The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Division of Intramural Research, is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize clinical samples with genetic mutations associated with endocrine tumors.
This technology includes mechanobiological nucleic acid nanoassemblies-based platforms with dynamically controlled efficiency of T-cell activation. T-cells are the central players in adaptive immune response led by a T-cell receptor (TCR) centric machinery. Current T-cell activation strategy (e.g., micron-scale beads) focuses on 2D TCR-agonist biomimetic surfaces and biomimetic 2D immune synapses with planar traction, which requires non-physiological hyper-stimulatory cytokines levels (e.g., IL-2), and thus, is incompatible with clinical applications.
This technology from the NCI Molecular Imaging Program relates to a Zirconium-89 (89Zr)-oxine complex for cell labeling, tracking of labeled cells by whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging, and associated methods. A long half-life of 89Zr (78.4 hours), high sensitivity of PET, and absence of background signal in the recipient enable tracking cells over a week using low levels of labeling radioactivity without causing cellular toxicity.