. Currently there are no prophylactic measures or effective therapies. Inventors at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have identified and developed neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nMAbs) against the MERS-CoV. This invention describes antibodies that target the Spike (S) glycoprotein on the coronavirus surface, which mediates viral entry into host cells.

This technology is a set of influenza virus enrichment probes developed to increase the sensitivity of sequence-based, universal detection of all influenza viruses. This universal influenza enrichment probe set contains a unique set of 46,953 biotin-labeled, RNA probes, each 120 base-pairs long, that can be used to enrich for any influenza sequences without prior knowledge of type or subtype.

The technology addresses treatment options for diseases such as sickle-cell and thalassemia. Traditionally, such beta-globinopathies are treated through bone marrow transplantation. However, this method is limited due to high treatment costs and finding a matched-donor. This relies on increasing fetal hemoglobin to potentially cure the disease. NIH inventors have identified a protein called Rio-Kinase 3 (RIOK3), that inhibits the production of fetal hemoglobin. Their work shows that inhibiting RIOK3 increases the production of fetal hemoglobin.

The invention relates to fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) and their uses as fiducial markers for microscopy. FNDs are bright fluorescent probes that do not blink or bleach and have broad fluorescence excitation and emission peaks. The fluorescence intensity can be readily controlled by the size of the FND, the number of fluorescent centers produced in the nanodiamonds, or in situ through the application of a weak magnetic field.

The invention relates to the preparation and application of 20-150nm metallic nanoparticulate vesicles for photothermal anti-cancer therapy. The vesicles comprise metallic nanoparticles covalently bound to a hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer. The preparation method generally entails dispersing a polymer-bound metallic nanoparticle in an organic solvent, adding an aqueous solution with a dispersing aid, sonicating the mixture, and finally removing the organic solvent until the vesicle forms.

Investigators at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are seeking collaborators to further develop gene therapy to treat Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC). NPC is a rare, autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disease. Approximately 95% of patients with NPC have mutations in NPC1, a gene implicated in intracellular cholesterol trafficking. Mutations of NPC1 cause intracellular accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in late endosomal/lysosomal structures and marked accumulation of glycosphingolipids, especially in neuronal tissue.

Vaccines and therapies to prevent and treat Norovirus infections are not available, despite the worldwide prevalence of Norovirus infections. Outbreaks of human gastroenteritis attributable to Norovirus commonly occur in group settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, dormitories, cruise ships and military barracks. This application claims isolated VHH monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to a Norovirus polypeptide.

Heterotrimeric G proteins couple signals between GPCRs (G protein coupled receptors) and effectors such as adenylyl cyclase, phospholipase C and ion channels. Among the G proteins are Go and Gi2. Go is highly expressed in the brain and some endocrine tissues while Gi2 is widely expressed throughout the body. The ß?-subunits of Go interact with ion channels, and the a subunit has been shown to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. However a physiological role of the Gi2a has not been determined in a tissue specific manner.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) affects close to one million people in the United States. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body's own insulin-manufacturing cells in the pancreas. Patients require daily injections of insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. The invention identified two proteins, named IA-2 and IA-2beta, that are important markers for type I (juvenile, insulin-dependent) diabetes. IA-2/IA-2beta, when used in diagnostic tests, recognized autoantibodies in 70 percent of IDDM patients.

TRPCs (Canonical Transient Receptor Potential Channels) are a group of non-selective cation channels that allow sodium and calcium into cells. There are seven different genes in mice that code TRPCs. The in vivo roles played by TRPCs as a whole are poorly understood and very little is known about the in vivo roles played by individual TRPCs nor the role of these channels in specific tissues or cells.