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The cleavage of sphingoid base phosphates by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) lyase to produce phosphoethanolamine and a fatty aldehyde is the final degradative step in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway. Researchers at NIH injected rabbits with the C-terminal peptide of the mouse S1P lyase — 551-TTDPVTQGNQMNGSPKPR-568 — to develop an antibody that can be used in western blotting to study this pathway.

Traumatic Brain injury (TBI) often results from head impact and is a major cause of death and disability. Brain injuries vary in severity and can be associated with hemorrhaging, swelling, inflammation, and death of brain tissue. Inventors at NINDS developed a novel approach to treating brain injuries that involves transcranial application of small molecules.

Due to the disorganized nature of blood vessels that run through tumors, chemotherapeutic agents often fail to penetrate tumors and kill cancer cells at the tumor’s center. This can lead to ineffective chemotherapeutic treatments, because tumors can quickly grow back if the entire tumor is not destroyed. NIH researchers have developed a therapeutic agent that solves this problem facing current chemotherapy treatments.

Our technology describes unique genetic signatures in patients with digestive diseases and liver disorders. Using comprehensive analysis of 735 microRNAs and 19,000 mRNAs, we have identified a unique set of microRNAs and/or mRNAs which predict disease phenotypes in patients with digestive and liver disorders. The identification of such point-of- care genetic signatures is significant for both personalized biomarkers and novel targeted biotherapeutics. These microRNAs and mRNAs function either together or separately thus modulating protein expressions in one or more signaling pathways.

Many potential nucleic acid therapeutics have not transitioned from the research laboratory to clinical application in large part because delivery technologies for these therapies are not effective. Most nucleic acid delivery technologies are lipid-based or positively charged and require chemical or physical conjugation with the nucleic acid. These delivery systems are often therapeutically unacceptable due to toxicity or immune system reactivity.

The invention pertains to the use of glucan encapsulated non-immunostimulatory small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to treat type-2 diabetes. Endocannabinoids (EC) are lipid signaling molecules that act on the same cannabinoid receptors that recognize and mediate the effects of endo- and phytocannabanoids. EC receptor CB1R activation is implicated in the development of obesity and its metabolic consequences, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

This invention relates to methods of rapidly detecting influenza, including differentiating between type and subtype. Unlike culture and serological tests requiring 5 to 14 days for completion, CDC researchers developed a rapid, accurate assay, which is easily adapted to kit form. This assay also requires less labor input than immunoassays. These methods can be used to quickly identify a broad variety of influenza types and subtypes, including viruses that may be involved in pandemics (such as H5N1, for example).

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare, fatal demyelinating disease of the brain caused by the polyomavirus JC (JCV) under immunosuppressive conditions. It is pathologically characterized by progressive damage of white matter of the brain by destroying oligodendrocytes at multiple locations. Clinically, PML symptoms include weakness or paralysis, vision loss, impaired speech, and cognitive deterioration. The prognosis of PML is generally poor. No effective therapy for PML has been established.

This invention relates to rotavirus vaccine compositions and methods of vaccination. Rotaviral infection is the most commonly occurring gastrointestinal illness of children world, affecting both developed and developing economies. Additionally, rotavirus infections can affect livestock (especially calves and piglets), and resulting mortality/morbidity cause major economic losses for farmers and nations each year.

CDC researchers have developed methods of producing unlimited quantities of Group-C (GpC) rotavirus antigens. GpC rotaviruses are a major, worldwide cause of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults that is distinct from Group-A rotavirus. However, GpC rotaviruses cannot be grown in culture, resulting in a lack of tools for detection and treatment of GpC rotavirus disease.