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The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide public health crisis with over 440 million confirmed cases and 6.0 million deaths as of March 2022. COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While there are several vaccines available for COVID-19, there are few therapeutics available that specifically target SARS-CoV-2. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is less understood than SARS-CoV-2. MERS-CoV patients have a 65% long-term survival rate, according the World Health Organization (WHO).

Measuring and mapping nervous tissue microstructure noninvasively is a long sought-after goal in neuroscience. Several neuropathologies – such as cancer and stroke – are associated with changes in tissue microstructure. Changes in material properties, such as stiffness, represent a sensitive measure of

Millions of patients in the United States are afflicted by a host of bone diseases caused by osteoclast (specialized calls arising from the macrophage/monocyte lineage) dysfunction. Diseases include Paget’s disease, osteoporosis, fibrous dysplasia and osteolytic bone metastasis. The current standard of care for these diseases uses broad-spectrum therapies that either coat the skeletal system or inhibit osteoclast development in an effort to modulate osteoclastogenesis.

Vaccines have become one of the most important tools in the fight against cancers and infectious diseases. However, some vaccines have shown limitations due to their high cost and low immune responses. To overcome these limitations, bacteriophages were proposed for the development of more cost-effective, immunogenic vaccines. Phages have shown a strong ability to activate induced and adaptive immune systems. The genome of these viral particles can be engineered, and their surface proteins can be exploited for antigen display.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by several factors including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an environmental contaminant. TCDD causes lipid accumulation in humans by inducing the Solute Carrier Family 46 Member 3 (SLC46A3) gene expression. To effectively study TCDD-mediated lipid accumulation, research tools such as SLC46A3 knockout cells and animal models are required.

The clinical promise of cancer immunotherapy relies on the premise that the immune system can recognize and eliminate tumor cells identified as non-self. The success of cancer immunotherapy is limited by tumor immune evasion, preventing long-lasting tumor control. Recent evidence suggests that certain anticancer therapies can alter the biology of the surviving cell population to restore their sensitivity to T-cell-mediated lysis and help treat patients.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the United States and one of the costliest cancers to treat. Compared to other cancer types, bladder cancer has been understudied, and there is a need for informative mouse bladder cancer models that resemble the clinical situation and allow for evaluation of chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic agents. The orthotopic murine bladder cancer model MB49 resembles non-muscle invasive, nonmetastatic urothelial carcinomas and provides an opportunity to study the anti-tumor effects of immune cell checkpoint inhibitors.

Cancer cells may acquire drug resistance after prolonged chemotherapy. In many cases, cancer cells develop resistance to several drugs with distinct structures and modes of action. This multi-drug resistance phenomenon increases the complexity of cancer treatment.

The MUC-1 tumor associated antigen has been shown to be overexpressed and/or underglycosylated in a wide range of human cancers.  The C-terminus region of MUC-1 (MUC-1C) has been shown to be an oncogene and has been associated with a more aggressive phenotype in several different cancers.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of human viruses known to cause various malignancies. Of the group, HPV-16 is the most prevalent strain – an estimated 90% of adults have been exposed. HPV-16 is also the strain most commonly associated with malignancy, causing the vast majority of cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. Currently, HPV-positive malignancies non-responsive to surgery or radiation are incurable and poorly palliated by existing systemic therapies. Thus, an alternative therapeutic approach for HPV-positive malignancies is needed.