Peptides for Treatment of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha Mediated Inflammatory Disease

Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a multifunctional cytokine that mediates inflammation, immune regulation, and cellular proliferation. This cytokine is converted to its active form by TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE). Pathological increases in TNF-alpha activity have been associated with a wide variety of inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Inhibiting the conversion of TNF-alpha to its active form by inhibiting TACE represents a potential treatment for these diseases.

A Tet-Regulated Mouse Model for Cataract

Cataract is the most common cause of blindness worldwide, with an estimated 25 million blind and 119 million visually impaired individuals worldwide. Over 20 million adults in the US alone are currently diagnosed with cataracts making this disease a major health concern. The incidence of cataract increases with age and a number of etiologic factors have been proposed in the pathogenesis of age-related cataract in humans including genetic factors, environmental factors and metabolic and biochemical changes in the crystalline lens.

Cloning and Characterization of an Avian Adeno-Associated Virus and Uses Thereof

Currently, adeno-associated virus (AAV) represents the gene therapy vehicle of choice because it has many advantages over current strategies for therapeutic gene insertion. AAV is less pathogenic than other virus types; stably integrates into dividing and non-dividing cells; integrates at a consistent site in the host genome; and shows good specificity towards various cell types for targeted gene delivery.

Brother of the Regulator of Imprinted Sites (BORIS)

The subject application discloses an isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule consisting essentially of a nucleotide sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragment of either of the foregoing; an isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule consisting essentially of a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragment of either of the following; a vector comprising such an isolated or purified polypeptide molecule consisting essentially of an amino acid sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragme

Multipotent Postnatal Stem Cells From Human Periodontal Ligament and Uses Thereof

It is estimated that over 40 percent of the adult population in the United States has periodontal disease in one form or another. Periodontal Disease is a chronic infection of the periodontal ligament (PDL) and the adjacent bone and cementum. The effects of Periodontal Disease range from simple gum inflammation to, in extreme cases, tooth loss.

Enzymatically-Active RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase From a Human Norovirus (Calicivirus)

The noroviruses (formerly known as “Norwalk-like viruses”) are associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks, affecting large numbers of individuals each year. Emerging data are supporting their increasing recognition as important agents of diarrhea-related morbidity and mortality. The frequency with which noroviruses are associated with gastroenteritis as “food and water-borne pathogens” has led to the inclusion of caliciviruses as Category B Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases.

Construction of an Infectious Full-Length cDNA Clone of the Porcine Enteric Calicivirus RNA Genome

Porcine enteric calicivirus (PEC) is a member of the genus Sapovirus in the family Caliciviridae. This virus causes diarrheal illness in pigs, and is presently the only enteric calicivirus that can be grown in cell culture. In addition to its relevance to veterinary medicine as a diarrheal agent in pigs, PEC serves as an important model for the study of enteric caliciviruses that cause diarrhea and that cannot be grown in cell culture (including the noroviruses represented by Norwalk virus).

Cannula for Pressure Mediated Drug Delivery

Available for licensing are methods and devices for selectively delivering therapeutic substances to specific histological or microanatomical areas of organs (e.g., introduction of the therapeutic substance into a hollow organ space such as the hepatobiliary duct or the gallbladder lumen) at a controlled pressure, volume and/or rate which allows the substance to reach a predetermined cellular layer.

Novel Method of Fat Suppression in Steady State Free Precession (SSFP) Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Available for licensing is a technique for improving magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that employs steady state free precession (SSFP). One such technique, fast imaging with steady-state free precession (FISP), is a well established and is a fast MR imaging method commonly used to evaluate cardiovascular anatomy and function. FISP provides high signal to noise ratio (SNR) images with excellent contrast between blood and the myocardium. However, these images are often contaminated with high signal from fatty tissue resulting in image artifacts.