Novel Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptides as Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers and Inhibitors of Amyloid Formation

Description of Technology:

Over 34 million Americans are living with diabetes. An estimated 6.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellites (T2DM). Amyloidosis due to aggregation of amyloid-β is key pathogenic event in AD, whereas aggregation of mature islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP37) in human islet leads to β-cell dysfunction. A hallmark feature of T2DM is the accumulation of islet amyloid polypeptide fibrils in pancreatic islets. Such accumulations form amyloid plaques and cause apoptosis of -cells of islets. 

Thalidomide Analogs that Inhibit Inflammation and Angiogenesis

Thalidomide and its close analogs (lenalidomide and pomalidomide) are widely used to treat a variety of diseases, such as multiple myeloma and other cancers as well as the symptoms of several inflammatory disorders. However, thalidomide is known for its teratogenic adverse effects when first clinically introduced in the 1950s, and is associated with drowsiness and peripheral neuropathy. Hence, there is intense interest to synthesize, identify and develop safer analogs. 

Tamperless Tensor Elastography Imaging

Summary:

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for the development of tamper-less tensor elastography imaging in assessing disease (e.g., cancer), normal and abnormal developmental processes, degeneration and trauma in the brain and other soft tissues, and other applications.

Codon-optimization of HIV-1 Viral Infectivity Factor (VIF) Gene

Expression of the HIV-1 Vif protein in the absence of other viral factors such a Tat and Rev is extremely inefficient due to the presence of inhibitory sequences on its mRNA. This invention uses codon optimization to remove such inhibitory sequences without altering the amino acid sequence of the protein. The modified vif gene in the resulting pcDNA -hVIF vector is expressed under the control of the CMV promoter. In this, the protein functions as wild type and is more amendable to high-level expression in mammalian cells.
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