Parvovirus B19 Receptor And Parvovirus B19 Detection

The claimed invention provides a method of detecting the presence of a parvovirus in a sample. Parvoviruses infect animals and man. In man, the only known pathogenic member of this family is parvovirus B19. The inventors have identified the parvovirus B19 receptor which provides for a method to diagnose, prevent, and treat parvovirus infection utilizing the binding affinity for the receptor.

Probe Set Global Optimization

Available for licensing and commercial development are methods to optimize sequence-based assays such as microarrays, multiplexed PCR or multiplexed antibody methods. This computational method uses numerical optimization to identify an optimal probe set to be used in an assay for the measurement of a specified set of targets. The method incorporates the sequence information of the target (protein, DNA, RNA or other polymer), the assay characteristics, limits on probe set size and assay probe length in its optimization.

Fluorescent Nanodiamonds as Fiducial Markers for Microscopy

The invention relates to fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) and their uses as fiducial markers for microscopy. FNDs are bright fluorescent probes that do not blink or bleach and have broad fluorescence excitation and emission peaks. The fluorescence intensity can be readily controlled by the size of the FND, the number of fluorescent centers produced in the nanodiamonds, or in situ through the application of a weak magnetic field.

Clones Encoding Mammalian ADP-Ribosylarginine Hydrolases

ADP-ribosylation of arginine residues in proteins may be involved in cell adhesion and is crucial for the action of cholera toxin and E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin, agents involved in the pathogenesis of cholera and traveller's diarrhoea, respectively. ADP-ribosylation is reversed by ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolases, which cleave the ADP-ribose-arginine bond. ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolases from a variety of mammalian species and tissues were isolated, and the coding regions for the hydrolases were cloned and expressed.

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.

Particles for Imaging Cells

Available for licensing are NIH patent pending contrast particles for use in MRI and flow cytometry to track cells migration in real time. Present cell-tracking studies rely on labeling cells with ultra-small dextran-coated iron particles that are endocytosed. The contrast agent of the present invention uses larger iron oxide particles, approximately 1 µm, situated in a tri-layer structure.

Human Monoclonal Antibodies That Recognize Influenza A Viruses for Vaccine, Therapeutic, and Diagnostic Development

Human influenza A is one of two influenza virus types that cause seasonal epidemics of disease (known as flu season) almost every winter in the United States. Influenza A viruses are the only influenza viruses known to cause flu pandemics (i.e., global epidemics of flu disease). (Source.)

Hybridomas Producing Antibodies to Neuraminidase for Influenza A (H3N2) Diagnostics, Vaccine, and Therapeutic Development

Influenza A and B viruses can cause seasonal flu epidemics ― commonly known as the “flu season” ― and infect the nose, throat, eyes, and lungs in humans. Typically, flu seasons that are dominated by influenza A (H3N2) virus activity have higher associated hospitalizations and deaths in at-risk groups, such as people ages 65 and older and young children. Influenza A (H3N2) virus can also cause respiratory disease in animals, such as canines and swine.