Polyclonal Antibodies to NKCC2, a Kidney-Specific Member of the Cation Chloride Co-transporter Family, SLC12A1

Antibodies to NKCC2, useful for immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry, are available to resell for research purposes. NKCC2 is found on the apical surface of the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, where it facilitates transport of sodium, potassium, and chloride ions from the lumen of the renal thick ascending limb into the cell. Transport of sodium dilutes the luminal fluid, decreasing its osmolality creating an osmotic driving force for water reabsorption in the connecting tubule and cortical collecting duct under the influence of the hormone vasopressin.

Polyclonal Antibodies to the Kidney Protein Urea Transporter 1 (UTA1)

Antibodies to UTA1, useful for immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry, are available to resell for research purposes. Urea Transporter 1 (UTA1) is activated by vasopressin and is responsible for urea transport across the apical membrane into the intracellular space within the renal inner medullary collecting duct. The inventor has developed rabbit polyclonal antibodies directed against a peptide sequence in human UTA1. Antibody also recognizes UTA3, another product of the same gene.

PTH2 and PTH1 Receptor Ligands

Parathyroid hormone receptors found on osteoblasts in bone and renal tubule cells in kidney elevate blood calcium levels when stimulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP). Excessive secretion of PTH from the parathyroid gland results in primary hyperparathyroidism. Production of PTHrP by various tumors results in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. In both of these conditions, excessive blood calcium levels lead to clinically significant morbidity. A parathyroid hormone antagonist could therefore have therapeutic value.

Adult Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells in vitro and in vivo

Many individuals with ongoing and severe dental problems are faced with the prospect of permanent tooth loss. Examples include dentinal degradation due to caries or periodontal disease; (accidental) injury to the mouth; and surgical removal of teeth due to tumors associated with the jaw. Clearly, a technology that offers a possible alternative to artificial dentures by designing and transplanting a set of living teeth fashioned from the patient's own pulp cells would greatly improve the individual's quality of life.

Interactive Venn Diagram Software Designed for Microarray Analysis

Multiple conditions from any source, but designed for experiments involving microarrays, will produce (significant gene lists for arrays) lists from each condition, thus multiple lists. This Java® based software provides investigators with a method of displaying multiple conditions in a single graphic along with producing a text output of genes that are the product of these conditional intersections along with each conditions unique list.

A Novel System for Producing Infectious Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Virions and Development of a Novel Reporter System for Studying HCV Entry

HCV has infected an estimated 3% of the world population in whom viral infection persists for more than two third of the cases, often resulting in life-threatening complications. The standard of care (pegylated interferon alpha-2 plus ribavirin) is efficient in only 50% of treated patients, costly and has numerous side effects. In addition, viral resistance to newly developed drugs -- targeting viral protease or RNA polymerase -- has been described, but no vaccine is yet available.

Self-Expanding Stent for Valve Replacement

Aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation are the most common types of aortic valvular diseases. Such diseased aortic valves in the body are traditionally replaced with valve prosthesis by an open surgical implantation. Available for licensing and commercial development is intellectual property covering stents for use with valve prostheses. As illustrated below, one possible embodiment of the invention includes a self-expandable stent with an elastic tubular latticework having radial and longitudinal direction.

qPCR Assay for Detection of JC Virus

JC Virus causes a fatal disease in the brain called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) that occurs in many patients with immunocompromised conditions. For example, more than five percent (5%) of AIDS patients develop PML. Additionally, these conditions include, but are not limited to, cancers such as leukemias and lymphomas, organ transplants such as kidney, heart and autoimmune conditions with treatment that modulates the immune system such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Multilayered RF Coil System for Improving Transmit B1 Field Homogeneity in High-Field MRI

Available for licensing and commercial development is a multilayered radio-frequency (RF) coil system for improving the transmit B1 field homogeneity for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at high field strengths. The current invention aims at manipulating the inhomogeneous profile of the transmit B1 field, which causes MR images to become less uniform as the magnetic field strength is increased, by utilizing an inner array of RF elements (e.g. surface coils) within and coupled to an outer transmit unit (e.g. a birdcage coil or other volume coil).

RORgamma (RORC) Deficient Mice Which Are Useful for the Study of Lymph Node Organogenesis and Immune Responses

The retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma (RORgamma) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. NIH investigators used homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells to generate mice in which the RORgamma gene was disrupted. RORgamma deficient mice lack peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches indicating that ROR expression is indispensable for lymph node organogenesis. In addition, RORgamma is required for the generation of Th17 cells which play a critical role in autoimmune disease.