Methods for the Selection of Subjects for Multiple Sclerosis Therapy

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a life-long chronic autoimmune disease diagnosed primarily in young adults who have a virtually normal life expectancy. Estimates place the annual costs of MS in the United States in excess of $2.5 billion. There are approximately 250,000 to 400,000 persons in the United States with MS, and approximately 2.5 million persons worldwide suffer from MS. A variety of therapies are used to treat MS, but there is no single therapy that can be used to treat all patients.

Receptor-Mediated Uptake of an Extracellular Bcl-X<sub>L</sub> Fusion Protein Inhibits Apoptosis

The present invention relates to the field of apoptosis, in particular, it relates to apoptosis-modifying fusion proteins with at least two domains, one of which targets the fusion proteins to a target cell, and another of which modifies an apoptotic response of the target cell. For example, fusing various cell-binding domains to Bcl-XL and Bad allows targeting to specific subsets of cells in vivo, permitting treatment and/or prevention of cell-death related consequences of various diseases and injuries.

Immunogenic Hepatitis E Virus Polypeptides for Vaccine and Diagnostics Development

This technology comprises specific hepatitis E virus (HEV) antigenic polypeptides. HEV causes epidemic and sporadic cases of hepatitis outbreaks with a mortality rate as high as 20% for pregnant women. In order to address this problem, CDC scientists carried out thorough HEV antigen screenings and subsequently developed recombinant proteins that efficiently model major HEV neutralization epitope(s). These recombinant proteins may be considered as candidates for the development of an HEV subunit vaccine, as well as for the development of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests.

Virus Microneutralization Assay Data Analysis for Vaccine Development, Enhancement and Efficacy Improvement

This CDC generated invention entails improved methods of analyzing microneutralization assays, especially for the purposes of determining specific antibody concentrations and optimizing vaccine formulation. More specifically, the invention is a set of SAS based programs using 4-parameter logistic curve fitting algorithms to interpolate between individual data points, allowing for enhanced accuracy and precision when establishing neutralization titers.

Therapeutic, Bifunctional Janus Microparticles with Spatially Segregated Surface Proteins and Methods of Production

CDC researchers have developed a fabrication process to create bifunctional microparticles displaying two distinct proteins that are spatially segregated onto a single hemispheric surface. At present, there is no described way of producing biological microparticles with two distinct types of separated proteins. Bifunctional Janus particles generated by the CDC approach possess biologically relevant, native conformation proteins attached to a biologically unreactive and safe substrate.

Stable, Early-stage Biomarker for Diagnosis of Bacillus anthracis Infection and Anthrax Vaccine Development

This invention comprises monoclonal antibodies, proteins, and related nucleic acid coding sequences that identify all or part of the antigenic anthrose oligosaccharide of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax toxicity in humans. It is imperative to identify virulent B. anthracis with speed and specificity, however there presently is substantial difficulty in early-stage recognition and diagnosis of anthrax inhalation.

Retinoids Can Increase the Potency of Anti-Cancer Immunotoxins

A unique method of potentiating the effect of anti-cancer immunotoxins has been developed, thus offering to significantly improve the treatment of a number of cancers as well as autoimmune diseases. Prolonged treatment of human cancers with classical methods such as radiation and chemotherapy, or a combination of both, may cause greater damage than the underlying disease because healthy tissue is often damaged along with diseased tissue.

Factors That Bind Intestinal Toxins

This invention discloses and covers polyphenolic compounds that will bind bacterial toxins, methods for the treatment of such infections, specifically Stx-1 toxins from STEC strains of E. coli.

Bacterial infections not only cause disease by their presence but also upon the release of toxins. The common enteric bacteria, E. coli O157:H7 releases such toxins (Stx-1) upon treatment with antibiotics. These toxins, when released into the lumen of the intestinal tract, will cause cellular damage thus increasing the severity of the infection.

DeePlexing – Extending Imaging Multiplexity Using Machine Learning

Spatial proteomics and transcriptomics are fast-emerging fields with the potential to revolutionize various branches of biology. In the last five years, various multiplex immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry imaging methods have been developed to stain 5-60 different protein markers in a given tissue. Nonetheless, most of these techniques are iterative and can image a maximum of 3-8 markers in a single cycle, resulting in processing time of several hours to days.

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