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This invention involves ApoA-1 mimetic peptides with multiple amphipathic alpha-helical domains that promote lipid efflux from cells and are useful in the treatment and prevention of dyslipidemic, inflammatory and vascular disorders. IND-enabling studies for one of the peptides, named Fx-5A, are completed in preparation for an IND filing at the FDA, to be followed by a Phase I clinical trial planned for 2017.

The invention provides selections of genes expressed in a cancer cell that function to characterize such cancer, and methods of using the same for diagnosis and for targeting the therapy of selected cancers. In particular, methods are provided to classify cancers belonging to distinct diagnostic categories, which often present diagnostic dilemmas in clinical practice, such as the small round blue cell tumors (SRBCTs) of childhood, including neuroblastoma (NB), rhabdomyosarcoma RMS), Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL), and the Ewing family of tumors (EWS).

This invention relates to a method of using supervised pattern recognition methods to classifying, diagnosing, predicting, or prognosticating various diseases.

Estrogen related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) is a family member of the steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor superfamily. Estrogen related receptors are thought to regulate similar target genes in the absence of known ligands. For example, the inventors previously cloned the human estrogen receptor-related orphan receptor alpha1 cDNA and demonstrated that it enhances estrogen responsiveness of the lactoferrin gene promoter in transfected human endometrial carcinoma cells.

Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein, kills bacteria and modulates inflammatory and immune responses. It is expressed in mucosa membrane and is present in saliva, tears, vaginal secretion and neutrophils. It modulates immune and inflammatory response by down-regulating several cytokines. Therefore, lactoferrin is an important protein in first line of defense and protecting health. Changes in lactoferrin expression could also be used as a marker of gene activation, especially estrogen-induced gene activity in the uterus.

Topisomerases are cellular enzymes that are vital for replication of the genome. However, if topisomerase and DNA form covalent complexes that prevent the resealing of DNA, this may lead to cell death. Essentially, this invention consists of a new isolated and cloned enzyme, tyrosyl-DNA phospodiesterase (TDP1) that is capable of hydrolyzing the covalent complexes between topisomerase and DNA, allowing the DNA to reseal.

This invention relates to a strain of Moraxella catarrhalis containing a gene mutation that prevents endotoxic lipooligosaccharide (LOS) synthesis and potential use of the mutant for developing novel vaccines against the pathogen, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine. M. catarrhalis is one of the causative agents of otitis media (middle ear infection), sinusitis, and lung infections. The mutant is defective in the lpxA gene, whose enzyme product is relevant in lipid A biosynthesis (lipid A is part of the LOS).

Of great utility in toxicology and DNA repair research are knockout mice with cell lines enabling one to evaluate generations of gene mutations as a direct function of base excision repair. Of particular importance are lambda-LIZ transgenes. Likewise, wild-type and beta-pol null cell lines are equally important. While there exist cell lines carrying the lambda-LIZ transgene, only wild-type cells are currently available. And while wild-type and beta-pol null cell lines exist, none carry the lambda-LIZ transgene.

The technology provides the isolation of a functional DNA sequence comprising a chromatin insulating element from a vertebrate system and provides the first employment of the pure insulator element as a functional insulator in mammalian cells. The technology further relates to a method for insulating the expression of a gene from the activity of cis-acting regulatory sequences in eukaryotic chromatin.

The invention can be used to develop tests that are much more rapid than conventional tests for determining drug resistance. It relates to the discovery that a putative gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) with no previously identified function is responsible for the ability of the bacteria to activate a class of second line thioamide drugs used for MTb infections. The gene, termed "etaA", codes for the synthesis of a monooxygenase, the enzyme responsible for the oxidative activation of the drugs.