Endothelial Cell Line to Study Prevention of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis underlies most cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is now the major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. An inflammatory reaction is an essential component in the appearance and development of an atherosclerotic lesion. The inflammatory process is associated with the expression of adhesion molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) at the surface of endothelial cells. Antiatherogenic lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein (HDL), is known to down regulate the expression of VCAM.

Fast Acting Molecular Probes for Real-Time In Vivo Study of Disease and Therapeutics

This technology is for fast acting molecular probes made from a fluorescent quencher molecule, a fluorophore, an enzyme cleavable oligopeptide (for example targeted by protease) and FDA-approved polyethylene glycol (PEG) as well as associated methods to identify cell activity with these probes. Proteases regulate many cell processes such as inflammation as well as pathological processes in cancer and cardiovascular disease. High protease activity is associated with metastatic cancers. Proteases are also active in apoptosis, and tissue remodeling in cardiovascular disease.

Salen-Manganese Compounds for Therapy of Viral Infections

Salen-manganese compounds are synthetic, stable, low toxicity, low cost agents that may provide protection from immune reaction-related oxidative cell damage associated with many illnesses. In particular, oxidative cell damage has been associated with many viral infections including influenza. This invention demonstrates that treating mice with salen-manganese compounds, after lethal pandemic influenza virus infection, significantly enhances survival. Salen-manganese treatment also reduces lung pathology and also improved cellular recovery and repair.

Image Analysis Software for Quantitative Evaluation of Striation Patterns and their Defects in Skeletal Muscles

Available for licensing is software written in MatLab for evaluating striation patters in images of skeletal muscle fibers for better sensitivity in the quantitation of skeletal muscle disorders. Skeletal muscles have a regular, periodic organization (the periodicity of the sarcomeres), which is not only structural but also functional. Muscle pathologies create disorder in the normally periodic myofibrils. Objective grading of muscle morphology is necessary to assess muscle health, compare biopsies, and evaluate treatments and the evolution of disease.

Capillary Viscometer for Measuring Viscosity of Macromolecular Solutions of Biological Relevance

A capillary-based device and system for measuring the rheological properties of solutions of synthetic and biological polymers. The device automatically serially dilutes and varies the flow rate of a sample, permitting measurement of solution viscosity across wide ranges of concentration and shear rate without changing samples. The device can rapidly and accurately assay solute stability, solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions in solutions of proteins and other macromolecules of biotechnological and pharmaceutical interest, as well as solution injectability.

Magnetic Resonance Arterial Wall Imaging Methods that Compensate for Patient Aperiodic Intrinsic Cardiac, Chest Wall, and Blood Flow-Induced Motions

The technology includes MRI methods, systems, and software for reliably imaging vasculature and vascular wall thickness while compensating for aperiodic intrinsic motion of a patient during respiration. To overcome the loss of the orthogonality due to uncompensated residual motions and after a lapse of time equal to the trigger delay commenced at the cardiac cycle, the system acquires multiple consecutive time-resolved images of the arterial wall. The cine images are processed offline and a wall thickness measurement is produced.

Antimalarial Inhibitors that Target the Plasmodial Surface Anion Channel (PSAC) Protein and Development of the PSAC Protein as Vaccine Targets

There are two related technologies, the first being small molecule inhibitors of the malarial plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC) and the second being the PSAC protein itself as a vaccine candidate. The PSAC protein is produced by the malaria parasite within host erythrocytes and is crucial for mediating nutrient uptake. In vitro data show that the PSAC inhibitors are able to inhibit growth of malaria parasites, have high specificity, and low toxicity.

Glucocerebrosidase Non-inhibitory Chaperones for the Treatment of Gaucher Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Other Proteinopathies

Gaucher disease is a rare lysosomal storage disease that is characterized by a loss of function of the glucocerebrosidase (GCase) enzyme, which results in a decreased ability to degrade its lipid substrate, glucocerebroside. The intracellular build up of this lipid causes a broad range of clinical manifestations, ranging from enlarged spleen/liver and anemia to neurodegeneration. In Gaucher disease, the loss of GCase function has been attributed to low levels of the protein in the lysosomal compartment, resulting from improper GCase folding and transport.
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