Abstract:
The present invention relates to molecules which function as modulators (i.e., inhibitors and agonists) of the Ras-homologous (Rho) family of small GTPases (e.g. Rac, Cdc42 and Rho GTPases) and their use to treat diseases, including cancers (including solid tumors-medulloblastoma, ovarian, breast, head and neck, testicular, prostate among others and hematologic malignancies-B cell lymphoma, where these GTPases are overexpressed or hyperactivated), sporadic and genetic diseases where activation of Rho GTPases plays a pivotal role (Menkes disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes (type 1), Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease) which are mediated through these proteins. Compounds according to the present invention may also be used as a therapy for the treatment of Entamoeba spp. or Acanthamoeba spp, infections, especially including Entamoeba histolytica.
Abstract:
A method for producing an ex vivo population of human insulin-producing cells that produce insulin in response to glucose from a patient is disclosed. The population of insulin producing cells is derived from human epithelial cells by causing those epithelial cells to differentiate into insulin producing cells. In one embodiment, the epithelial cells are derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The MSCs can be cultured from human bone marrow. In one embodiment, a culture of epithelial cell linage is generated by cultivating a sample of human cells containing a mixed culture containing human MSCs to produce an enriched culture of MSCs having a higher concentration of MSCs than the sample; and then differentiating cells from the enriched culture into cells of the epithelial cell lineage.
Abstract:
A computer based technique for the global investigation of property spaces is described. More particularly, a technique is described for the global investigation of chemical space, with reference to drugs, using a system comprised of molecules and descriptors that allows systematic mapping of the chemical space. The technique is used to generate a map of N-dimensional chemical space that allows one to examine, in a consistent manner with existing tools, the inner relationship between various molecules. The technique therefore allows one to investigate unexplored regions of the chemical space, avoiding redundancy, generating compounds with similar chemical information content, or to focus on subsets of the chemical space that are relevant to drug-like structures, without additional errors due to extrapolation.