Yamatake Corporation

Keio University

Tomohiro Chiba

Kenzo Terashita

Tomo Nishimoto

Massaaki Matsuoka

Sadakazu Also

Ikuo Nishimoto

Masaaki Matsuoka

Tatsuya Ueno

Sadakazu Aiso

Tomo Nishimoto, Legal Representative

Shiro Kano

Yuji Sakurai

Ichitaroh Satoh

Nobuo Takeda

Shigeo Miyagawa

Yoshiko Kita

One aspect of the present invention is directed to search receptors based on the information of HN signaling pathways in order to find Humanin receptor or Humanin-like polypeptide receptor (HNR), and to reveal a mechanism of promoting or suppressing the intracellular signal transduction for neuroprotecting activity of HN and identify a compound involved in the mechanism. The aspect of the invention is directed to a method for screening of HNR agonist and HNR antagonist, to utilize the screened compound in development of a drug for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, and to provide an assay system of AD neuronal cell death, and to provide methods for the compulsory expression of HNR gene or knocking-out of intracellular genes.

Humanin receptor or humanin-like polypeptide receptor

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment and/or prevention of a neurodegenerative disease, comprising the following polypeptide shown in any of (a) to (c): (a) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence represented by Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala-Pro-Ala-Gly-Ala-Ser-Arg-Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Thr-Gly-Glu-Ile-Asp-Leu-Pro (SEQ ID NO: 1); (b) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having a deletion, substitution, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence consisting of Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala-Pro-Ala-Gly-Ala-Ser-Arg-Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Thr-Gly-Glu-Ile-Asp-Leu-Pro (SEQ ID NO: 1), and having an activity that inhibits neuronal cell death associated with neurodegenerative disease; and (c) a modified polypeptide from the polypeptide (a) or (b), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, as an effective ingredient.

Therapeutic agents of colivelin for neurodegenerative diseases

The present invention provides methods for screening and testing disorder suppressor genes and disorder suppressor polypeptides. By screening the cDNA expression library incorporated with nucleic acids derived from an organism suffering from a disorder that accompanies cell death, genes having suppressive effects on the disorder symptoms were successfully cloned. Furthermore, suppressive effects of the nucleic acid and polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid on the disorder have been also examined. Screening of nucleic acids or polypeptides derived from an organism suffering from a disorder that accompanies cell death enables the efficient isolation and selection of suppressor genes of the disorder.

Method of screening disease depressant gene

The present invention provides polypeptides that suppresses neuronal death associated with Alzheimer's disease. Using a neuronal cell system, wherein the expression of familial Alzheimer's disease mutant APP can be induced by ecdysone treatment, a gene that protects the neurons from cell death was successfully isolated. The gene encodes a secretory polypeptide consisting of 24 amino acids, and this polypeptide suppresses neuronal death caused by the expression of APP mutants and presenilin mutants. The polypeptide also suppressed cell death of primary neuronal culture caused by A&#x3b2;. Furthermore, by mutating the amino acids of the polypeptide, the neuronal death suppression activity of the polypwptide was successfully and significantly enhanced. These polypeptides and derivatives thereof are useful as pharmaceuticals to prevent neuronal death associated with Alzheimer's disease, and as seed compounds for developing novel pharmaceuticals for Alzheimer's disease.

Humanin, a polypeptide suppressing neuronal death

A semiconductor manufacturing station () exposes light on a surface area of a spherical semiconductor device or ball (). A mask pattern generator () provides a pattern of light, which undergoes temporal changes to collectively represent an image. The mask pattern generator has an active exposure contour () that provides a portion of the overall image. The pattern of light is directed though a lens () to the surface area of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device rotates in relation to the temporal changes in the pattern of light to expose the pattern of light over a portion of a surface area of the semiconductor device. The exposure contour has a narrower center and becomes wider moving away from the center. The exposure contour may have a curvature.

