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This technology is an ultra-sensitive colorimetric assay, based on an enzyme-catalyzed gold nanoparticle growth process, for detection of disease-associated proteins (biomarkers) and disease diagnosis. Current detection methods, such as ELISA immunoassays, measure concentrations above 0.1 ng/mL in a sample. PCR, although more sensitive than ELISA, requires expensive and specialized equipment and reagents, skilled labor, and complex analysis techniques. This assay detects fg/mL to pg/mL concentrations, allowing detection and diagnosis in the earliest stage of disease or infection.

The octopod-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles of this technology significantly enhance contrast in MRI imaging compared to spherical superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle T₂ contrast agents. These octopod iron oxide nanoparticles show a transverse relaxivity that is over five times greater than comparable spherical agents. Because the unique octopod shape creates a greater effective radius than spherical agents, but maintains similar magnetization properties, the relaxation rate is improved. The improved relaxation rate greatly enhances the contrast of images.

This technology is a highly sensitive tethered-bead immune sandwich assay. Analyte molecules are captured between two antibodies, a capture antibody and a detection antibody. The capture antibody on a micron-size bead binds analyte from a sample fluid. The bead-captured analyte is then exposed to a “detection” antibody that binds to the bead-captured analyte, forming a “sandwich”. The sandwiched analyte-bead complex then connects to a flexible polymer (such as DNA) anchored on a solid surface to form tethered particles.

Upon intranasal vaccination, live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) viruses may replicate within the nose for several days. Current clinical diagnostic tests cannot distinguish between LAIV viruses and multiple influenza viruses in recently inoculated patients that present with respiratory symptoms. This poses a problem for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with respiratory symptoms, as these symptoms may not be caused by influenza. CDC researchers have developed a real-time RT-PCR assay to detect the presence of LAIV viruses.

Available for licensing and commercial development as imaging agents for positron emission tomography of cancer are boramino acid compounds. The inventors showed that mimetics created by substituting the carboxylate group (-COO^-) of an amino acid with trifluoroborate (-BF_3^-) are metabolically stable and allow for the use of fluorene-18 (¹⁸F) as the radiolabel.

Biological radicals resulted from oxidative stress has been implicated in human diseases, such as cancer and aging. There is, however, a paucity of reliable methods for in vivo or ex vivo detection of either radical formation, the end-products of radical formation or susceptibility for radical formation. The chicken polyclonal anti-DMPO can be used to detect the stable nitrone end-product of protein and DNA radicals in ELISA assays, blot analyses and confocal microscopy.

Biological radicals resulted from oxidative stress has been implicated in human diseases, such as cancer and aging. There is, however, a paucity of reliable methods for in vivo or ex vivo detection of either radical formation, the end-products of radical formation or susceptibility for radical formation. The Rabbit polyclonal anti-DMPO can be used to detect the stable nitrone end-product of protein and DNA radicals in ELISA assays, blot analyses and confocal microscopy.

The estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) and proliferator-activated-receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) play major roles in transcriptional control of cellular energy metabolism. In particular ERRs are required for the response to various environmental challenges that require high energy levels by the organism. As central regulators of energy homeostasis, ERRs may also implicate in the etiology of metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Leucine rich repeats and calponin homology containing protein 4 (Lrch4) is a gene that encodes a protein predicted to have a C-terminal transmembrane domain, a calponin homology domain, and 5-8 leucine rich repeats (LRRs). We silenced Lrch4 in RAW 264.7 macrophages as well as CD14-MD2-TLR4-HEK293 cells and found that Lrch4 knockdown attenuates responsiveness of cells to LPS and other pathogen-associated molecules. These findings suggest that Lrch4 is a regulator of the innate immune response.

CAR (nuclear constitutive active receptor) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, and is a key regulator of xenobiotic and endobiotic metabolism. It is primarily responsible for sensing foreign toxic substances and in response up regulating the expression of proteins involved in the detoxification and clearance of these substances from the body. CAR is constitutively active in the absence of a ligand but is regulated by both agonists and inverse agonists.