Use of Interleukin (IL)-34 to Treat Retinal Inflammation and Neurodegeneration

Interleukin (IL)-34 is a homodimer that is produced mainly by keratinocytes, neuronal cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs). It is believed to play important roles in chronic inflammation and the homeostasis of microglia. Currently, there is no effective treatment for many types of retinal degeneration. An improved treatment of autoimmune uveitis is also needed, as current uveitis treatment primarily uses steroidal anti-inflammation medication, which may produce significant unwanted side effects in long-term use.

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.

Use of Acetalax for Treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Triple negative (progesterone receptor (PR)-, estrogen receptor (ER)-, human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2)-) breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype that affects 15-20% of the 1.7 million cases of breast cancer occurring annually.  Currently, standard treatments of TNBC include cytotoxic chemotherapies, surgery, and radiation. However, TNBC readily becomes resistant to chemotherapy, and those with TNBC are more likely to have a recurrence or die within five years compared to those with other breast cancer types.

Iodonium Analogs as Inhibitors of NADPH Oxidases and other Flavin Dehydrogenases and their Use for Treating Cancer

Diverse human cancers like colorectal, pancreatic, ovarian, melanoma, and pre-cancers express NADPH oxidases (NOX) at high levels. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced from metabolic reactions catalyzed by NOX in tumors are essential to the tumor’s growth. Though drugs that inhibit ROS production by NOX could be effective against a variety of human cancers, these types of drugs are not widely available.

Murine metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed orthotopic allograft models for pancreatic cancer that utilize low passage primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells or tumor fragments implanted into the cancer-free pancreata of recipient syngeneic immunocompetent mice. Tumor development in these models is more synchronized, latency is substantially shortened, and tumors develop only in one location, as pre-determined by the choice of a site for cells/tumor fragment implantation.

TACSTD2 in HCV Infection and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Transcriptomics Insights

This technology involves studying the role of the Tumor-Associated Calcium Signal Transducer 2 (TACSTD2) gene in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma. Researchers perform transcriptomics analysis on liver specimens from HCV-infected patients, identify TACSTD2 as a key gene, and create a stable cell line that overexpresses TACSTD2 to investigate its impact on HCV infection and replication. This technology aims to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of HCV infection and its association with liver cancer.

 

Human Monoclonal Antibodies That Target Plasmodium Falciparum Sporozoites

Malaria is one of the worlds deadliest infectious diseases, causing an estimated 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths annually, with children in the regions of Africa and South Asia being most vulnerable. Approx 2,000 cases of malaria are reported in the United States each year, by travelers from malaria-risk countries. Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, which introduces Plasmodium sporozoites into the bloodstream of the human host.

A Rapid Method for Producing Antibodies

Antibodies are specialized proteins produced by the immune system which target and neutralize foreign materials, such as viruses or bacteria. Antibodies have a variety of useful applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and as research reagents. Despite their widespread use there is no standard method to produce antibodies, and currently available methods are labor and time intensive.

Device and Method for Protecting Against Coronary Artery Compression During Transcatheter Mitral Valve Annuloplasty

Catheter-based mitral valve regurgitation treatments that use a coronary sinus trajectory or coronary sinus implant can have unwanted effects because the coronary sinus and its branches have been found to cross the outer diameter of major coronary arteries in a majority of humans. As a result, pressure applied by any prosthetic device in the coronary sinus (such as tension on the annuloplasty device) can compress the underlying coronary artery and induce myocardial ischemia or infarction.