Apparatus and method of exposing light to a semiconductor device having a curved surface

An integrated circuit device has a device main bodyhaving a predetermined circuit function of providing an output corresponding to an input thereto, and is provided with a power supply sectionfor receiving through a coilelectromagnetic wave energy applied from outside to generate predetermined internal electric power required to operate the integrated circuit device. The integrated circuit device further includes a calibration data acquisition circuit (operation control section) for detecting the output of the device main bodyoperated in a predetermined operating environment to obtain calibration data on the device main body, and a nonvolatile memoryfor storing the calibration data. Using the calibration data stored in the nonvolatile memory, the output of the device main bodyduring actual use of the integrated circuit device is corrected (calibrated), whereby deviation or dispersion of the output or output characteristic of the device main body attributable to an individual difference thereof is efficiently corrected with ease.

Integrated circuit device and correction method for integrated circuit device

A device includes a coil ( ) coupled to a magnetic field having power energy by electromagnetic induction, a rectifier ( ) for subjecting the power energy fetched by the coil to full-wave rectification, a smoothing circuit ( ) for smoothing a rectified output from the rectifier and forming a fixed internal power source, an MOS transistor ( ) having a source and a drain connected in parallel across the coil, and a constant-voltage control circuit ( ) adapted to be actuated to control the gate voltage of the MOS transistor in response to the output of the smoothing circuit, thereby limiting voltage (power) applied to the rectifier. The device further includes a data reception unit ( ) for detecting a modulated component of the power energy fetched by means of the coil and receiving an information signal represented by the modulated, component and a data transmission unit ( ) for controlling the gate voltage of the MOS transistor in response to transmission information, changing the extent of electromagnetic-induction coupling to the magnetic field of the coil, and transmitting the transmission information.

Electromagnetically coupled device

An electromagnetic-induction coupling apparatus adapted for use as a feeder system for supplying electric power to a spherical semiconductor ( ) having a coil ( ) on the surface thereof by electromagnetic-induction coupling by means of the coil and/or a data communication system for transferring information signals to and from the spherical semiconductor through the coil. The apparatus comprises a coil array ( ) including a plurality of coil elements ( ) symmetrically two-dimensionally arranged in the longitudinal and transverse directions, for example, on a given plane, and a magnetic field control element ( ) for controlling the respective polarities and phases of magnetic fields generated by means of the individual coil elements of the coil array, thereby changing the respective directions of magnetic fields in a region near the coil array to which the spherical semiconductor is guided. The magnetic field control element drives a plurality of coil elements in phase, thereby generating a magnetic field perpendicular to the coil plane of the coil array, and drives the coil elements in predetermined sets of the coil array out of phase, thereby generating a magnetic field parallel to the coil surface of the coil array or inclined at a given angle to the coil plane.

Electromagnetic-induction coupling apparatus

An insulated-gate semiconductor device comprises a source region (S) formed on a predetermined semiconductor substrate such as a ball semiconductor, a drain region (D) formed on the semiconductor substrate at a distance from the source region; and a gate electrode (G) formed on the semiconductor substrate with an insulating layer interposed therebetween to create a channel region between the source and drain regions. The insulated-gate semiconductor device is characterized in that the drain region and the source region are formed asymmetrically with respect to the channel region suited to be incorporated in a rectifier circuit for full-wave rectification of power supplied through inductive coupling of coils. In particular, the channel region is formed to surround the source region while the drain region is formed outside the channel region so that the effective channel width adjoining the source region may be different from that adjoining the drain region.

Insulated-gate semiconductor device for a rectifier

A ball detecting apparatus having a simple structure and being capable of surely detecting balls carried in a tube using transparent liquid as a carrier without being affected by bubbles produced in the tube. The ball detecting apparatus has a surface light source for projecting diffused light having a predetermined beam cross section and a predetermined beam spread angle, from a side of a tube in which balls are carried, into the tube . A photo detector is arranged opposite to the surface light source with the tube between. The photo detector receives a component of the diffused light that travels directly toward a light receiving area and/or a component of the diffused light that has been deflected by a bubble produced in the transparent liquid to travel toward the receiving area. The light receiving area is adapted to be able to be completely shielded from the diffused light by the balls. Judging means judges the presence of the balls in the tube based on a light receiving signal sent from the photo detector.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Ikuo Nishimoto