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Researchers at NIDDK have developed polyclonal antibodies against the Regulator of G Protein Signalling (RGS) protein, RGS7. RGS7 binds tightly to Gbeta5, a unique and highly specialized G protein that exhibits much less homology than other Gbeta isoforms (~50%). RGS7 is preferentially expressed in brain and neuroendocrine tissue. Like Gbeta5, RGS7 is expressed prominently in the cell membrane, as well as in the cytosol.

The invention is in the field of MRI, and more specifically relates to device and method that may provide great improvements in the area of interventional MRI. The technology describes an MRI detection coil that has been integrated with a parametric amplifier to provide local signal detection fully integrated with amplification. This amplification is done in a way that is inherently wireless, thus enabling efficient signal transmission. The integrated MRI detector/amplifier can be used in a number of applications.

No vaccine candidates against Ebola virus (EBOV) or Marburg virus (MARV) are nearing licensure and the need to develop a safe and efficacious vaccine against filoviruses continues. Whereas several preclinical vaccine candidates against EBOV or MARV exist, their further development is a major challenge based on safety concerns, pre-existing vector immunity, and issues such as manufacturing, dosage, and marketability. The inventors have developed a new platform based on live or chemically inactivated (killed) rabies virus (RABV) virions containing EBOV glycoprotein (GP) in their envelope.

Early work by Hammond at al. showed gamma globulin to be effective for the prevention of poliomyelitis. Therefore, passive immunotherapy could be another way to treat chronic excretors. Even though prior attempts to use intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and breast milk were unsuccessful, there is reason to think that higher doses of antipoliovirus antibodies could result in complete clearance of poliovirus from chronically infected individuals.

Cardiovascular disorders associated with endothelial dysfunction, like atherosclerosis, have decreased endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. L-arginine, the primary substrate for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), is important in the regulation of NO production. Arginase competes with eNOS for L-arginine and has been implicated in the endothelial dysfunction. NIH investigators have generated transgenic mice with human ArgII (hArgII) gene under control of endothelial-specific Tie2 promoter. In these mice, hArgII was expressed at very high levels in all tissues except liver.

Glutamate receptor mGluR5 has been reported to function in the brain. There were no prior reports of it being involved in melanoma. The NIH investigators have discovered that when over expressed in transgenic animals, mGluR5 induces melanoma. The establishment of an mGluR5 tumor mouse model will provide a unique opportunity to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying tumor formation, and allow the study of aggressive melanoma in animals and a screen of potential therapeutics. Such an mGluR5 tumor mouse model is established at the National Institutes of Health and is available for licensing.

Scientists at NIDDK have developed a fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (Fgfr1) conditional knock out mouse. Fgfr1 is a member of the Fgfr family of transmembrane protein receptors with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. Fgfr1 is important in multiple biological processes, including mesoderm induction and patterning, cell growth and migration, organ formation and bone growth. Fgfr1 is highly expressed in central nervous system tissues and plays a critical role in proliferation, migration, and survival of neurons and glial cells.

The invention relates to the diagnosis and management of cancer-related fatigue (CRF). More specifically the invention relates to identification and measurement of a single Biomarker or a group of biomarkers (e.g. genes) that are associated with cancer related fatigue. The identification and measurement of such biomarkers can be utilized in the diagnosis and management of fatigue and may facilitate the development of therapy for such fatigue.

The Proteus syndrome is a congenital disorder characterized by patchy overgrowth and hyperplasia (cell proliferation) of multiple tissues and organs, along with susceptibility to developing tumors. It is a rare disorder, with incidence of less than one case per million, caused by a somatic mutation. It is also a mosaic disorder, that is one in which cells of the same person have different genetic content from one another.

Available for licensing is a mouse model that constitutively expresses human interleukin-21 (IL-21). Traditionally, human IL-21 transgenic mouse models are difficult to produce as those with high IL-21 levels exhibit growth retardation and die before sexual maturity. The investigators generated transgenic mice that express human IL-21, which can stimulate murine cells in vitro thereby providing an accurate model to elucidate IL-21's role in immunity, immune disorders, and cancer.