Abstract:
Described herein are antimicrobial peptides for use in pharmaceutical antibiotic compositions and methods of use thereof. These antimicrobial peptides are Gramicidin A (gA) peptide analogs that, in addition to having potent anti-microbial activity, have greatly increased solubility and significantly reduced toxicity in comparison to the wild-type Gramicidin A peptide.
Abstract:
Disclosed are methods of treating viral disorders via the administration of an inducing agent and an anti¬ viral agent. In one embodiment, the inducing agent and the anti- viral agent are administered for about five days, and the anti-viral agent is subsequently administered without the inducing agent for an additional period of about sixteen days for a total cycle of about 21 days.
Abstract:
The invention provides methods for treatment, prevention or management of obesity, obesity related disorders, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome in a subject by administering a ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) inhibitor and/or a ghrelin receptor antagonist to the subject. The invention also provides ghrelin receptor antagonists of formula (VII): A 11 -A 12 -A 13 -Gly-Ser-A 14 -Phe-Leu-A 15 -A 16 -A 17 -A 18 , wherein each of A 11 , A 12 , and A 13 is independently absent, an amino acid, or an amino protecting group; each of A 15 -A 16 -A 17 , and A 18 is independently absent or an amino acid; and A 14 is a serine conjugated with a -C(O)C 1 -C 20 alky or a diaminopropionic acid conjugated with a -C(O)C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, provided that at least one of A 11 , A 12 , or A 13 is present.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a microfluidic device for lysis of cells, such as bacteria and microorganisms. In particular, the present invention relates to microf luidic devices and methods of manufacture of such microfluidic devices comprising a substrate with at least one channel packed with a polymer monolith embedded with carbon particles, for example carbon nanotubes.The microfluidic devices and methods of the present invention are useful for cell lysis of cells within a biological sample, such as a untreated biological sample comprising microorganisms, such as but not limited to gram positive and gram negative bacteria. In some embodiments, the microfluidic devices of the present invention can also optionally comprise other modules enabling further processing of the biological sample, for example isolation, purification and detection of biomolecules released from the lysed cells, such as but not limited to nucleic acids or proteins or peptides from the lysed cells, providing a complete Lab- on- a- Chip analysis system for biomolecules released from difficult to lyse microorganisms in a single step or process. The microfluidic devices of the present invention can also be adapted and are useful to methods to enrich for microorganisms in a biological sample, for example enrich for a desired type of bacteria within a biological sample. The microfluidic devices and methods of the present invention can be adapted to perform highly efficient lysis of microorganisms within a biological sample for diagnostic tests, for example for diagnosis of infectious agents and pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites.
Abstract:
The present invention provides novel compounds that have been demonstrated to be modulators of the ghrelin receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHS-R1a and subtypes, iso forms and variants thereof). These compounds are useful as antagonists of the ghrelin receptor as well as inverse agonist, partial agonist or a combination of these activities as medicaments for treatment and prevention of a range of medical conditions including, but not limited to, metabolic and/or endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disorders, obesity and obesity-associated disorders, diabetes, central nervous system disorders, genetic disorders, and hyperproliferative disorders.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are methods for treating a subject with, or at risk for, developing a tumor which has aberrantly increased Ras signaling. The method involves obtaining a biological sample from the subject, determining whether the biological sample contains cells which have aberrantly increased Ras signaling, and administering an agent that selectively inhibits Protein Kinase C (PKC) delta to the subject upon determination of the aberrantly increased Ras signaling, to thereby inhibit PKC-delta in the cell. The increased Ras signaling may result from expression of activated Ras, e.g. resulting from mutations in codon (12, 13, 59, 61, 63, 116, 117, or 146). Such mutations can be determined by detection of a nucleotide sequence encoding an activated form of Ras protein, or by detection of the activated Ras protein. The increased Ras signaling may result from over-expression of wild-type Ras, over-activation of wild-type Ras, or increased activation of one or more effector pathways downstream of Ras. The tumor cells of the individual may be malignant or non-malignant. The inhibitor(s) of PKC-delta may inhibit PKC-delta gene expression, reduce PKC-delta protein levels, and/or inhibit PKC-delta protein function by inhibiting kinase activity. Appropriate inhibitors are Rottlerin, Balanol, balanol analogs, KAI 9S03, and combinations thereof. Also disclosed are methods for determining the likelihood of effectiveness of administering an agent that selectively inhibits PKC-delta to a subject with a tumor. The methods involve determining the presence or absence of aberrantly increased Ras signaling in the tumor, wherein the presence of aberrantly increased Ras signaling indicates that administration of the PKC-delta inhibitor is likely to be effective.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to methods to identify factors associated with muscle growth, angiogenesis, obesity, insulin sensitivity body weight, fat mass, muscle mass and cardiovascular ftinction. In particular, the methods of the present invention relates to assays to identify such factors using a transgenic animal model and/or a cell-based assay.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to nucleic acid sequences whose expression is associated with different cell states, including nucleic acid sequences whose expression is induced at least 100-fold, or alternatively upregulated, in cells exhibiting asymmetric self-renewal relative to other cells. The invention is also directed to nucleic acid sequences whose expression is induced at least 100-fold, or alternatively upregulated, in cells exhibiting symmetric self-renewal relative to other cells.
Abstract:
We have discovered that targeting carbohydrates on cell, or viral particle surfaces, such as using antibodies against such carbohydrates also called glycans provide a new tool to treat diseases and disorders, such as viral diseases and malignant tumors. Therefore, the present invention provides methods for treating individuals affected with diseases and disorders, for example viral infections, such as lentiviral infections, and malignant tumors, using molecules that bind carbohydrates that are expressed on the surface of the viral particle or a cell, for example antibodies against Lewis X-antigen.