A Fundamental Tool for Efficient Recovery of RNA Viruses through Reverse Genetics

BSR T7/5 cells represent a foundational advancement in virology, offering a robust platform for the recovery of RNA viruses via reverse genetics. Established over 20 years ago, these cells have proven instrumental in the recovery of a wide array of RNA viruses, particularly those belonging to the mononegavirales order.

Generalized MRI Artifact Reduction Using Array Processing Method

The invention is a phased array combining method for reducing artifacts in Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging. The method uses a constrained optimization that optimizes signal-to-noise subject to the constraint of nulling ghost artifacts at known locations. The method is effective in reducing or canceling artifacts that arise in a wide variety of MR applications, including ghost artifacts from echo planar imaging and Gradient Recalled Echo with Echo Train (FGRE-ET) imaging used in cardiac or other rapid imaging applications.

Development of Mutations Useful for Attenuating Dengue Viruses and Chimeric Dengue Viruses

Although flaviviruses cause a great deal of human suffering and economic loss, there is a shortage of effective vaccines. This invention relates to dengue virus mutations that may contribute to the development of improved dengue vaccines. Site directed and random mutagenesis techniques were used to introduce mutations into the dengue virus genome and to assemble a collection of useful mutations for incorporation in recombinant live attenuated dengue virus vaccines.

Major Neutralization Site of Hepatitis E Virus and Use of this Neutralization Site in Methods of Vaccination

Hepatitis E is endemic in many countries throughout the developing world, in particular on the continents of Africa and Asia. The disease generally affects young adults and has a very high mortality rate, up to 20%, in pregnant women. This invention relates to the identification of a neutralization site of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and neutralizing antibodies that react with it. The neutralization site is located on a polypeptide from the ORF2 gene (capsid gene) of HEV.

TMC1, a Deafness-Related Gene

Hearing loss is a common communication disorder affecting nearly 1 in 1,000 children in the United States alone, and nearly 50% of adults by the age of eighty. Hearing loss can be caused by environmental and disease-related factors; however, hearing loss due to genetic factors accounts for approximately 50% of cases.

Four Chimpanzee Monoclonal Antibodies that Neutralize Hepatitis A Virus

This invention claims antibodies and/or fragments thereof specific for hepatitis A virus (HAV) and the use of the antibodies in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is the most common type of hepatitis reported in the United States, which reports an estimated 134,000 cases annually, and infects at least 1.4 million people worldwide each year. HAV is a positive sense RNA virus that is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, mainly through contaminated water supplies and food sources.

Vaccination Strategies to Provide Protection Against the Ebola Virus

This invention describes a method for vaccination against Ebola virus. Outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus, particularly the Zaire subtype, are associated with high mortality rates. The virus is very contagious, and during an outbreak, presents a threat to anybody who comes into contact with an infected person. Because the virus progresses so rapidly and the mortality rate is so high, there is little opportunity to develop natural immunity, making vaccination a promising intervention.

Method and Apparatus to Improve an MRI Image

The invention is a method for improving image quality in MR imaging methods using the SENSE (SENSitivity Encoding) method, which is known to have degraded image quality due to numerical ill-conditioning (so called g-factor loss). The invention improves the numerical conditioning by means of an adaptive regularization (matrix conditioning), thereby improving image quality for a given scan time. This is accomplished by adaptively adjusting the regularization parameter for each pixel position to achieve a target ghost artifact suppression.