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Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a method implemented as pulse sequences and software to be used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and systems. This technology is available for licensing and commercial development. The method allows for measuring and mapping features of the bulk or average apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in tissue – aiding in stroke diagnosis and cancer therapy assessment.

Existing microsphere technologies are used as therapy for certain cancers. The therapy is by way of occlusion, when the microspheres are delivered into blood vessels that feed a tumor. The physical dimensions of the microspheres occlude the blood supply and thus, killing the tumor. Some microspheres have also been modified to bind protein, elute drugs, and reduce inflammatory reactions as part of the therapy. However, one technical short-coming of existing microsphere technology is a limited capability to be visualized in real-time.

Medical imaging is an important resource for early diagnostic, detection, and effective treatment of cancers. However, the screening and review processes for radiologists have been shown to overlook a certain percentage of potentially cancerous image features. Such review errors may result in misdiagnosis and failure to identify tumors. These errors result from human fallibility, fatigue, and from the complexity of visual search required.

T cells currently employed for T cell-based immunotherapies are often senescent, terminally differentiated cells with poor proliferative and survival capacity. Recently, however, scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified and characterized a new human memory T cell population with stem cell-like properties. Since these T cells have limited quantities in vivo, the scientists have developed methods by which high numbers of these cells can be generated ex vivo for use in T cell-based immunotherapies.

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.

Soluble forms of human CD4 (sCD4) inhibit HIV-1 entry into immune cells.  Different forms of sCD4 and their fusion proteins have been extensively studied as promising HIV-1 inhibitors – including in animal models and clinical trials.  However, they have not been successful in human studies due to their transient efficacy.  sCD4 is also known to interact with class II major histocompatibility complex (MHCII) and, at low concentrations, could enhance HIV-1 infectivity. 

The development of RNA-based nanostructures and their use in a variety of applications, including RNA interference (RNAi) and drug delivery, represents an emerging field of science, technology, and biomedicine.  RNA is a dynamic material because of its natural functionalities, its ability to fold into complex small structures, and its capacity to self-assemble. 

The tumor microenvironment consists of a heterogenous population of cells which includes tumor cells and tumor-associated stroma cells (TASCs). The TASCs promote tumor angiogenesis, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Because stroma cells are found in both healthy and cancerous tissue, targeting the tumor stroma has been difficult due to the lack of targets with high tumor specificity.

T cell-based immunotherapy (such as CAR therapies) is a promising approach for the treatment of several cancers. However, T cells currently employed for various T cell-based immunotherapies are usually senescent and terminally differentiated leading to poor proliferative and survival capacity, limiting their therapeutic effectiveness once transferred into a patient’s blood. 

Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT) is a promising technique that uses a patient's own T cells to treat cancer. The process requires removing and engineering a patient's T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) or T cell receptor (TCR) that targets a specific cancer antigen. When the modified T cells are reintroduced into the patient, the T cells attack and kill cancer cells that express the antigen, thereby treating the patient.