Codon Deoptimized (CD) Poliovirus Seed Strains for Use in an Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

Polio is a disabling and potentially fatal infectious disease. Sabin Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) and Salk Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) have been crucial in the global poliovirus eradication efforts and substantial decrease in disease incidence rates. However, recent findings showed that Sabin OPV strains, due to their genetic instability, may revert to virulence and spread among communities, resulting in circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). Salk IPV, which is made by inactivating live poliovirus,

A3 Adenosine Receptor Agonists to Treat Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy

This invention claims species-independent agonists of A3AR, specifically (N)-methanocarba adenine nucleosides and related pharmaceutical compositions. The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) subtype has been linked with helping protect the heart from ischemia, controlling inflammation, and regulating cell proliferation. Agonists of the human A3AR subtype have been developed that are also selective for the mouse A3AR while retaining selectivity for the human receptor.

Spatial and Temporal Control of Gene Expression Using a Heat Shock Protein Promoter in Combination with Local Heat

In many instances, it is desirable to express exogenous genes only in certain tissues, and/or at will at certain times, and/or only to a certain degree. However, current gene transfer and exogenous gene expression protocols do not provide adequate means of simultaneously controlling which cells in a heterogeneous population are transformed and when, where, and to what degree the transferred genes are expressed. The invention provides methods for using local heat to control gene expression.

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.

Treatment of Viral Infection by Blocking Interleukin-21

Blocking interleukin (IL-21) may be an effective method to treat or prevent various viral infections. In the course of an immune response to a virus, IL-21, produced primarily by CD4+ T cells, can inhibit or stimulate (regulate), immune cell function (B cells, T cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells). IL-21 regulation may be either protective or pathological; autoimmune disease pathology has been associated with IL-21 promoted inflammation (in: type 1 diabetes, lupus, and multiple sclerosis).

Software to Improve the Quality of Microscopy Images

Available for licensing and commercial use is software based on an iterative deconvolution procedure that recovers images that have been blurred by a known point spread function. The software provides superior results when multiple independent observations of the same specimen are obtained. An example of such observations might be the multiple views of a specimen collected by a selective illumination plane microscope (SPIM).

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.

Replicating RNA Vaccine For Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a deadly hemorrhagic fever having a high mortality rate. The disease results from infection of an individual by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), which is a tick-borne bunyavirus endemic in Southern and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Geographically, case distribution is consistent with the range of Hyalomma genus ticks, the main reservoir of CCHFV, and is likely to expand due to climate change. Humans may be infected from tick bites, through contact with infected animals or animal tissue.

An Innovative Adapter for Expedited and Automated Thawing of viably Frozen Cells

This technology is a device and system for expediting the thawing frozen specimens (e.g., cryopreserved cells) contained in cryo-vials, offering a breakthrough solution for researchers seeking efficiency and precision in their workflows. The device is equipped with a small elongated tubular adaptor that suspends a cryo-vial of frozen cells over a centrifuge tube containing culture medium in an inverted position. With a focus on speed, efficiency and automation, the adaptor dramatically expedites the process of recovering viable cells from frozen specimens.